Vanderbilt University School of Nursing will establish a nurse anesthesia program in summer 2026 that will draw on the strengths of the school’s expertise in nursing education and practice combined with extensive clinical education at nearby Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The three-year program of study will be part of the school’s doctor of nursing practice degree program.
The full-time, in-person format will cover 36 months, or nine semesters, and combine rigorous, comprehensive coursework, technology-enhanced simulations, and more than 2,800 hours of extensive clinical training from experts at VUMC, one of the nation’s top academic medical centers. After successful program completion, graduates will be eligible to take the national certification exam to become certified registered nurse anesthetists.
“Developing a nurse anesthesia program underscores Vanderbilt’s profound commitment to foster opportunities for nurses and to address the nation’s expanding health care needs, including a critical demand for anesthesia providers,” said Pamela Jeffries, PhD, FAAN, ANEF, FSSH, VUSN dean and Valere Potter Distinguished Professor of Nursing. “Graduating skilled nurse anesthetists represents a crucial step in mitigating this shortage and safeguarding access to timely and vital medical care.”
The nurse anesthesia program will be directed by Brent Dunworth, DNP, MBA, CRNA, NEA-BC, FAANA, an experienced CRNA and educator, and former associate nurse executive at VUMC. He has a joint appointment as VUSN associate professor of nursing and with the School of Medicine as associate professor of clinical anesthesiology. As the director of advanced practice in anesthesiology at VUMC, he grew VUMC’s CRNA workforce by more than 50%, with CRNAs now providing care 24-hours a day, seven days per week across the VUMC enterprise, and collaborated to reengineer anesthesia care to reduce hospital length of stay and opioid consumption of surgical patients.
“Nurse anesthesia programs are a cornerstone of safe and effective patient care, empowering nurses with specialized knowledge and skills to administer anesthesia and manage patient well-being during surgical procedures,” Dunworth said. “Vanderbilt students will benefit from the resources and support of both the university and the medical center, and will be exceptionally qualified to provide care in all types of surgical cases including orthopedics, pediatrics, neurosurgery, organ transplantation, emergency trauma and beyond.” Plans for an optional international immersion experience for students is also being developed.
The demand for nurse anesthetists has grown as providers retire and an aging population requires more surgical procedures and preventative care. According to the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology, CRNAs make up more than half of the anesthesia workforce in the country, providing more than 50 million anesthetics each year. CRNAs are often the sole anesthesia providers in rural hospitals and work in medical settings that include hospital operating rooms, emergency departments, outpatient surgery centers, dentist offices and labor and delivery units.
Applications for Vanderbilt’s nurse anesthesia program open August 1, 2025. Interviews for the inaugural cohort will be conducted in winter 2025, with admission decisions sent in early February 2026. Classes will begin April 27, 2026.
Applicants need a minimum of a bachelor of science in nursing or master’s in nursing degree. An unencumbered license as a registered professional nurse and/or an APRN in the United States or its territories or protectorates is also required, as is at least one year of critical care nursing experience.
The nurse anesthesia program at Vanderbilt is currently pending review for initial accreditation by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs and no students may be enrolled in the program until initial accreditation has been awarded.