Doctor of Nursing Practice

Nurse Anesthesia Program

To meet the growing demand for nurse anesthetists, Vanderbilt School of Nursing will welcome its first cohort of students in summer 2026.

Applications will open August 1, 2025.

a nurse anesthetist adminstering anesthesia to a patient during an operation
Section Contents

Program Highlights

  • Summer start (late April) 
  • Full-time, in-person format
  • 36 months/9 semesters 
  • 2,500 clinical hours, 90 credits
  • Doctor of Nursing Practice degree awarded

Program Requirements

  • Minimum Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or Master of Nursing (MN)
  • An unencumbered license as a registered professional nurse and/or an APRN in the United States or its territories or protectorates
  • 1 year of critical care nursing experience

Key Dates

  • Applications Open - August 2025  
  • Priority Deadline - October 2025  
  • Interviews - Winter 2025 
  • Admission Decisions - January 2026 
  • Classes Begin - April 2026 

The Vanderbilt Difference

  • Ranked among the nation's Top 4 graduate nursing programs
  • Esteemed nursing education built upon Vanderbilt’s 100-year history of leadership and excellence in nursing, teaching, practice and research  
  • Quality training from world-renowned experts at Vanderbilt University Medical Center 
  • Robust clinical experience with unmatched exposure to all types of surgical cases 

Start your nurse anesthesia career with a brand-new program backed by Vanderbilt excellence. 

*  Vanderbilt’s nurse anesthesia DNP program is currently pending initial accreditation by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA). No students may be enrolled in the program until initial accreditation is received.  

The opportunity to utilize my clinical practice experience, teaching and leadership skills to create a world-class nurse anesthesia educational program is a true honor. The resources and support of both the university and the medical center have set the stage for a truly remarkable educational experience for our future students."

Brent Dunworth Brent Dunworth, DNP, MBA, CRNA, NEA-BC, FAANA
Director, Nurse Anesthesia Program
Joint appointment as VUSN associate professor of nursing and with the School of Medicine as associate professor of clinical anesthesiology

Robust Clinical Experience & Guaranteed Clinical Placement  

Students will receive over 2,800 hours of comprehensive clinical training from world-renowned experts at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, a nationally recognized academic medical center that advances medical knowledge through research and education.  


Vanderbilt School of Nursing Nurse Anesthesia clinical sites collectively serve over 140,000 surgical patients throughout the lifespan annually to provide unmatched exposure to all types of surgical cases including: 

  • Robotic-assisted surgery 
  • Organ transplantation 
  • Level 1 trauma  
  • Cardiothoracic surgery 
  • Neurosurgery 
  • Orthopedics 
  • High-risk oncology 
  • Obstetrics 
  • Pediatrics 

The Vanderbilt Health system encompasses 7 hospitals and more than 180 clinics, including the main medical center campus that is adjacent to Vanderbilt University School of Nursing and additional locations serving patients in communities throughout Middle Tennessee.     

What are the Clinical Sites?

  • Vanderbilt University Hospital

    Known for its expertise in complex and innovative surgical procedures, over 70,000 of which are performed annually. Key surgical services offered include robotic-assisted surgery, organ transplantation, Level 1 trauma center, cardiothoracic surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedics, obstetrics, and high-risk oncology. 

  • Monroe Carell, Jr., Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt

    Offers a wide range of specialized surgical services for pediatric patients. Around 25,000 anesthetics are performed annually for otolaryngology, urology, general surgery, orthopedic surgery, trauma, neurosurgery, transplantation and cardiothoracic surgery.  

  • Vanderbilt Outpatient Surgery

    Serves over 2,000 patients annually specializing in a variety of outpatient surgical procedures, such as orthopedic, general, plastic and urological surgeries. 

  • Vanderbilt Belle Meade

    A multi-specialty facility with seven operating rooms to care efficiently for over 6,000 patients annually across several specialties including orthopedics, spine, urology and gynecology.  

  • Vanderbilt Surgery Franklin

    A high-volume, low-acuity outpatient surgery center providing over 3,000 procedures annually focusing on orthopedic surgery including foot and ankle, hand and upper extremity, hip preservation, shoulder, pain management, minimally invasive spine and pain management. Nurse Anesthetists use extensive regional anesthesia blocks. 

  • Vanderbilt Health Endoscopy Center – One Hundred Oaks

    Equipped with five procedural suites offering upper and lower endoscopy and endoscopic ultrasound for nearly 10,000 patients annually. Nurse Anesthetists function in a non-medically directed fashion. 

  • Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital

    Located in Lebanon, TN, about 30 miles outside of Nashville, VWCH serves patients across the lifespan providing nearly 10,000 anesthetics annually.  This is a Level 3 trauma referral center with a cardiac catheterization lab and obstetrical service that provides outpatient surgery, gastroenterology and other minimally invasive procedures.  

  • Vanderbilt Tullahoma-Harton Hospital

    Located in Tullahoma, TN, about 75 miles outside of Nashville, VTHH offers a full-service obstetrical unit, gastroenterology and general and orthopedic surgery for adult and pediatric patients. 

  • Vanderbilt Bedford Hospital

    Located in Shelbyville, TN, about 50 miles outside of Nashville. Over 2,000 surgical procedures are provided per year including general, cardiology, plastic, orthopedic, podiatry and more. Nurse anesthetists often practice in a non-medically directed model of care. 

  • Monroe Carell, Jr., Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt – Murfreesboro

    Located in Murfreesboro, about 40 miles outside of Nashville, TN, this facility administers nearly 5,000 anesthetics annually. Surgical specialties include otolaryngology, gastroenterology, orthopedics and urology, as well as specialized imaging services.  

  • Vanderbilt Surgery Center – One Hundred Oaks

    Coming Soon! A brand-new 14-room surgical suite will provide comprehensive outpatient surgical and anesthetic care to patients including general, otolaryngology and various other specialties.  An estimated 10,000 cases will be performed here each year. 

Stay in the Loop

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