Loma Linda University Launches Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree

The Loma Linda University School of Nursing recently launched a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree program to replace its successful nurse anesthesia master’s degree which has been in operation since 2011. The new DNP program is designed to educate bachelor’s prepared nurses in the advanced practice nurse anesthetist role.

Kurt Cao, DNAP, CRNA, director of the Loma Linda nurse anesthesia program, tells news.LLU.edu, “We’re pleased to offer this new program for entry into practice in response to a growing national demand for doctoral-level nurse anesthesia education. Nurse Anesthetists must be prepared to not only provide excellent anesthesia care to their patients, but to also meet the demands of an ever-changing healthcare system and to lead effective change to sustain and improve patient outcomes.”

Loma Linda’s DNP program includes graduate-level nursing courses, nurse anesthesia concentration courses, clinical hours, and DNP project courses. The program is designed to teach students foundational concepts and principles necessary for practice in a clinical practicum sequence.

The program was designed using the same core principles of the master’s in nurse anesthesia program, including a focus on clinical practice. Upon graduating, students will be eligible for certification as nurse anesthetists. Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Nurse Specialist concentrations are also available within the DNP program.

The curriculum of Loma Linda’s DNP program meets the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice. The school’s bachelor’s, master’s, and DNP nursing programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).