

As experts in operating room safety and efficiency, certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) provide anesthesia care before, during, and after surgery, helping to ensure the best health outcomes. They perform complete patient assessments, develop and implement anesthesia care plans, and closely monitor patients.
This 27-month, full-time program is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs and is a collaborative effort with the Associated Physicians of Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians. In our program, students take advantage of the core courses common to all master of science nursing specialties, learn advanced physiologic and pharmacologic principles, and gain hands-on clinical experience.
Nurse anesthetists administer approximately 65 percent of all anesthesia in the United States. Practice settings include:
Hospital operating rooms
Labor and delivery units
Critical and intensive care floors
Outpatient centers
Pain management clinics
Specialized health care provider offices
Ready for a rewarding challenge that will change your life—and the lives of others?
The program in nurse anesthesia prepares registered nurses who already possess a baccalaureate degree in nursing and a minimum of one year of critical care experience for the advanced practice role of nurse anesthetist. The full-time, 70-credit curriculum over 27 months (January start) provides students with core and specialty theory courses and a structured practicum and residency, all of which follow the standards of the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs. Graduates of the program are eligible to sit for the National Certification Examination administered by the National Board on Certification and Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists to become certified registered nurse anesthetists.
Upon completing the master's degree program in nurse anesthesia, the graduate will be able to:
The master's degree program in nursing at the Connell School of Nursing at Boston College is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington DC 20001, (202) 887-6791.
The nurse anesthesia program is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs through May of 2026.
Applicant Rights and Responsibilities
Faculty Rights and Responsibilities
Student Rights and Responsibilities
Students rotate among 3-6 clinical sites and experience a variety of practice settings. Clinical rotations are based on individual student needs and are intended to provide the best academic experience possible. They are not based on geographic convenience.
Year of Graduation | Students Matriculated | Graduates | Attrition % | NCE Pass % | NCE 1st Attempt | Employment at 6 Months |
2020 | 16 | 16 | 0% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
2019 | 12 | 14 | 0% | 92.9% | 85.7% | 92.9% |
2018 | 10 | 9 | 10% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
2017 | 16 | 14 | 12.2% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
2016 | 16 | 16 | 0% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
*One graduate did not retake the NCE
The Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA) requires that all students matriculating into a nurse anesthesia educational program on January 1, 2022 or thereafter be enrolled in a program approved by the COA to award a practice doctoral degree. The program plans to submit its application to the COA for approval to award the Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree in March 2020. Pending approval by the COA, the program plans to enroll its first doctoral cohort of students in May 2021. Further information regarding this transition may be obtained by contacting the program at susan.emery@bc.edu.