The first graduating class of nurse anesthetists from the University of Mobile’s new Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice program achieved a perfect 100% first-time pass rate on the National Certification Exam, the highest pass rate in Alabama for 2024.
That’s far above the national average of 83% and is an exceptional accomplishment for a new program, said Todd Hicks, executive dean of UM’s College of Health Professions and professor of nurse anesthesiology.
“When we developed the School of Nurse Anesthesia and the Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (DNAP) program in 2021, we had hopes of providing students with educational opportunities in both the classroom and clinic that would maximize their ability to pass the NCE on the first attempt.
“Our inaugural Class of 2024 made a commitment to prepare and trust in our process at the University of Mobile. It gives me great joy that we were able to build a program that enables our students to achieve their dreams,” said Hicks, DNAP program director and founding dean.
By passing the NCE, all 12 graduates are now Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists in a high-demand career where salaries start at $190,000 and up. Even before they completed the program this summer, every member of the first class had received job offers in a field that U.S. News & World Report ranks #5 on its 2024 Best Jobs List.
Benefits our local community
Pamela Buchanan Miller, vice president for academic affairs at the Christian university, said the program’s success is “a huge win not just for the University of Mobile and our students, but for the entire Mobile area as the majority of our graduates will stay here and practice here. This means better local health care for all of us.”
Of the dozen graduates, 11 are now working in Mobile area hospitals while the 12th returned home and is practicing at a north Alabama hospital.
Buchanan Miller said it is “a profound blessing to see the Lord honoring our DNAP students’ hard work. They have shown true sacrificial commitment over the past three years, and we could not be more proud of them. They have worked year-round since 2021 mastering an incredibly complex body of information, not to mention the intricate skill necessary to become nurse anesthetists.”
Growing demand, expanding DNAP program
The University of Mobile DNAP program is the first and only Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice program in the four-state region of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Georgia.
The highly competitive 36-month doctoral program is offered in a blended format, combining on-site and online learning. Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and more than one full year of critical care nursing experience.
The program has grown and now accepts 15 new students each year. It is accredited and approved by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA), Alabama Board of Nursing and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
To learn more about UM’s DNAP program, visit umobile.edu/dnap. The annual application deadline is October 1.
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Kathy Dean and originally published by the University of Mobile.
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