About UNE's Nurse Anesthesia Programs

Earn your Nurse Anesthesia degree at UNE — recognized as a top university by The Princeton Review, U.S. News & World Report, and others. As the only Nurse Anesthesia program in Maine and in all of Northern New England, we provide you with the intellectual and technical skills necessary to become highly skilled in the safe administration of anesthesia and prepare you for a profession as a compassionate, patient-centered provider within a health care team.

Become a leader in Nurse Anesthesia at UNE

Advance your career to become a CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist) through UNE’s Nurse Anesthesia programs. At UNE, you will receive the highest level of in-class instruction, simulation lab preparation, and clinical site experiences that can be offered. Our world-class faculty members are supportive, compassionate, highly skilled, and deeply invested in your success in the nurse anesthesia field. Join UNE’s Nurse Anesthesia community in beautiful Maine, and learn how to be a critical part of a health care team. 

Fill out the form below for an info sheet on UNE’s D.N.P.

 

Transition to Doctor of Nursing Practice Program

The Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA) has approved UNE’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) in Nurse Anesthesia. The first class will matriculate in August of 2022 with a graduation date of August 2025. 

Learn more about the Doctor of Nursing Practice in Nurse Anesthesia

What Makes UNE's Nurse Anesthesia Programs Special

Wide Breadth of Clinical Experiences

Two U N E D N P students practice on a patient simulator

After completion of the campus-based portion of the Doctor of Nursing and M.S.N.A. programs, you’ll begin the 19-month hospital-based phase that is designed to give you extensive clinical experience in the administration of a wide range of anesthetics, including general anesthetics, intravenous agents, and regional anesthetics, comprising spinal, epidural, and all types of peripheral nerve blocks. Participating in hundreds of anesthesia cases at our clinical sites throughout New England, including rural sites and CRNA-only sites, you will have access to hands-on training in all of the surgical specialties: neurosurgery, open-heart surgery, obstetrics, and more.

State-of-the-Art Facilities

a patient simulator lies on a bed in a clinical simulation room

Your training in our Nurse Anesthesia programs is enriched by our state-of-the-art facilities and educational resources on our Portland, Maine, campus. Beginning in your first semester on campus, our Interprofessional Simulation and Innovation Center, which is equipped with the latest media and medical instruction technology — including several high fidelity patient simulators — provides you opportunities to engage in realistic facsimiles of the work you’ll perform in the clinical environment. 

Preparation for Team-Based Care

Five U N E health professions students pose together on a stair case

Reap the benefit of earning your degree at a university that is a national leader in interprofessional education. With colleges of osteopathic medicine and dental medicine and a wide array of other health care programs, UNE has a broad range of health professions faculty who know the value of teamwork in the modern health care setting. Through interprofessional clinical training, you emerge ready to work as part of a collaborative, interdisciplinary healthcare team. Learn more about the D.N.P. in Nurse Anesthesia

Supportive Learning Environment

Four U N E D N P students works together around tables

UNE’s Nurse Anesthesia faculty members know that when you succeed, the program succeeds. Supporting you in your studies is priority number one. Our renowned faculty take an interest in each student as an individual, making themselves available for one-on-one conferences, additional help, and advice. As an incoming student, you will be assigned an advanced student mentor who will help acclimate you to the program, steer you in the right direction and provide encouragement as you establish yourself as part of the UNE Nurse Anesthesia family.

View the M.S.N.A. Curriculum View the D.N.P. Curriculum

Admissions

The UNE Portland Campus for the Health Sciences

For decades, UNE’s Portland Campus has been home to many of the University’s health professions programs including PA, PT, OT, pharmacy, nursing, dental medicine, and more. In 2025, UNE’s College of Osteopathic Medicine will move from the Biddeford Campus into the new Harold and Bibby Alfond Center for Health Sciences in Portland. By bringing our health professions programs together into one interprofessional learning community, we will establish UNE’s Portland Campus for the Health Sciences as the center of health care education in Northern New England.

Learn about exciting changes on UNE’s Portland Campus for the Health Sciences

Maine’s Leading University for the Health Professions and Sciences

Nurse Anesthesia at UNE By the Numbers

100%

Employment rate within 6 months of graduation

(2020–2022)

38

Approximate number of hospitals and facilities in New England with clinical training sites

NCE Pass Rates

Graduates are eligible to take the National Certification Exam (NCE) administered by the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists. At 94% and 95% respectively, our students’ first-time NCE pass rates in 2019 and 2020 were 10 percentage points above the national average. Learn more about the exam and UNE pass rates.

Quality Academics, Respected Degrees

UNE is proud of the recognition we’ve received, which echoes the success of our students: In the past two years, 94 to 95% of our M.S.N.A. graduates passed the National Certification Exam on the first try.

Title
Best Colleges: National
Source
U.S. News & World Report
Year
2024
Title
Best Colleges
Source
Princeton Review
Year
2024
Title
Best Colleges
Source
Money
Year
2023

Live and Study in Portland, Maine

UNE D.N.P. students study on our Portland, Maine campus, a classic New England quad with brick buildings and tall trees. Portland, named “America’s Most Livable City” by Forbes and “Foodiest Small Town in America” by Bon Appetit, is the city on every list. A rustic port hosts a cool cultural scene — with outdoor adventure all around. UNE’s campus is just 10 minutes from downtown. Take a Virtual Tour of our Portland Campus

Portland harbor near the UNE health professions campus in Portland, Maine.

Accreditation

The School of Nurse Anesthesia is accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA) of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs, a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the U.S. Department of Education.

The School of Nurse Anesthesia is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs through the fall of 2031. The program received the maximum 10-year accreditation length in the fall of 2021. 

UNE’s Master of Nurse Anesthesia program is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs through the fall of 2031.

The Council on Accreditation (COA) of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs recognizes the program for providing a graduate-level curriculum leading to the award of a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree. The proposed date of implementation of this degree offering is August 2022.

COA Contact

Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA)
10275 W. Higgins Rd. Suite 906, Rosemont, IL 60018-5603; 224-275-9130; http://coacrna.org