The College of Nursing’s Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist program earned 18th place out of 131 CRNA graduate programs in the latest U.S. News & World Report ranking of the nation’s .

RFU attained a Peer Assessment Score of 3.3, placing the university in a tie for No. 18 with the Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences, Northeastern University in Boston and the University of Detroit Mercy. The ranking places RFU among the top 20 CRNA programs in the U.S.

“As the College of Nursing continues its upward trajectory, we are pleased to see that our progress has been recognized by our peers at other institutions,” said RFU College of Nursing Dean Sandra Larson, CRNA, PhD. “This welcome news provides momentum as we continue to advance the CRNA program and the college’s mission to address the need for a highly educated nursing workforce.” 

RFU’s 36-month program is designed for registered nurses who wish to become CRNAs and earn the doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree. CRNAs provide anesthetics to patients in every practice setting, for every type of surgery or procedure. RFU’s innovative CRNA curriculum includes a focus on regional anesthesia, point-of-care ultrasound and advanced airway management.

The first half of the program is didactic study combined with simulation experiences in RFU’s 30,000-square-foot virtual health system, where students practice intubation, central venous line placement, arterial line insertion, and spinal and epidural skills. The remaining 18 months are spent in full-time clinical training with partner hospitals in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Colorado.

Earlier this year, RFU partnered with the University of Colorado Colorado Springs to provide the first CRNA program authorized by the Colorado Department for Higher Education to offer classroom, simulation and clinical nurse anesthesia training in the state.

“Our outstanding ranking is a direct result of the drive for excellence among our faculty that has fueled the College of Nursing since its inception just two years ago,” said Lori Anderson, CRNA, DNP, director of the Nurse Anesthesia Program. “It’s gratifying to know that the CRNA program is gaining the national recognition that it so richly deserves.”