Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice

The Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (DNAP) program is designed for registered nurses with a bachelor’s degree who want a leadership role in the profession of nurse anesthesia.

In addition to preparing you to be a competent, skilled nurse anesthesia practitioner, it is the mission of the program to nurture and develop innovative, creative leaders for the advancement of the profession.

The program is housed in Gonzaga’s School of Health Sciences and the School of Anesthesia at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and is jointly owned and operated by Gonzaga University and Providence Health Care.

The Gonzaga Advantage:

• Little Competition with other Learners: Gonzaga’s DNAP students are the only anesthesia learners at the primary sites and affiliation sites. Case volumes significantly exceed program needs.
• Practicing Faculty:  All practitioner faculty actively practice as CRNAs and provide students with state-of-the-art clinical instruction and address evolving trends, real world challenges and current health care policy issues.
• Integrated Nurse Anesthesia Program: Clinical practicum begins in the second semester and continues throughout the program.
• Excellent Certification Exam Pass Rate: Since 1979, only 9 students have failed the National Qualifying Exam.
• Competitive Cost: Members of Gonzaga’s DNAP cohort will benefit from a competitive per credit pricing structure compared to other programs in the market.
• The Jesuit Experience: Gonzaga students experience the infusion of the Jesuit mission of men and women for others. This humanistic approach creates a community that encourages an exchange of knowledge with and among each other—the faculty, the students, and the communities in which they live and work to impact change.

The nurse anesthesia program is accredited through Fall of 2026. The program is scheduled for ongoing accreditation in the Fall of 2026 by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs. 

Gonzaga University recognizes the DNAP program as a professional program under the Department of Education’s definition of a Professional Program: A program of study that awards a professional degree upon completion, signifying readiness to begin practice in a specific profession. It requires a level of professional skill beyond that normally required for a bachelor’s degree. Professional licensure is typically required for graduates to enter the field.

Program Questions

DNAP Administrative Assistant
Sacred Heart Medical Center
(509) 474-4971
Email: DNAP@providence.org

Application Questions

Graduate Admission
Call or Text: (866) 380-5323
Email: gradadmission@gonzaga.edu