Graduate Catalog 2025-2026

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Practical Nursing Anesthesia (DNAP)

The Doctorate in Practical Nursing Anesthesia is an advanced professional degree whose purpose is to train nurse anesthetists who demonstrate mastery of the highest standards of practice, research, and ethical aspects of the profession. This program is offered through two interrelated modalities: (A) post-baccalaureate modality and (B) post-master modality.

The post-baccalaureate modality offers the opportunity for graduates who have a bachelor's degree in nursing to complete a doctorate, which includes experiences in the classroom and research in clinical settings. Includes the execution of activities related to the administration of anesthetics in clinical affiliations where surgical procedures are performed.

The post-master modality is designed for graduates who have completed their academic degree and have their national certification. These professionals meet the clinical experience offered by the requirement to complete your terminal academic degree.

Both modalities of this doctorate develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes of the students necessary to practice as a nurse anesthetist with professionalism, with an ethical and investigative sense.

Mission

The PhD Program in Practical Anesthesia aspires to prepare a professional in the field of nursing with a specialty in anesthesia. This graduate will be able to carry out activities related to the administration of anesthetics, perform invasive procedures in direct collaboration with the anesthesiologist and the multidisciplinary team in any clinical setting where surgical procedures are performed.

The program aims to develop a professional in the field of anesthesia who:

  1. Possess inherent knowledge and skills that allow you to perform as an expert in the specialty of nursing anesthesia.

  2. Possess ethical-professional attitudes, communication skills, and leadership in the management of perianesthetic care that facilitate intervention with the patient, family, and health team.

  3. Use the research process as the main instrument to find solutions to problems identified in your clinical environment that offer better treatment and care offered to the community.

  4. Use the results of scientific research to strengthen the quality of service in the field of nursing anesthesia.

The Arecibo Campus is authorized to offer this program.

Competencies Profile of Graduates

Knowledge

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

  1. the concepts related to patient safety.

  2. continuous individualized perioperative anesthetic care.

  3. the physiological responses of the patient correlated with the administration of anesthesia and the management of complications that occur during it.

  4. the results of scientific research related to health from an international and multicultural perspective, and especially anesthetic nursing.

Abilities

  1. Write an anesthetic care plan before providing anesthesia services.

  2. Correctly calculate intravenous fluid therapy and blood components.

  3. Adequately manage the patient's airway considering anatomical variations.

  4. Use alternative equipment for managing the difficult airway.

  5. Write articles, critical essays or scientific reports with the potential to be published in professional journals.

  6. Interpret quantitative and qualitative data from scientific research related to the field of human health or related areas.

Attitudes

  1. Respect the code of ethics in the practice of anesthetic nursing.

  2. Collaborate with the multidisciplinary health team, assuming shared leadership in collegiate decision-making for the benefit of patients.

  3. Respect gender equality and the cultural, personal, and social differences of the patients he cares for.

  4. Make ethically responsible decisions for the well-being of the patient.

  5. Correctly inform the public of the professional role of the nurse anesthetist.

Admission requirements

The PhD Program in Practical Anesthetic Nursing provides two academic admission modalities: (A) graduate with a bachelor's degree in nursing sciences (post-baccalaureate) and (B) graduate with a master's degree in nursing sciences with a specialty in anesthesia with current certification authorized by the National Board of Certification & Recertification of Nurse Anesthetist (NBCRNA) to practice nursing anesthesia (Postmaster's).

A. Modality (A) Post-Baccalaureate

  1. Meet the admission requirements in the current Graduate Catalog.

  2. Possess a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from an accredited university.

  3. Have a minimum academic index of 3.00 points in the last sixty (60) credits of academic work.

  4. Demonstrate command of the English language both orally and in writing.

  5. Evidence of having taken one of the following tests within the last two (2) years:

    1. Graduate Record Examination (GRE).

    2. Miller Analogy Test (MAT)

    3. Exam for Admission to Graduate Studies (EXADEP).

    4. Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)

  6. Possess a permanent license and a current professional general nursing license.

  7. Have a minimum of one (1) year of experience in critical care.

  8. Submit two (2) letters of recommendation from the supervisory personnel of the agencies where you have had work experience.

  9. Hold an interview with the Program Admission Committee.

  10. Submit the following documents:

    1. Current health certificate

    2. Evidence of vaccination against Hepatitis B, chickenpox and influenza.

    3. Negative criminal record certificate issued by the Puerto Rico Police Department.

    4. Copy of professional license and current association.

    5. Negative certification of Law 300 of September 2, 1999.

    6. Updated professional resume

  11. Submit a written commitment to take the National Certification Examination (NCE) within one hundred and twenty (120) days after completing the graduation requirements established in the Graduate Catalog.

  12. Approve with a minimum of 75% a test on anatomy and physiology. If you do not obtain the minimum score required in the previous test, you must pass the course BIOL 3106: Anatomy and Physiology

  13. Have passed a chemistry course with a laboratory of three or more credits.

B. Modality (B) post-master's degree:

  1. Have passed a master's degree in Nursing in Anesthesia Sciences with a GPA of more than 3.00 in the last 30 credits.

  2. Hold current certificate from the National Board of Certification & Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA) to practice nursing anesthesia.

  3. Have one (1) year of experience as a nurse anesthetist.

  4. Have taken within the last two (2) years prior to the requested admission date, one of the following tests.

    1. Graduate Record Examination (GRE).

    2. Miller Analogy Test (MAT).

    3. Exam for Admission to Graduate Studies (EXADEP).

    4. Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)

  5. Possess a current license and professional nursing association.

  6. Submit three (3) letters of recommendation from the supervisory staff of the agency(ies) where you have had the work experience(s).

  7. Hold an interview with the Program Admission Committee.

  8. Submit the following documents:

    1. Current health certificate.

    2. Evidence of vaccination against Hepatitis B, chickenpox and influenza.

    3. Negative criminal record certificate issued by the Puerto Rico Police Department.

    4. Copy of professional license and current association.

    5. Updated professional resume.

    6. Negative certification of Law 300 of September 2, 1999.

Retention requirements

The retention requirements of the Doctoral Program in Practical Anesthetic Nursing for the two modalities are:

Student of the post-baccalaureate modality in Nursing

  1. Maintain a 3.00 general academic average (GPA).

  2. Score more than 435 performance points on your second and third attempts on the Self Examination Exam (SEE) administered by the National Board for Certification and Re-Certification of Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA).

  3. Maintain current nursing license and professional credentials.

  4. Comply with the standards established in the Student Manual of the Anesthetic Nursing graduate program.

Students of the post-master's modality in Anesthesia:

  1. Maintain a 3.00 general academic average (GPA).

  2. Maintain current nursing license and professional credentials.

  3. Maintain current certification or recertification from the National Board for Certification and Re-Certification of Nurse Anesthetist, (NBCRNA for its acronym in English).

  4. Comply with the standards established in the Student Manual of the Anesthetic Nursing graduate program.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements

  1. Meet the satisfactory academic progress requirements for doctoral programs as specified in the current graduate catalog.

  2. Once the student has satisfactorily completed the courses with a minimum grade of B in each course and demonstrates mastery of Applied Technology in Operations and Logistics topics, they will continue with the formal research process to defend their dissertation.

  3. In extraordinary circumstances, the Dean of Academic Affairs, the Director of the Department and the faculty of the program may extend the student an additional term to satisfactorily complete the courses and thus continue with the doctoral program.

  4. Once the student has completed TALO 8991 Dissertation I, they will have three (3) terms to complete the dissertation, as described in the course TALO 8992 Dissertation II.

  5. The student must enroll in the course TALO 8992 Dissertation II or Dissertation continuation, as appropriate, each term until approval is obtained.

  6. The Director of the Department or his counterpart may request the Dean of Academic Affairs to extend additional terms, as stipulated in the current Graduate Catalog.

Graduation Requirements

A. Modality (A) Post-Baccalaureate

  1. Comply with the graduation requirements for the doctoral degree of the current Graduate Catalog.

  2. Complete the degree with a minimum general academic average (GPA) of 3.00.

  3. Present official evidence of having administered anesthetics in six hundred fifty (650) surgical cases in different specialties and two thousand (2,000) clinical hours.

  4. Present evidence that the professional article written in the course DNAP 8923 Investigation and Practical Evidence III in Anesthetic Nursing, was favorably received and is being considered for publication by a professional journal in the field of health in local, national, or international settings.

  5. Evidence of 435 points or more on the Self Evaluation Exam (SEE) as part of the DNAP 8870-Seminar course requirements.

B. For graduates of modality (B) post-master's degree:

  1. Comply with the graduation requirements for the doctoral degree included in the current Graduate Catalog of the Inter American University of Puerto Rico.

  2. Complete the degree with a minimum academic average of 3.00 (GPA).

  3. Present evidence that the professional article written in the course DNAP 8923 Investigation and Practical Evidence III in Anesthetic Nursing, was favorably received and is being considered for publication by a professional journal in the field of health in local, national, or international settings.

 


ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS FOR THE POSTMASTES PRACTICE DOCTOR IN ANESTHETICS NURSING

Specialization Requirements - 44 credits

DNAP 7021Information Technologies in the Practice of Anesthetic Nursing

3
DNAP 7024Health, Law and Ethical Aspects in the Practice of Anesthetic Nursing

3
DNAP 7121Advanced Health Physical Estimate of Anesthesia

3
DNAP 7395Research Process in Anesthesia

4
DNAP 8023Advanced Biomedical Statistics

3
DNAP 8921Research and Practical Evidence I in Anesthetics Nursing

3
DNAP 8922Research and Practical Evidence II in Anesthetics Nursing

3
DNAP 8923Research and Practical Evidence III Anesthetics Nursing

3
DNAP 8924Basic and Advanced Professional Roles in the Practice of Anesthetic Nursing

3
DNAP 8925Application of Basic and Advanced Concepts in Anesthetics Nursing

5
DNAP 8926Physiology, Pathopshysiology and Advanced Pharmacology Integrated in Anesthesia I

5
DNAP 8927Physiology, Pathophysiology and Advanced Pharmacology Integrated in Anesthesia II

5

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE POST BACHELOR S PRACTICE ANESTHETICS NURSING DOCTORAL DEGREE

Specialization Requirements - 82 credits

ANES 5105Biochemistry and Physics

3
ANES 5111Pathophysiology I: Cellular

3
ANES 5112Pathophysiology II: Blood, Cardiovascular, Respiratory and Renal

3
ANES 5131Pharmacology Anesthetics I: Anesthetics

3
DNAP 6121Principles of Anesthesia I

3
DNAP 6122Clinical Practice I Advanced Health Physical Assessment in Anesthesia

3
DNAP 6213Advanced Pathophysiology

4
DNAP 6307Regional Anesthesia

3
DNAP 6321Principles of Anesthesia II: General Surgery

3
DNAP 6322Clinical Practice in Principles of Anesthesia II

3
DNAP 6331Principles of Anesthesia III: Obstetrics and Pediatrics

3
DNAP 6332Clinical Practice in Principles of Anesthesia III

3
DNAP 7021Information Technologies in the Practice of Anesthetic Nursing

3
DNAP 7024Health, Law and Ethical Aspects in the Practice of Anesthetic Nursing

3
DNAP 7390Analysis and Interpretation of Clinical Cases

3
DNAP 7395Research Process in Anesthesia

4
DNAP 7431Principles of Anesthesia IV: Cardiothoraxic and Neurological

3
DNAP 7432Clinical Practice in Principles of Anesthesia IV

3
DNAP 7911Supervised Integrated Practice in Anesthesia

3
DNAP 8023Advanced Biomedical Statistics

3
DNAP 8397Administration and Supervision in Anesthetic Nursing

3
DNAP 8870Seminar

5
DNAP 8921Research and Practical Evidence I in Anesthetics Nursing

3
DNAP 8922Research and Practical Evidence II in Anesthetics Nursing

3
DNAP 8923Research and Practical Evidence III Anesthetics Nursing

3