Admissions

Admission Requirements

• FIU Graduate School Requirements

  All applicants must meet the general admission requirements for FIU Graduate School, which includes:

  • Baccalaureate degree in nursing (BSN) from a nationally accredited institution of higher education. Accrediting agency must be recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation AND a nursing program that is accredited by either the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE);
  • Minimum 3.0 GPA in the last 60 credits of undergraduate course work; and
  • Scores are evaluated among the pool of applicants.
• Program-Specific Requirements
  • Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree from a nationally accredited institution of higher education. Accrediting agency must be recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation AND a nursing program that is accredited by either the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE);
  • Current unrestricted Registered Nurse (RN) license in Florida (not required for applying; only after admitted in the program);
  • Minimum of one (1) year current critical care experience as a full-time RN in a critical care setting (PICU and NICU units are accepted) in a U.S. hospital at the time of application deadline; per the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs, Critical care experience - Critical care experience must be obtained in a critical care area within the United States, its territories or a US military hospital outside of the United States. During this experience, the registered professional nurse has developed critical decision-making and psychomotor skills, competency in patient assessment, and the ability to use and interpret advanced monitoring techniques. A critical care area is defined as one where, on a routine basis, the registered professional nurse manages one or more of the following: invasive hemodynamic monitors (e.g., pulmonary artery, central venous pressure, and arterial catheters), cardiac assist devices, mechanical ventilation, and vasoactive infusions. Examples of critical care units may include but are not limited to: surgical intensive care, cardiothoracic intensive care, coronary intensive care, medical intensive care, pediatric intensive care, and neonatal intensive care. Those who have experiences in other areas may be considered provided they can demonstrate competence with managing unstable patients, invasive monitoring, ventilators, and critical care pharmacology
  • Admission to FIU Graduate School and the Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences Graduate Nursing program; and
  • ACLS, PALS and BLS certification prior to enrollment and that will remain current through the first semester
  • CCRN Certification (upload the CCRN Certificate and Score Report - both are required)
• Technological Proficiencies Requirements

  The curriculum features an intensive use of information technology for educational purposes. The student's laptop computer will be utilized for all anesthesiology nursing course examinations administered in class, for instructional activities and for administrative functions.

  All clinical case records are also maintained on specialty data management software in a web-based system. Students also utilize computer-based case simulations and mock exams.

  It is expected that prior to enrolling, the student will have:

  • PC laptop computer with wireless internet connectivity. Windows PC is recommended and supported by the program.
  • High-speed internet service (DSL or cable modem)
  • The MS Office Suite - WORD, Powerpoint, Excel - is the only software requirement and it is available to registered students free of charge through University Technology Services.

  
  Prior to matriculation, the student must have mastered basic computer literacy skills and will need to have a functional knowledge of word processing (i.e., MS WORD), presentation software (i.e., MS PowerPoint) and internet utilization.