Correlation of Variables for Program Success and First Time SEE Scores of the Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice Program Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists at AdventHealth University

Abstract

Nurse anesthesia is considered one of the most rigorous fields in advanced practice nursing, and many graduate nurse anesthesia programs have limited availability. Due to the academic rigor of graduate nurse anesthesia programs, selection and admission requirements are established to assist program directors and faculty in selecting candidates with the highest probability of completing the program and passing the National Certification Examination (NCE). The Self-Evaluation Examination (SEE) is taken by student registered nurse anesthetists (SRNAs) to prepare for the NCE, and SEE scores strongly correlate to NCE scores. Evaluation of specific pre-admission variables may assist in identifying applicants most likely to succeed. Methods for this project included the Spearman’s Rho Correlation test of de-identified retrospective data collected by the nurse anesthesia department at AdventHealth University (AHU) to identify statistically significant correlations between the independent and dependent variables, followed by a linear regression analysis of any statistically significant correlations. This study determined the correlations of pre-admission cumulative grade point average (cGPA), science grade point average (sGPA), total Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score, and Health Sciences Reasoning Test (HSRT) overall score with nurse anesthesia program grade point average (NAPGPA) at the end of the fourth trimester and with the SEE total score during the fifth trimester for students who matriculated to AHU’s DNAP Program from 2018 to 2020. This study found the following four statistically significant correlations: cGPA with NAPGPA, cGPA with SEE total score, sGPA with SEE total score, and NAPGPA with SEE total score. This study made four recommendations to the program’s leadership for pre-admission requirements and three recommendations regarding program progression.

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