About the Program

The CPAAS (Certificate in Pre-Anesthesiologist Assistant) considers the overall quality of its applicants, looking at academic achievement, personal motivation, life experiences and recommendations. The applicant must also meet all admissions criteria for the AA program.

Specific criteria for admission are as follows:

1. Applicants must have previously applied to the prior CASAA application cycle of the AA program and must have a verified CASAA application on file from the prior CASAA cycle, received by the prior year application deadline.
 
2. Applicants must pay the required application fee of $50 (non-refundable).
   
   
3. Applicants must have previously met all CASAA application requirements listed below:
   
   
   • Baccalaureate degree from a nationally recognized and regionally accredited college or university, including above average performance in courses required in a premed curriculum. (Please refer to required courses below. These cannot be survey courses.)
     

     Course Prerequisite Name/Subject	Semester Hours	Additional Information
     English	3
     Anatomy and Physiology I and II with labs OR Human Anatomy with lab and Human Physiology with lab	8
     General Chemistry I and II with labs	8
     Organic Chemistry I with lab	4
     Biochemistry	3
     Physics I and II with labs	8	Trigonometry, Pre-calculus, or Calculus based
     Calculus	3
     Preferred but not required
     Biology I and II with labs	8
     Cell and Molecular Biology	3
     Biochemistry Lab	1
     Organic Chemistry II with lab	4
     Microbiology with lab	4

Note: a "C" or better is required in all prerequisite classes. In order to meet pre-requisite requirements, math and science courses must include sufficient rigor and detail in the discipline (Introductory, survey, or business courses will not satisfy the requirements).

Effective January 2024, all incoming students for winter 2025 and summer 2025, must take a general Anatomy and Physiology I and II course with labs. 

• • Official transcripts of all undergraduate, graduate, and professional course work, including foreign evaluations submitted to CASAA
    
    
  • Minimum verified cumulative GPA of 2.75 on a 4.0 grading scale (minimum GPA of 3.2 preferred)
    
    
  • Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) scores
    • Must have been taken within the past five years and must be taken early enough for official scores to be received by admissions office from the prior CASAA application deadline of January 15.
    • Competitive scores for both the GRE and MCAT must be in the 50th percentile or higher.
      
      
  • Three (3) letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the applicant's prior academic performance, potential, character, work habits, and suitability for graduate study leading into a career in clinical practice
    
    
  • At least eight (8) hours of documented anesthesia exposure by observation in the operating room
    
    
  • Summary of an article (delete hyperlink, just keep verbiage) published in a current anesthesia journal
    
    
  • Resume and/or copy of national or professional certificate or license (if applicable)
    
    
  • Personal interview
    
    
  • Applicants who have graduated from a college or university of a country in which English is not the primary language, regardless of United States’ residency status, must take the computerized Test of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL-cBT). An official set of scores must be sent directly from the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, New Jersey, to CASAA or NSU Enrollment Processing Services.
    
    
  • All applicants must show evidence of computer skills through coursework or self-study prior to the end of the first semester. Students may obtain instruction through the NSU Student Microcomputer Laboratory or other training facilities.

The following application process is required by all applicants:

1. Complete an online NSU application and pay a $50 non-refundable application fee. Verified CASAA from prior application cycle with all required documentation (official test scores, official transcripts, resume, three letters of recommendation, 8 hours of documented shadowing, literature summary and (TOEFL cBT) if applicable must be on file.

   • Application details:

     • Degree level: Certificate

     • Academic Program: Pre-Anesthesiology Assistant Studies

     • Location: Palm Beach, FL

     • Entry Term: Fall 2025

2. Applications will open in mid-May for the fall 2025 semester.

3. Personal interviews are by invitation only and an integral part of the admission process. Not all applicants will be granted an interview by the program and an interview is not a guarantee of admission. 

4. For any applicant that has coursework taken at a foreign institution must be evaluated for U.S. institutional equivalence. A course by course with GPA calculation official transcript evaluation is required. Foreign coursework must be evaluated by one of the following services:

Josef Silny & Associates, Inc.
International Education Consultants
7101 SW 102nd Avenue
Miami, FL 33173
Phone: (305) 273-1616
Fax: (305) 273-1338
www.jsilny.com

Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.
P.O. Box 415070
Milwaukee, WI 53203
(414) 289-3400
www.ece.org

World Education Services, Inc.
P.O. Box 745
Old Chelsea Station
New York, NY 10113-0745
(212) 966-6311
www.wes.org

Delivery of the Coursework:

The coursework will be delivered in a hybrid format. Courses that include labs will be held at the Palm Beach campus, one weekend during the Winter semester. The rest of the coursework will be delivered via distance learning technologies.

The following courses will be required for completion.

Fall

TOTAL CREDITS: 8

Winter

TOTAL CREDITS: 10

Total Required Credits for certificate completion: 18

Course descriptions can be found in NSU's Undergraduate Student Catalog

Visit the Tuition and Fees page for more information.

Financial Aid

For information on financial assistance, contact:

Docia Metts
Financial Aid Counselor I
Office of Student Financial Assistance
Financial Aid and Academic Records (FAAR)
Enrollment Management and Student Affairs (EMSA)
(561) 805-2117 (Direct Phone)

Lisa Farach, DHSc, MS, RRT, RN
Chair, Department Cardiopulmonary Sciences

Jennifer Bencsik, MA, RRT
Director of Clinical Education
First Professional BSRT Program

Randy De Kler, MS, RRT
Faculty, Department of Cardiopulmonary Sciences

Samuel T Stewart, M.M.Sc, PAC, CAA

Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesia

Nathan Weirich, M.H.Sc., CAA

Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesia