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Preparing for the Ohio State Nurse Anesthesia DNP interview
Ohio State nurse anesthesia interview: a recorded HireVue interview, a 30-minute Zoom second round, ICU requirements, and practice questions we wrote.
The Ohio State nurse anesthesia interview format
Ohio State's Nurse Anesthesia DNP page describes two stages. First, a recorded online interview through HireVue that you complete after submitting your application and before the application deadline. Second, a virtual 30-minute second-round interview on Zoom for a limited number of applicants.
| Item | What Ohio State says |
|---|---|
| Stage 1 | Recorded online interview through HireVue, completed after you submit your application and before the deadline |
| Stage 1 topics | Questions about your interests and goals in nursing and the Nurse Anesthesia DNP program |
| Stage 2 | Second-round interview for a limited number of applicants, on Zoom, 30 minutes, late October; notices go out by the end of October |
| Decision | Mid-November, through the Applicant Center or email; you have four weeks to accept |
| Number of recorded questions, time per answer, second-round panel, clinical questions, rubric | Not stated on the program page (it links separate instructions for the recorded interview) |
Ohio State does not say the second round includes clinical questions, and it does not say it does not. Most CRNA programs probe critical care knowledge, so prepare for both behavioral and clinical questions, but treat that as our preparation advice, not an Ohio State statement.
What Ohio State looks for
The program describes itself as preparing advanced practice nurses to deliver safe, evidence-based anesthesia care in diverse settings. Its eligibility language sets the clinical bar: at least one year of full-time critical care experience within the past two years, with independent decision-making and the ability to manage unstable patients using advanced monitoring techniques, based on physiological and pharmacological knowledge. Qualifying experience includes invasive hemodynamic monitoring, mechanical ventilation, cardiac assist devices and vasoactive infusions.
The required purpose and goals statement asks for your rationale for choosing the program, your academic and career goals, how your life experiences prepared you to be a doctoral-prepared nurse, and why you want this education at this point in your career. Those four questions are a ready outline for the recorded interview, which covers your interests and goals.
The cycle and requirements in brief
- Dates: the 2026 application opened August 3 and closed September 16, so that window has passed. Second-round interviews are in late October and decisions in mid-November. Watch for the next cycle's dates.
- Degree and license: a BSN or MSN from a CCNE, ACEN or CNEA accredited program, conferred by May 15 before enrollment, and an active unencumbered RN license.
- GPA: 3.0 or higher cumulative in the most recent relevant degree, with lower GPAs possibly considered, and a 3.2 minimum cumulative physical science GPA in biology, chemistry and microbiology courses.
- Length: 36 months full time including summers, with required on-campus skills weeks in year 1 and simulation days in years 2 and 3, and clinical sites within Ohio.
- Application: three letters from people who can speak to your clinical and leadership abilities, a resume, a statement of up to three pages and the recorded interview.
How to prepare for Ohio State
- Treat HireVue as the first interview. It is recorded, the deadline is the application deadline, and the page says it must be completed before the application deadline.
- Build answers from the statement outline. Why this program, your goals, what your life experience gives you, why now.
- Own a critical care story. Pick one patient you managed on vasoactive infusions, a ventilator or invasive monitoring, and be ready to say what you noticed, decided and escalated.
- Prepare for pushback in round two. A 30-minute Zoom is short. Give a direct answer first and the reasoning second.
- Know the program. Ohio State trains across several Ohio sites and requires skills weeks and simulation days. Be ready to speak to distance education plus travel.
Ohio State CRNA practice questions (written by us, not Ohio State)
Ohio State does not publish its interview questions. These are ours, mixing the stated topics with common CRNA themes. Answer each aloud in about two minutes.
- Why nurse anesthesia, and why not a nurse practitioner or another advanced practice role?
- What do you want to do as a CRNA that you cannot do now as an ICU nurse?
- Walk me through a patient on a vasoactive infusion whose pressure is dropping. What do you check and in what order?
- Tell me about a clinical decision you made on your own that you would make differently now.
- Describe a time you disagreed with a physician's plan. How did you raise it?
- How do you handle a bad outcome for a patient you cared for?
- This program is distance education with in-person skills weeks and simulation days. How will you manage that alongside work and family?
- Why now in your career?
- Tell me about a time you taught someone on your unit.
- What would your charge nurse say you do better than anyone else on the unit?
For a wider set of behavioral prompts, see our nursing school interview tips and our panel interview guide.
A drill for a recorded interview plus a short Zoom round
- Record three of the questions above, two minutes each, and watch them back for filler and rambling.
- Say your "why CRNA" answer in 60 seconds. Then say it in 30.
- Pick one ICU case and explain it aloud as if to someone who has never worked in the unit.
- Ask a friend to interrupt you with a follow-up every 40 seconds in a 15-minute practice.
- Repeat on a different day with new cases.
Confetto's CRNA school interview prep uses AI mock interviews with clinical and behavioral questions and follow-ups on your answers, with rubric-based feedback afterward. The question bank has over 500 questions, and you can start with a 7-day free trial.
Ohio State nurse anesthesia interview FAQ
Is the Ohio State CRNA interview virtual?
Yes. The first stage is a recorded online interview through HireVue and the second-round interview is on Zoom.
How long is the second-round interview?
Thirty minutes, in late October, for a limited number of applicants.
Does Ohio State require critical care experience?
Yes: at least one year of full-time critical care experience, or part-time equivalent, within the past two years and met by the application deadline.
Does Ohio State publish the HireVue questions?
No. It says the interview covers your interests and goals in nursing and the Nurse Anesthesia DNP program.
When do decisions come out?
Mid-November, with four weeks after the decision to accept.
Looking at another program? See our guide to the University at Buffalo CRNA interview, or our CRNA school interview prep page.
Sources: Ohio State College of Nursing Nurse Anesthesia DNP page.
Confetto isn't affiliated with The Ohio State University. Everything here about the program comes from its public admissions pages, checked in October 2026. Formats and dates can change between cycles, so go by your invitation email.
Preparing for more than one school? Browse all school interview guides.