Andrea Bittinger recently completed her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) through Oakland University. Her research topic was Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Occupational Stress Levels Among Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists.

Dr. Bittinger received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Oakland University (OU) in Rochester, Michigan, in 1989. While at OU, she met her husband Scott and they married in 1990. Dr. Bittinger worked for 5 years in the intensive care unit at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, before attending the Oakland University – Beaumont Graduate Program of Nurse Anesthesia for her Master’s of Science in Nursing. She graduated with her anesthesia specialty in 1996 and has worked as a staff certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) at Beaumont – Royal Oak since then. She joined the faculty of the Oakland University – Beaumont Graduate Program of Nurse Anesthesia in 2003, serving as the admissions coordinator. Over the years, she has also served as faculty of record for four different courses, taught 10 lecture topics in nurse anesthesia, shared the role of clinical coordinator and has become very active with promoting the profession of nursing and nurse anesthesia to middle and high school students. 

Prior to returning to Oakland University for her DNP, Dr. Bittinger became the first CRNA in the United States to become certified in emotional intelligence (EI) through Multi-Health Systems. Her interest in the topic of EI led her to identify a knowledge gap regarding EI and the CRNA community. Her DNP project will serve as a springboard for additional exploration about EI and CRNAs. In addition, she plans to use her experience in admissions and EI to help nursing and anesthesia programs improve their admissions processes.

Dr. Bittinger resides in Troy, Michigan, with her husband; they have three adult children. She enjoys traveling, hiking and running.