Nurse Anesthesia

Faculty Coordinator:

Kathleen Fagerlund, PhD, CRNA, RN
612-624-1115 or fager003@umn.edu

Specialty Area Information:

The University of Minnesota School of Nursing, Nurse Anesthesia Area of Study prepares Registered Nurses to become Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) who are prepared for nurse anesthesia practice at the highest level. Graduates will possess expertise in general and regional anesthesia techniques, and will be prepared to provide leadership in the practice setting. The Nurse Anesthesia Area of Study is fully accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Education Programs. In January of 2009, the University of Minnesota Nurse Anesthesia Area of Study received the maximum 10-year accreditation approval from the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs.? The program is the first nurse anesthesia program in the U.S. to be accredited to offer the entry-level Doctor of Nursing Practice

With the Minneapolis VA Medical Center serving as the primary clinical site for the program, the University of Minnesota nurse anesthesia students rotate to several urban and rural clinical sites, which offer a broad spectrum of practice experiences. Some of the clinical sites are required, and some are optional. All required clinical sites are within daily driving distance of the campus.

Clinical sites:

• Aurora BayCare Medical Center, Green Bay, WI
• Baldwin Hospital, Baldwin, WI
• Bay Pines VA Medical Center, St. Petersburg, FL
• Berlin Memorial Hospital, Berlin, WI
• Fairview Northland Regional Hospital, Princeton, MN
• Fairview Red Wing Medical Center, Red Wing, MN
• FUMC-Mesabi, Hibbing, MN
• Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN
• Mercy Healthcare System, Janesville, WI
• Minneapolis VA Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN
• Regions Hospital, St. Paul, MN
• Riverwood Healthcare Center, Aitkin, MN
• St. Cloud Hospital, St. Cloud, MN
• St. Francis Regional medical Center, Shakopee, MN
• St. John's Northeast, Maplewood, MN
• St. Mary's Medical Center, Duluth, MN
• Unity Hospital, Fridley, MN
• University of Minnesota Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN
• Virginia Regional Medical Center, Virginia, MN
• Westfields Hospital, New Richmond, WI

Beginning fall 2009, all nurse anesthesia students will complete the requirements for the Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree, as well as the requirements to take the National Certification Exam for nurse anesthetists. The three-year (9 semesters) DNP curriculum integrates anesthesia didactic coursework, anesthesia clinical experiences, and DNP coursework.

Curriculum:

Here is a sample plan of study for the Nurse Anesthesia DNP area of study in the 9-semester framework. Depending upon when various courses are offered, there may be some changes to this plan.

Nurse Anesthesia Specialty Coursework

• Introduction to Principles and Practice of Nurse Anesthesia
• Basic Principles and Practice of Nurse Anesthesia
• Nurse Anesthesia Care: Patients with Cardiothoracic Problems
• Nurse Anesthesia Care: Advanced Principles for Special Populations
• Nurse Anesthesia Practicum A
• Nurse Anesthesia Practicum B
• Nurse Anesthesia Practicum C
• Advanced Clinical Physiology (3 courses)
• Pharmacology (2 courses)

Doctorate of Nursing Practice Coursework

• DNP Proseminar
• Ethical and Moral Positions in Nursing
• Science of Nursing Interventions
• Statistics
• Leadership Theory
• Research in Nursing
• Evidence-Based Practice
• Program Evaluation
• Epidemiology
• Economics of Health Care
• Teaching/Learning
• DNP Seminar I, II, and III

Nurse Anesthesia application deadline: 

September 1, 2009 for the class starting in fall of 2010. The DNP nurse anesthesia application is available at http://apps.ahc.umn.edu/son/apps/nu_stu_login.cfm.

Frequently Asked Questions: 

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