Nurse Anesthesiology

1. Be vigilant in the delivery of patient care.
2. Protect patients from iatrogenic complications.
3. Participate in the positioning of patients to prevent injury.
4. Conduct a comprehensive and appropriate equipment check.
5. Utilize universal precautions and appropriate infection control measures.

1. Provide care throughout the perianesthetic continuum.
2. Use a variety of current anesthesia techniques, agents, adjunctive drugs, and equipment while providing anesthesia.
3. Administer general anesthesia to patients of all ages and physical conditions for a variety of surgical and medically related procedures.

4. Provide anesthesia services to all patients, including trauma and emergency cases.
5. Administer and manage a variety of regional anesthetics.
6. Function as a resource person for airway and ventilatory management of patients.
7. Possess current advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) recognition.
8. Posses current pediatric advanced life support (PALS) recognition.
9. Deliver culturally competent perianesthetic care throughout the anesthesia experience. 

1. Apply knowledge to practice in decision-making and problem-solving.
2. Provide nurse anesthesiology care based on sound principles and research evidence.
3. Perform a preanesthetic assessment and formulate an anesthesia care plan for patients to whom they are assigned to administer anesthesia.
4. Identify and take appropriate action when confronted with anesthetic equipment-related malfunctions.
5. Interpret and utilize data obtained from noninvasive and invasive monitoring modalities.
6. Calculate, initiate, and manage fluid and blood component therapy.
7. Recognize and appropriately respond to anesthetic complications that occur during the perianesthetic period.
8. Pass the Council on Certification of Nurse Anesthetists’ certification examination.

1. Effectively communicate with all individuals influencing patient care.
2. Utilize appropriate verbal, nonverbal, and written communication in the delivery of perianesthetic care.

 

Core Courses

Course ID	Title	Credits
NSG 876	Leadership and Health Policy	3
NSG 877	Healthcare Economics	3
NSG 824	Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnosis	3
NSG 827	Epidemiology for Clinical Practice	3
NSG 910	Philosophy of Science & Theory in Nursing	4
NSG 947	DNP Project Seminar I	1
NSG 948	DNP Project Design and Methods	2
NSG 949	DNP Project Implementation and Evaluation	2
NSG 950	DNP Project Seminar II	1
	Total	22

 

Concentration-Specific Courses

Course ID	Title	Credits
ANES 817	DNP APN Anatomy	4
ANES 876	DNP Medical Physical Sciences for Anesthesia	3
ANES 877	DNP Physiology/Pathology	5
ANES 879	Principles of DNP Anesthesia Practice I	5
ANES 880	Principles of DNP Anesthesia Practice II	6
ANES 882	Principles of DNP Anesthesia Practice III	2
ANES 883	DNP Anesthesia Practicum A	8
ANES 884	DNP Anesthesia Practicum B	6
ANES 885	DNP Anesthesia Practicum C	7
ANES 886	DNP Specialty Practicum A	7
ANES 887	DNP Specialty Practicum B	7
ANES 888	Roles of DNP Advanced Nurse Anesthesia Practice	1
ANES 889	Roles of DNP Adv Nurse Anesthesia Practice II	1
ANES 890	Roles of DNP Advanced Nurse Anesthesia Practice III	1
ANES 891	Roles of DNP Adv Nurse Anesthesia Practice IV	1
ANES 892	DNP Pharmacology I: Anesthesia	4
ANES 893	DNP Pharmacology II: Anesthesia	4
NSG 926	DNP Synthesis Practicum: Nurse Anesthesia	6
	Total	78
	Post-BSN DNP Total Credits:	100

 

Technical and Performance Standards: All DNP Concentrations

In addition to the technical and performance standards expected of all students in educational programs in the College of Nursing, students in the DNP program are also expected to possess the mental, auditory, visual, sensory, strength, manual dexterity, and communication skills to:

1. Perform a systematic and complete history and physical examination on a client.
2. Communicate significant examination findings to other professionals and client/family.
3. Appropriately assess and record subjective and objective findings.
4. Maintain effective relationships and interact appropriately with other professionals and clients/families, demonstrating skills of leadership collaborations and decisiveness.
5. Accurately analyze alterations in functional patterns.
6. Demonstrate advanced use of the nursing process: assess, develop, implement, educate and counsel clients, prescribe appropriate therapy, demonstrate self-care skills and evaluate appropriate plans of action for diagnosed problems.
7. Maintain flexibility and emotional stability in response to novel, unique situations and stress.

Additional Technical and Performance Standards Specific to Nurse Anesthesiology Concentration

1. Safely provide airway management and be able to maintain advanced life support systems while operating and interpreting multiple monitoring modalities.
2. Rapidly respond and intervene in emergency situations requiring anesthesia care throughout the spectrum of practice settings.
   

If a student cannot fulfill these Technical and Performance Standards, with or without accommodations, at any time in the program, the student will be ineligible for admission or continued progression in the DNP Program. In addition to assuring that students can meet the intellectual, emotional, and physical criteria for the DNP Program, it is of utmost importance that students have the ability to provide for the safety and welfare of their patients and others. Reasonable accommodations will be provided, when appropriate, to help students meet these Technical and Professional Standards. Determination of eligibility and recommendations for accommodations must be made by Disability Services, https://uthsc.edu/tlc/disability-services.php,  Any student wishing accommodations must contact the university’s Office of Disability Services at tlc@uthsc.edu.

Certified Register Nurse Anesthesiologists (CRNAs) take care of patients before, during and after surgical or obstetrical procedures. Nurse anesthesiologists stay with their patients for the entire procedure, constantly monitoring every important body function and individually modifying the anesthetic to ensure maximum safety and comfort. Specific procedures include (but are not limited to) oral and nasal airway management, endotracheal intubation, laryngeal mask airway (LMA) placement and management, anesthesia machine operation, ventilator management, spinal and epidural placement and management, and multiple nerve blocks.

CRNAs practice in a variety of settings in the private and public sectors and in the U.S. military, including traditional hospital operating rooms, ambulatory surgery centers, pain clinics, and physicians’ offices. The scope of practice is determined by individual state legislation, but rules and regulations vary. Scope of practice is based on both education and experience. The best place to explore individual scope of practice issues is to look at the State Board of Nursing for guidance and not the physician or office manager in a practice.

Compensation rates vary regionally but the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that CRNAs have an annual mean salary of $202,470 (2021).

The UTHSC CRNA program is fortunate to have multiple clinical sites in the Memphis and Mid-South area that provide a richness of experience serving a wide variety of patients with high-quality anesthesia care. Specialty anesthesia rotations, which occur during the full-time clinical component, include cardiothoracic, pediatric, pediatric oncology, neurosurgical, OB, trauma, pain management, burn, and rural site. Along with a dynamic and challenging didactic program, our clinical program requires a minimum of 600 cases and 2000 hours of clinical time in specific areas to take the national certification exam.

The DNP Nurse Anesthesiology program is 36 months.

Only full-time study is available for DNP nurse anesthesiology students.

The UTHSC program is a rigorous full-time program. Working is strongly discouraged due to the academic rigor and time constraints of the Nurse Anesthesiology Concentration.

Tuition costs are determined by in-state or out-of-state status and may change during the program. Tuition and fee information can be found at UTHSC Bursar's Fees webpage. Additionally, the Educational Common Market may be available for some out-of-state students. Information on this program can be obtained at the Office of Financial Aid. Many employers also offer tuition reimbursement even for part-time employees. Additionally, students will need to make arrangements for travel and hotel accommodations during the on campus experiences. Students should also explore the many private scholarship funds available for graduate study in their communities, region, state and nation. A Google search of graduate nursing scholarships will produce vast opportunities. Many diverse groups offer scholarship programs and some states and organizations also have loan repayment programs for nursing education. There are also federal government grants for nursing students.

Book purchases will vary by semester. Many books specific to the student will be used in multiple semesters. Textbooks are supplemented with electronic media, much of which is available in the library for the students at no cost. Students need adequate computer hardware and Internet access. Students will need basic health assessment equipment including an otoscope, ophthalmic scope and a high quality stethoscope. Students generally do not have clinical their first four semesters and are encouraged to wait to purchase this equipment closer to their first clinical course. Requirements change as the quality of equipment continually advances. Lab coats will be required for clinical experiences but the specifications periodically change.

The CRNA program is a front-loaded format with the initial four terms consisting of didactic course work. During the fifth term, the students begin clinical rotations while completing didactic course work. The final four terms are dedicated full-time to supervised clinical education. The program is completed on campus at UTHSC and near-by clinical agencies. Highly-skilled preceptors mentor students in a variety of clinical settings.

One year of full-time critical care experience is a national requirement for admission to all Nurse Anesthesiology Programs. Applicants are assessed based on a variety of criteria including critical care skills. A minimum of one year of professional nursing experience in adult and/or pediatric critical care is required within two years prior to application. BCLS, ACLS, and PALS are required prior to application. CCRN certification is also required prior to application.