Program Design

The program, which is 36 months in length, is designed to integrate academic and clinical disciplines. During the first 12 months, students complete the majority of their university graduate courses. Following a broad fields orientation to nurse anesthesia, students are introduced to the clinical area. Initially, students are assigned to elective surgery patients who are relatively free of significant pathology. As the students' clinical skills progress, they are assigned to cases of increasing complexity requiring emergency, obstetrical and pediatric procedures, as well as to patients with significant pathological conditions.

In addition to general anesthesia using mask, laryngeal mask airway, or tracheal intubation techniques, students perform and manage subarachnoid (spinal) and epidural blocks, axillary, supraclavicular, Bier, and ankle blocks. Also, central venous, pulmonary artery, and radial artery catheterization during open heart surgical procedures and trauma cases are performed by students. Senior students provide 24-hour supervised coverage of Truman's High Risk Labor and Delivery unit.

Academic knowledge is integrated throughout the 24-month clinical practicum through regularly scheduled morning conferences, seminars and Journal Club. Evaluation of student clinical performance is a tool that helps the student identify his or her strengths and limitations, and provides a basis on which to plan for continued growth of clinical skills.

The relationship between the student and the clinical instructor is a dynamic one. At first, the student is a dependent learner, while the instructor provides information, guidance and support to the student. Gradually, this relationship changes as the student's knowledge base and clinical skills grow, and the instructor allows the student to make increasingly complex decisions while continuing to provide a source of support and guidance.

Ultimately, the student attains the level of skills expected of the beginning practitioner of nurse anesthesia while the instructor acts as consultant.

Last Updated 7/8/2005