Top-10 Nurse Anesthesia Program Turns 15

 

 

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Fifteen years ago, Donna Jasinski, PhD, CRNA, spearheaded the launch of the Nurse Anesthesia Program at the School of Nursing & Health Studies. In 1994, Georgetown opened its doors to the United States Navy, whose students needed a place to complete the didactic—the classroom teaching—portion of their graduate program.

A year later, the university launched its civilian program with seven students. Since that time, the program has grown six-fold.

With 108 nurse anesthesia programs in the United States, Jasinski says she is pleased with the success of Georgetown’s. Currently, NAP is ranked sixth in the nation by U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate Schools.

“I am thrilled with its success because our field has seen an increase in demand for providers,” Jasinski says. “We’ve also seen an increase of populations in need—for example, in inner-cities or rural areas. We are helping meet the country’s needs.”

According to the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, CRNAs administer about 30 million anesthetics annually. In some states, CRNAs are the sole providers in nearly 100 percent of rural hospitals.

“Employers are very pleased with the quality, capabilities, and knowledge of our graduates,” Jasinski says. “Employers often say, ‘Please send me more.’” Jasinski and her faculty colleagues attribute the success of the program to award-winning teaching and a front-loaded, science-based curriculum.

Award-Winning Teaching

A part of Georgetown University Medical Center, NAP has access to the same cadaver lab used by medical students.

“The most unique component of our program is the anatomy cadaver lab,” says Jasinski, who notes that students bolster classroom learning on anesthesia techniques through hands-on experience in the cadaver lab.

“That is very unique,” she says. “It is wonderful for experience.”

Ladan Eshkevari, MS, CRNA, the program’s assistant director, also sees the positive effects of the cadaver lab.

“Having a cadaver lab is really a rare privilege as far as nurse anesthesia programs go,” she says. “We’re very fortunate that our program is housed at such a great university and academic medical center.”

Each year, the AANA presents the Crystal Apple Award for innovation in teaching, research, and scholarship. Eshkevari has won for her pioneering use of the cadaver lab to teach students regional anesthesia techniques. And the program has won for creating The Student Journal of Nurse Anesthesia, which has since become an independent, international publication.

NAP faculty members also point to the O’Neill Family Foundation Clinical Simulation Center—including the robotic patient simulator “GUS”—as a cornerstone of the program.

“We marry the didactic portion of the program with clinical simulation,” says Victoria Goode, MSNA, CRNA, a program instructor. “If there is a concept missing in the students’ knowledge base during simulation, we are able to pick that up and correct it before they enter the real clinical environment.”

Science-Based Curriculum

In addition, Jasinski and her faculty underscore the evidence-based, front-loaded curriculum as a program feature.

“We give the bulk of their didactic components prior to entry in the clinical area,” says Jasinski. “The way we do it, students are forearmed with all of the information before they encounter the patient.”

Jasinski says that a major piece of this knowledge foundation involves the strong science courses the students take, as well as an emphasis on evidence-based practice.

“Our program is interdisciplinary,” she says. “We are aligned with the School of Medicine whose faculty teaches our science courses. Our program is taught at the rigor of medical school. And our students do have that solid science foundation to apply the anesthetic principles. That’s the benefit of being at an academic medical center.”

Goode also notes that students benefit from clinical training with nurse anesthetists and anesthesiologists.

“Our clinical faculty members are a big reason for the success of the program,” Goode says. “Students learn a great deal by interacting with the entire team of CRNAs and anesthesiologists. That experience makes our students autonomous and helps mold them.”

Stephen D. Parker, MD, chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at Washington Hospital Center, says CRNAs are a vital piece of a strong team.

“First of all, there aren’t enough anesthesiologists in the country to provide all the necessary service, nor will there be in the foreseeable future,” he says. “The CRNAs provide a critical role in delivery of service to the patient in collaboration with the physician.”

“We’ve had very good [Georgetown] students here,” Parker says. “The students who come here learn how to take care of patients who are quite ill and are having surgery. They leave with solid experience. And it serves them quite well wherever they might go.”

Leading Graduates

Alumni have gone on to serve in leadership roles around the United States and agree that the program has positioned them well.

Matthew Hart (G’02), MS, CRNA, onetime NAP faculty member, now serves as chief nurse anesthetist at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland. He says the program graduates strong, independent practitioners.

“Throughout the program, there is a focus on professional independence—ranging from the clinical experiences to oral exams,” says Hart. “The structure encourages the development of a practitioner who has the ability to think and act independently in a manner that promotes respect for themselves as individuals and as nurse anesthetists.”

Carolyn Connelly (G’04), MS, CRNA, agrees. She is now the student clinical coordinator at Georgetown University Hospital.

“When I interviewed for my first job as a CRNA in New York, Georgetown’s reputation preceded me,” she says. “After moving back to the D.C. area, I had many options for employment. I chose to return to my alumni teaching hospital to give back to the program.”

And Craig Copelin (G’04), MS, CRNA, chief nurse anesthetist at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, works with aspiring CRNAs from Georgetown’s program.

“The Georgetown students are very prepared,” he said. “They have a core base of knowledge and are able to hit the ground running because of it.”

He says that although the curriculum is demanding, he is pleased that he attended Georgetown’s program.

“Georgetown is very challenging,” says Copelin. “But it’s worth it in the end.”

By Bill Cessato, excerpted from the Spring 2009 (forthcoming) issue of Health Care Horizons