EAST LANSING, MI — The Michigan State University College of Nursing has earned accreditation for its nurse anesthesia program, which will allow it to become only the fifth such program in the state and help deal with a shortage in a very critical area of health care.
The initial accreditation was awarded by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs.
“The accreditation of our nurse anesthesia program is a wonderful accomplishment for the college,” said College of Nursing Dean Mary Mundt. “This initiative, in cooperation with our health care affiliates, will respond to the need for nurse anesthetists in Michigan and the United States.”
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists are essential to ensuring safe anesthesia care for surgery, pain management and other needed health care services. According to the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, CRNAs administer approximately 65 percent of all anesthetics given to patients each year in the United States.
A CRNA takes care of a patient’s anesthesia needs before, during and after surgery, or in the delivery of a baby by performing a physical assessment; administering anesthesia; maintaining anesthesia; and overseeing recovery.
There are an estimated 1,700 CRNAs in the state of Michigan. Nationally, there is a shortage of approximately 5,000 nurse anesthetists, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The graduate level nurse anesthesia concentration is a full-time, 28-month curriculum that requires completion of 80 credits. It is designed to prepare advanced practice nurses with the knowledge and skills to deliver safe and effective anesthesia care and assume leadership roles in the practice setting.
Classes will be online, interactive television formats and in traditional classroom settings.
The program is supported through a partnership with Ingham Regional Medical Center, St. John Hospital and Medical Center, St. John Macomb-Oakland Hospital and Sparrow Health System. These partners will play an integral role in providing the necessary onsite clinical experience to ensure that MSU graduates are exposed to varying types of anesthesia management.
The first group of nurse anesthesia students at MSU will begin class in January 2008. The program will admit 10 students each year with the first class slated to graduate in May 2010.
“I am thrilled to share this journey with the first class of nurse anesthesia students, as well as our administration, faculty and staff,” said program director Henry Talley.
“Accreditation is a system for recognizing the performance, integrity and quality of our educational institutions. With this recognition from the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs, the college will advance our mission to enhance the health of the community by providing excellence in nursing education, advancing the profession of nursing and serving as an advocate for optimal health care for all people in the area of nurse anesthesia.”
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