Curriculum / MSNA Degree
Phase I -
Phase I consists almost entirely of classroom and laboratory work on campus. It begins each August and is completed the following August. During this period, students earn forty (40) graduate credit hours. In order to begin Phase II of the program, students must complete Phase I within twelve (12) months of the beginning of their course work. In the event of emergencies, students may be granted a leave of absence.
Distance Option
All students must be in residence during the fall semester of Phase I. Students may arrange to complete the spring and summer semesters of Phase I by distance programming at sites that offer this option. Classes are presented via live video-broadcast. At least two students per site must elect this option in order to make programming feasible; once initiated for a group of students, distance programming will continue as long as needed by that group. A fee per credit hour is assessed to cover broadcasting costs (No students at distant sites are assessed broadcast fees during Phase II.).
Phase II -
Upon completion of Phase I, students must immediately enter Phase II. This phase of the program begins in late August and lasts approximately sixteen (16) months. During this time, the student's learning is built upon the material covered during the first phase of the program. Phase II is primarily a clinical residency, although the student returns to the classroom on a weekly basis for extensive clinically related study. Phase II ends in December. At the end of Phase II, the graduate is awarded the Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia degree, and becomes eligible to write the National Certifying Examination for Nurse Anesthetists given by the Council on Certification of Nurse Anesthetists. Graduates who successfully complete this written examination are eligible to be Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs).
Phase II consists of the actual administration of general and regional anesthesia with qualified clinical instructors (anesthesiologists and/or anesthetists). Weekly classroom sessions consist of clinical conferences and seminars addressing with current topics including, but not necessarily limited to, respiratory, cardiovascular, thoracic, neurosurgical, regional, obstetrical, pediatric, and special areas of anesthesia. Various special projects and competency examinations are administered throughout this phase.
Phase II courses are offered in concurrent sequences. Each set of courses, e.g., NRAN 60572 and 60583, must be taken together and successfully completed prior to beginning the next set of courses.
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