Nurse Anesthesia students get hands-on experience

Fort Worth, TX

12/19/2007

Since 2003, TCU's School of Nurse Anesthesia in the Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences, has been providing students with advantageous learning opportunities through a rigorous 28-month program that involves students getting hands-on experience.

Kay Sanders, director of the School of Nurse Anesthesia said, "We are so proud of our nurse anesthesia students and our school. The students have a busy and challenging 28 months during their time in the program."

Since the School graduated its first class of 53 students in 2005, its success and reputation has grown, and its students are enjoying the benefits provided to them.

"I have had numerous opportunities because of the School of Nurse Anesthesia," said April Foster, a nurse anesthesia student from Lafayette, La. who is set to graduate in December 2008.

Foster said she has traveled to both state and national nurse anesthesia conferences and has met many influential practitioners in the field, including Jessie Compton, a 101-year-old retired Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) and former president of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA).

With a background in critical care, Foster left her job as an EMT both to further her education by studying nurse anesthesia and to gain more autonomy in her profession. In general, nurse anesthetists enjoy a multitude of freedoms and responsibilities and report a high level of job satisfaction in their careers.

As a December graduate of the program, Foster has accepted a job in North Carolina, and is looking forward to a career in nurse anesthesia, as job openings are plentiful and salaries average in the six-figures.

Like Foster, many students in the School of Nurse Anesthesia have possessed a lifelong interest in the field of health, although not all of them initially pursued a nursing education.

In fact, Richard Burrow, a nurse anesthesia student from Forney, Texas said although he always wanted a career in the medical field, he earned his undergraduate degree in business, and worked as a retail manager for five years before going to nursing school.

"While working as a nurse I came into contact with a nurse anesthetist and was intrigued by their responsibility," said Burrow, who also graduated from the program on Dec. 15. Burrow has taken a job with Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, but he hopes to return to the East Texas region within one year.

Foster and Burrow said they chose TCU because of its "family atmosphere" and overall welcoming environment. "The staff… and the other faculty that I interviewed with made me feel wanted, welcome and totally at home, prior to my even coming to TCU," Foster said.

Overall, the students feel excited but also apprehensive about graduating: "We have been working so hard and it is finally coming to an end," Burrow said.

It seems, however, that with hands-on experience, a 16-month residency and overall 28-month program, TCU's School of Nurse Anesthesia students are well-prepared and in high demand for entry into the field of nurse anesthesia.

For more information on TCU's School of Nurse Anesthesia visit www.crna.tcu.edu.