Going under, and all over the country

Fort Worth, TX

3/30/2010

By: Ali Lamb, Schieffer School of Journalism

With more than 40 clinical sites specializing in cases from general surgery to obstetrics to pediatrics, TCU’s nurse anesthesia students gain experience while in multiple clinical sites around the country.

At TCU’s School of Nurse Anesthesia, after their initial master’s studies involving books and lectures, students enroll in their clinical studies where they are exposed to real experiences, and actually administer anesthesia under the supervision of anesthesiologists and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) in preparation for their careers.

The primary sites (those offering students a full 16-month residency) offer a variety of cases. Rotation or enrichment sites look at one particular aspect of nurse anesthesia, like trauma, cardiac, pediatrics, obstetrics, etc. Students rotate sites to ensure that they fill their degree requirements and obtain a total hands-on education. TCU assures that all students see every aspect of nurse anesthesia and are prepared for whatever they may encounter.

Only about one out of three students choose residencies in Fort Worth at sites such as John Peter Smith Hospital, Harris Methodist Southwest Hospital, and Baylor All Saints Medical Center. Most students however, will return to local clinical sites in their hometowns, like those in California, Florida, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and other cities in Texas. TCU offers cutting-edge video conferencing for “at-home-lessons” for students who choose to travel to distant sites for the program.

Dr. Kay Sanders, CRNA, DNP, has been the director of the anesthesia program at TCU for seven years. She said, “It’s really fun for me; I walk away from each clinical site thinking it is our best. They are all provide such different, fantastic experiences for our students.”

Sanders was named the 2008 Director of the Year by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, after 22 years of service as a program director, and graduating more than 800 students.

TCU’ s School of Nurse Anesthesia has been accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA) for 10 years. The school yields graduates who have outscored the national average on the National Certification Exam five years in a row, and 100 percent of whom are certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs).

There are 109 nurse anesthesia programs, and more than 1,900 affiliated clinical sites in the United States, with TCU’s Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences nurse anesthesia program claiming a spot at the top of the list.