The College of Nursing Nurse Anesthesia Concentration has been granted continued accreditation from the Council on Accreditation of nurse anesthesia educational programs until 2024.
The thirty-one-month program culminates in students receiving a Master of Science in Nursing with a concentration in nurse anesthesia. It is one of a very few programs granted accreditation with no progress report required. Even fewer programs have achieved the maximum accreditation of ten years, according to the COA, a nonprofit accreditor of US nurse anesthesia educational programs.
“This program fills a great need,” said Dean Victoria Niederhauser. “Typically graduates of the nurse anesthesia concentration are employed less than six months after graduation.”
Certified registered nurse anesthetists are highly skilled advanced practice registered nurses who specialize in the field of anesthesiology and pain management. In Tennessee, they are the sole provider of anesthesia services in forty-one of ninety-five counties, according to the Tennessee Association of Nurse Anesthetists.
“CRNAs are key to the future of anesthesia care, as the nation’s health care system comes to rely more heavily on advanced practice nurses and other nonphysician professionals to ensure access to patient care that is both extremely safe and cost-effective,” said Julie Bonom, program director.
The primary clinical site for the program is the UT Medical Center in Knoxville. Additionally, East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, Parkwest Medical Center, and Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge serve as clinical training sites for curricular enrichment and supplementation.
To learn more about the program visit, tiny.utk.edu/AuewS. To learn more about the College of Nursing, visit nursing.utk.edu.