Nurse anesthetist program shines, expands

The Council on Accreditation for Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs has set new guidelines for all Anesthesia for Nurses programs in the United States. In response to a complex and fast-changing health care environment, the rules now call for all master’s-level programs to transition to entry-level doctoral programs by 2022. 

For many, disrupting an already well-respected AFN program might seem like an inconvenience, but to Angie Mund, DNP, director of the Division of Anesthesia for Nurses, it's a great opportunity. “We decided, rather than waiting until 2022, we want MUSC to lead this transition and stay ahead of the curve,” she said. “All of our faculty members recognize the value that a doctoral education will bring.”

MUSC's current 28-month Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia program will be phased out this year, to be replaced with a 36-month doctor of nurse anesthesia practice. It will be the first doctoral AFN program in South Carolina and one of only about 50 in the nation. 

The new entry-level program, which builds on the strength of the soon-to-be-defunct master's program, is for students with a bachelor's degree in nursing. “Our master's program focuses on clinical preparation,” Mund explained. “The doctorate will take those master's courses, beef them up a little, and then add in additional content on leadership, health policy, business, quality improvement, informatics and research. The new doctoral program really builds on the clinical strength of our master's program.”

MUSC also offers a doctoral program for nurses who already hold a master's degree in the field. Its shorter course of study assumes students already are grounded in the clinical skills they'll need to practice anesthesia.  

“Our post-master's completion program has been up and running for over a year,” Mund said. “Our first cohort will graduate in December.”

Mund said the transition has been in the works for more than a decade. “Nurse anesthesia leaders recognize the challenges in health care and understand that we need to make sure we're educating health care professionals, not just clinically, but also so that they understand the complexities of health care as a whole. Nurses need to understand business and evidenced-based practice; they need to be able to improve patient care by changing policy. They need to have leadership skills. Health care has become really complex. We want to make sure we are graduating health care professional who are able to meet those demands.”

No longer can nurses afford to focus just on their immediate environment, Mund explained. They have to think larger. 

“We need to think beyond the bedside and ask ourselves how we can have an impact on the community, how we can be engaged with policy within the hospital,” she said. “Whatever happens at the top of the hospital will impact the patient and vice versa.” 

While two extra semesters may prove challenging for students, both practically and financially, Mund said the program would incorporate distance learning and other practices to cut costs and increase convenience. 

“Our applicants realize the value of the doctoral degree, and they are seeking out programs that offer it,” she said.

The post-master's program currently has five students, and Mund hopes to increase that number to between 10 and 15. The entry-level program will admit 25. “That admissions process just opened July 1,” she said. “We're starting to get applications for the program already.” 

Mund hopes that by the time the COA requires all schools to make the transition, MUSC will already be well established in field. “Our students are going to be well prepared to apply evidenced-based practice to everything they do, and by that point, our first cohorts will already be shaping the future of health care,” she said. “We will also have well-experienced faculty by that time, which should bring in a very strong group of applicants. Students are going to want to come into a program that has that kind of experience.”

Dennis McKenna, a 1992 AFN graduate and currently an assistant adjunct professor in the Department of Health Professions, is one of the new program’s first five students and will be part of the cohort graduating in December. “I’m very happy to be part of the inaugural class,” he said. “A core value of MUSC is the commitment to lifelong learning. The master’s completion program helps nurses better assess the impact of policies and procedures on meeting the needs of our patient population.” 

Mund has high hopes for the program and is pleased with the manner in which the college has approached the change. “This has been a deliberate, well-researched process,” she said. “I'm really excited to get going on it.”