AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron this week announced it is transitioning its Nurse Anesthesia Program to a three-year, Doctor of Nursing Practice program beginning with its June 2022 entering class.
The university transitioned its program to a doctoral program to help address the nationwide shortage of physicians, it said. The programs prepares intensive care registered nurses who have earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in nursing to become certified registered nurse anesthetists. Students who successfully complete the program will earn a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. The June 2022 entering class comprises 38 students, the university said.
“The University of Akron has a strong history of educating and graduating nurses that remain in Northeast Ohio to care for patients. And our nurse anesthesia program has been a critical part of our institution,” said University of Akron spokesman Timothy McCarragher in a news release. “By elevating the program to a Doctor of Nursing Practice, we offer individuals the opportunity to grow in their career and earnings.”
The program is fully accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs, according to the university. The program curriculum is 93 credit hours, which includes core graduate nursing courses, advanced physiology and pathophysiology, chemistry, physics, pharmacology, health assessment and principles of anesthesiology. Courses are offered online and via in-person simulation and labs. Coursework is designed to prepare students to provide anesthetic care and pain relief in various healthcare settings, the university said.
Students will complete their clinical anesthesia training at one of more than 45 clinical sites in the state, including: Summa Akron City, Cleveland Clinic Akron General, University Hospitals Cleveland, Akron Children’s Hospital, Aultman Hospital, MetroHealth Medical Center and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
Students will work alongside certified registered nurse anesthetists and anesthesiologists to provide preoperative assessments and develop an anesthetic plan based on the patient’s physical and emotional status and the procedure that is anticipated. Program graduates will implement research findings into their professional practice as nurse anesthesia caregivers, educators and healthcare leaders, according to the university.
Learn more about the University of Akron’s Doctor of Nursing Practice in Nurse Anesthesia program.
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