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TCU’s School of Nurse Anesthesia is at
the forefront of a national movement
to provide students with doctoral
education in nurse anesthesia.
Other professional disciplines such
as physical therapy and pharmacy
already require doctoral degrees to
enter professional practice.
By 2023, all nurse anesthesia
programs will be required by the
Council on Accreditation of Nurse
Anesthesia Educational Programs, as recommended by the American
Association of Nurse Anesthetists, to offer a doctoral degree rather
than a master’s-level degree.
In 2009, TCU became one of the first 10 universities in the country to
offer the doctoral degree, although it continued to offer the master’s
program. In January 2013, it will be among the first universities to
transition completely to the Doctor of Nursing Practice-Anesthesia
(DNP-A) for nurse anesthesia students.
“Our entire profession is headed this direction, and TCU wanted to be
at the forefront,” said Tim Gollaher, associate director of TCU’s School
of Nurse Anesthesia. “We are very proud of our national standing.”
“Demand for nurse anesthetists is
high,” Gollaher said. Nurse anesthetists
administer 65 percent of all anesthetics
given in the United States. In rural and
community hospitals, that number jumps
to 85 percent.
TCU began its nurse anesthesia program
almost a decade ago and accepts 50 to 60
students each year. Students are required
to have their bachelor’s degrees, as well
as critical care nursing experience. On
average, TCU’s students have 3.4 years of nursing experience in a
critical care environment, such as an Intensive Care Unit.
The two degrees differ in significant ways. The master’s degree is
28 months and focused primarily on the safe administration of
anesthesia. The doctoral degree is 36 months, beginning with 20
months of coursework, including research, biostatistics, informatics,
health care policy and politics, pharmacology, chemistry and
anatomy and physiology.
A 16-month clinical residency follows, with students placed in
hospital settings to practice under the guidance of clinical faculty,
nurse anesthetists and anesthesiologists.
“The master’s degree prepared students to practice the art and
science of anesthesia,” Gollaher said. “The doctorate also prepares
students to be leaders in the field and solve the complex health care
issues of our day. It helps them learn how to be agents of change.”
“Our entire profession is headed
this direction, and TCU wanted to
be at the forefront,”
said Tim Gollaher,
associate director of TCU’s School of
Nurse Anesthesia.
“We are very proud
of our national standing.”
Agents of
Change
By Sarah Bahari
FEATURES
The Harris College Magazine
- Summer 2012 ·
9