The mission of the Department of Nurse Anesthesia is to provide learners with the knowledge and skills necessary to work as part of an interprofessional team to serve the public through the delivery of safe, cost-efficient, quality anesthesia services and to develop leaders and scholars who will advance the specialty of nurse anesthesia through research, scholarship and public service. The department achieves this mission by establishing an environment that promotes excellence, values diversity, stimulates creativity and recognizes achievement.

Student learning outcomes
The overall objective of the Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice program is to prepare graduates who have acquired knowledge, skills and competencies in patient safety, perianesthetic management, critical thinking and communication to fulfill their professional responsibility as certified nurse anesthetists.

Upon completion of the program, the graduate will:

1. Apply physiological, safety and organizational theories to promote patient safety, enhance quality care and improve nurse anesthesia practice
2. Analyze and synthesize relevant scientific literature and apply results to improve nurse anesthesia practice and patient care outcomes in a culturally sensitive manner
3. Communicate effectively with patients, families, the public and other health professionals
4. Demonstrate leadership skills to meet the challenges of increasingly complex health care and educational environments impacting nurse anesthetists
5. Develop effective strategies for managing ethical dilemmas inherent in anesthesia patient care and the workplace
6. Employ teaching and learning principles for the nurse anesthetist in educating and counseling individuals, families, students-in-training and groups
7. Demonstrate nurse anesthesia scholarship through presentations, publications, leadership activities and collaboration with other disciplines
8. Utilize technology and information systems to analyze, manage and present data

*For students entering with a master’s degree, the minimum number of graduate credit hours required for this degree is 33.