Students aspiring to become nurse anesthetists now have the option of gaining an education at the doctoral level at Augusta University’s College of Nursing.

The Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia recently elevated the college’s masters level Nursing Anesthesia Program to a Doctor of Nursing Practice program, the only one of its kind being offered through the University System of Georgia.

“I am pleased, as part of the only public academic health center, to offer another high-quality doctoral program,” said Dr. Lucy Marion, College of Nursing dean. “This doctoral degree is one of the many examples of the advanced educational opportunities provided at Augusta University, and we are proud to be the leader in setting the standards for the state’s new DNP program in anesthesia.”

As in the previous program, doctoral students will continue to utilize cutting-edge resources at the state-of-the-art high-fidelity Simulation Center and practice hands-on care with patients at over 25 clinical sites.

In addition to including training for becoming a certified registered nurse anesthetist, coursework will include an evidence-based capstone project, instruction on innovative anesthesia techniques, training in a variety of surgical settings, and over 2,000 hours of hands-on clinical experience, a unique feature of this program.

The first cohort of students will begin in Spring 2018 and the program should take three years to complete.