A new graduate program at New Mexico State University that trains nurses for careers as certified registered nurse anesthetists is now fully accredited.
The three-year program in the NMSU School of Nursing earned accreditation from the Council for Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs in January, following an extensive review. The endorsement means NMSU now houses the only accredited program in New Mexico offering a Doctor of Nursing Practice in nurse anesthesiology.
Certified registered nurse anesthetists, or CRNAs, are in high demand across the United States and provide an estimated 72% of all anesthetics in New Mexico.
The NMSU School of Nursing developed the program over several years with a team of national experts and an advisory council of CRNAs to address the workforce need for anesthesia providers in the state, especially in rural areas. The program will accept 24 students per year. Only baccalaureate-prepared registered nurses may apply.
“CRNAs are currently the primary anesthesia providers in rural New Mexico hospitals,” said Alexa Doig, director of the NMSU School of Nursing. “Therefore, we are committed to developing a pipeline of highly qualified anesthesia providers who can practice independently in these counties.”
Madeline Chalenor, director of NMSU’s nurse anesthesiology program, said New Mexico hospitals face critical needs for anesthesia providers due to nationwide shortages and challenges in recruiting providers to the state.
“Without anesthesia providers, surgeries and some medical procedures cannot take place,” Chalenor said.
As part of the program, students will be required to complete a clinical rotation in a rural or critical access hospital. Students must complete a minimum of 2,400 hours of supervised clinical training over three years. Doig is hopeful this experience will encourage students to stay and work in New Mexico as CRNAs after graduating from the program, thereby increasing the number of anesthesia providers statewide.
For more information about the program, visit nmsu.news/nurse-anesthesiology.
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Cutline 1: The inaugural class in the new nurse anesthesiology program at New Mexico State University. The three-year program in the NMSU School of Nursing recently earned accreditation from the Council for Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs. (NMSU photo by Josh Bachman)
Cutline 2: Nurse anesthesiology students work with Michele Stone, assistant director of the nurse anesthesiology program at New Mexico State University, during an anatomy lab. (Courtesy)