Distance Education Offerings

Southwest Campus

The Department of Nurse Anesthesia Distance Education program was established in 2004 through a grant from the Tobacco Indemnification and Revitalization Commission. The purpose being to increase the number and preparation of certified registered nurse anesthetists working in rural and underserved communities. The department partnered with the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center (SVHEC) in Abingdon, Virginia to deliver the entire didactic MSNA curriculum to qualified residents of Southwest Virginia and the surrounding area using state-of-the-art telecommunications technology. These technologies include two-way synchronous video-conferencing, satellite downlinks, web-based lessons as well as face-to-face instruction.

The Department is pleased to make its new Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (DNAP) program available on the Southwest campus. Both the post-master's DNAP for CRNAs and the combined MSNA-DNAP are accessible via distance technology to qualified students. This program is the first practice doctorate offered at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center.

The Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center (SVHEC) was established by the Virginia General Assembly in 1991 to strengthen the economy of southwest Virginia through education and training of the workforce. Through partnership agreements, the SVHEC provides undergraduate and graduate degree programs, as well as professional development courses through distance technologies.

An additional partnership was established with East Tennessee State University (ETSU) where Southwest Campus students obtain advanced laboratory training at the Quillen College of Medicine’s Simulation Laboratory under the direction of Dr. Martin Eason. Both the Southwest and Richmond Campus students participate in an anatomy lecture and laboratory series also at the Quillen College of Medicine at ETSU under the direction of Dr. Thomas Kwasigroch.

Southwest and Richmond Campus students in class together at Quillen College of Medicine, ETSU.

Didactic Curriculum

All didactic credit hours of the current MSNA program are delivered via two-way synchronous telecommunications technology to the SVHEC. Therefore, students at the SW campus take classes simultaneously with the Richmond campus students. Our didactic curriculum is presented via live interactive video conferencing technology enhanced with desktop sharing. This allows students and faculty at the distant site to see and talk to the students and faculty at the Richmond site in real time and visa versa. Also, with the enhanced desktop sharing, all lecture presentations can be viewed directly through the remote site's computer and projector for crisp, clear visualization. A Web-Casting feature is provided which allows us to archive presentations thus enabling all students both remote and local to review all presentations at a later time from their home or library computers.

Classroom at SVHEC

Faculty routinely travel to Southwest Virginia to deliver lectures and meet with students as well as to visit clinical affiliates. Additionally, there are dedicated teaching faculty in the region who deliver lectures from the Southwest Campus to the Richmond Campus.

Professor Davis lecturing at ETSU

Class of 2006

Anatomy Lecture Series

Teaching Faculty in the Southwest Region

The Board of Visitors of Virginia Commonwealth University has appointed teaching faculty who live in the region to include:

Anesthesiologist Dr. Martin Eason, MD., JD, Director, Center for Experiential Learning, Quillen College of Medicine, Eastern Tennessee State University (ETSU) Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Nurse Anesthesia, VCU

Dr. Martin Eason

Anesthesiologist Dr. Laymon Farmer, DO, Independent Practitioner Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Nurse Anesthesia, VCU

Anatomist Dr. Thomas Kwasigroch, Ph.D., Associate Dean Academic Affairs, Quillen College of Medicine, Eastern Tennessee State University (ETSU) Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Nurse Anesthesia, VCU

Dr. Thomas Kwasigroch

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, Geraud Moyers, MSNA, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Nurse Anesthesia, VCU. Mr. Moyers is a 2001 Graduate of the VCU program.

Southwest Campus Affiliate Hospitals

Carilion New River Valley Medical Center, Christiansburg, VA Carilion New River Valley (CNRV) Medical Center is a 97 bed comprehensive healthcare facility, Level III Trauma Center. Located near Radford, Virginia, CNRV serves a growing region which includes the counties of Montgomery, Pulaski, Floyd, Giles, Wythe, Bland and Carroll, as well as the city of Radford. Cases include general/ laparascopic, OB/Gyn, vascular including carotids, some pediatric, orthopedic, urology, endoscopy (mostly MAC). OB cases done in the OR are almost always C- sections, with a rare cerclage, etc. Bariatric surgery procedures were started in 2006.

Clinch Valley Medical Center is a 200 bed facility located in Southwest Virginia. It is the largest acute-care hospital west of Roanoke. Part of a five-hospital HCA market in Southwest Virginia, together with Lewis-Gale Medical Center, Alleghany Regional Hospital, Montgomery Regional Hospital and Pulaski Community Hospital. Some of their many services include cardiac care, emergency services, same day surgery, and inpatient, outpatient and pediatric physical rehabilitation.

Johnson City Medical Center is a 410-bed not-for-profit, comprehensive, acute-care teaching hospital serving the residents of Northeast Tennessee, Western North Carolina, Southwest Virginia and Southeast Kentucky. It is a major medical referral center with Level I Trauma Care and the region's only dedicated emergency medical air transport service.

Johnston Memorial Hospital, Abingdon, Virginia JMH is a not-for-profit, 154 bed primary care provider and referral center serving Washington and surrounding Counties in Southwest Virginia. Services include OB, ED, cardiology, radiology, endoscopy, and critical care. Also provided are an MRI and a Level II Neonatal ICU.

Lee Regional Medical Center is an 80-bed facility, located in Pennington Gap, Lee County, in the extreme southwestern portion of Virginia. It is the sole provider of health care services in Lee County, Virginia and serves the healthcare needs of the citizens of the tri-state area which includes Tennessee, Kentucky and of course, Virginia.

Norton Community Hospital is a 129 bed not-for-profit medical facility, dedicated to improving the health and quality of life in the community. Serving southwest Virginia and southeast Kentucky, Norton Community Hospital is the largest facility in the coalfield region.

Pikeville Medical Center, Pikeville, Kentucky Pikeville Medical Center (PMC) is a 261 bed hospital that is transitioning into a tertiary care center for the region. It is designated as a Level II Trauma Center. Although licensed for 261-beds, PMC has the capability to expand to 500 beds as needs arise. Some of Pikeville services include an open heart program, Medical flight ambulance, and a cancer center.

Salem VA Medical Center (VAMC) serves as a tertiary referral center consisting of 180 beds, classified as a Clinical Referral Level I Facility. It is a teaching hospital, providing a full range of patient care services. In addition in to its primary care services, Salem VAMC operates specialty clinics and services in women's health, cardiac catheterization, peripheral angioplasty, cardiac rehabilitation, neurology, spinal cord injuries, Gulf War illnesses, amputation/prosthetics, substance abuse residential rehabilitation, and more.

Smyth County Community Hospital is a 170 bed, not for profit community based hospital located in Marion, Virginia. Some of the many services provided include, full body spiral CT Scanning, outpatient and inpatient surgery units, acute and emergency care, mobile MRI and Lithotripsy. They have recently added 3 new state-of-art replacement operating rooms to their existing ORs.

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