Department of Nurse Anesthesia Programs
Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia
The Department’s curriculum is focused entirely on the practice of nurse anesthesia. The
curriculum includes courses in Principles and Practice of Nurse Anesthesia I-6, Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmacology,
Physiology, Pathophysiology, Professional Aspects of Nurse Anesthesia Practice, Research/Thesis, and Clinical Practicums.
The Department consistently strives to disseminate knowledge using the most advanced teaching technologies including the
Blackboard Web based platform, experiential learning in simulation, and computer imagery. The
initial component ("Didactic Phase") consists of a three semester scholarly curriculum conducted by the faculty of the
VCU/VCUHS Departments’ of Chemistry, Nurse Anesthesia, Pharmacology, and Physiology. Formal courses in the physical and
biological sciences provide advanced knowledge of the scientific foundations for the clinical practice of anesthesia
Additional courses provide students with the academic and professional education fundamentals, including research
methodology, necessary for professional practice. Six professional courses, (Principles and Practice of Nurse Anesthesia I-6)
include formal classroom presentations, simulator work and practical lab demonstrations and exercises. Content of classes is
sequentially ordered and arranged from simple to complex to provide increased skill and knowledge and continuity of
experience. These courses emphasize the integration of theory and clinical exercises.
The second component ("Clinical Practicum") is a six-semester experiential practical
curriculum stressing the application of science and research applicable to clinical anesthesia practice while engaging in
direct patient care. Throughout the Clinical Practicum, students are afforded the opportunity to plan for and administer all
types of currently accepted general and regional anesthesia techniques to a variety of patients ranging in medical and
surgical acuity. Students are assigned to various anesthetizing locations within the VCU Health System or other select
affiliated hospitals. At all times while in the clinical environment, students are mentored by clinical instructors.
Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia
Class 2007
Course Descriptions
| NRSA 601 Principles and Practice of Nurse Anesthesia I: |
| Term course; 4 lecture hours, 4 credits. First in a series of six Principles and
Practice courses. Introduces the nurse anesthesia graduate student to concepts necessary to plan and execute safe
individualized anesthetics. Covers pre-and post-anesthetic assessment, formulation of the anesthesia care plan,
anesthetic techniques, prevention of complications, fluid management, monitoring, and utilization of anesthesia
equipment. |
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| NRSA 601L Lab in Principles of Practice of Nurse Anesthesia I: |
| Term course; 3 lab hours, 1 credit. Provides the nurse anesthesia graduate student
guided practical experience associated with those concepts presented in NRSA 601. Includes practice in and evaluation of
task specific skills in both simulated and actual operating room environments. |
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| NRSA 642 Professional Aspects of Anesthesia Practice I: |
| Term course; 1 lecture hour, 1 credit. Provides the graduate nurse anesthesia student an
opportunity to focus on a variety of professional issues including but not restricted to the history of nurse anesthesia,
roles of the nurse anesthetist and the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, professional involvement, governmental
and non-governmental regulations of nurse anesthesia practice, and standards of care. |
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| NRSA 602 Principles and Practice of Nurse Anesthesia Practice II: |
| Principles and Practice courses. Presents fundamental concepts and techniques essential
to clinical anesthesia practice focusing on the theoretical and practical considerations involved in the administration
and management of major nerve conduction anesthesia and acute pain management. |
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| NRSA 622, 623 Clinical Practicum I & 2: |
| 1 credit. Introduces clinical care with supervised participation in actual
administration of anesthesia. Demonstrates internalization of theoretical concepts and techniques and application in
anesthetic management toward the achievement of the terminal objectives for competency in entry-level anesthesia practice. |
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| NRSA 683 Research Methods in Nurse Anesthesia Practice: |
| Term course; 2 credits. Examines relationships among theory, research and causal
inference; quantitative and qualitative methodologies will be considered. Surveys issues relevant to research design,
measurement, data collection, statistic analysis, interpretation and ethical issues in conducting research. |
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| NRSA 603 Principles and Practice of Nurse Anesthesia Practice III: |
| Term course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Third in a series of six Principles and
Practice courses. Delineates techniques of anesthesia management that are considered as situation-specific for
specialized procedures, diagnostic, or individualized procedures including advanced airway management and anesthesia care
individualized for the patient with cardiovascular and respiratory conditions. |
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| NRSA 645 Professional Aspects of Anesthesia Practice II: |
| Term course; 1 lecture hour. 1 credit. Provides the graduate nurse anesthesia student an
opportunity to focus on a variety of professional issues including but not restricted to health care delivery systems,
assessing and selecting practice settings and employment options, medical ethics, and chemical dependency. |
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| NRSA 633 Pathophysiology for Nurse Anesthetists: |
| Term course; 3 lecture hours, 3 credits. Covers various pathological conditions and
diseases of specific concern to the anesthesia provider with an emphasis on cardiovascular, respiratory, excretory,
endocrine, infectious diseases, nutritional, neuromuscular and neurological disorders. |
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| NRSA 699 Directed Research in Nurse Anesthesia: |
| 1 credit. May be repeated up to four terms. Prerequisite: students are required to take
NRSA 699 or NRSA 798. Provides the student an opportunity to gain experiences through guided library and practicum
research in the area of anesthesiology. Executed under the supervision of an adviser and in conjunction with a research
committee. |
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| NRSA 798 Thesis: |
| 1 credit. May be repeated up to four terms. Prerequisite: Students are required to take
NRSA 699 or NRSA 798. The master’s thesis provides the student an opportunity to select, organize and report the results
of an investigation into a specific area of anesthesiology. This research is executed under the supervision of an adviser
and in conjunction with a thesis committee. |
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| NRSA 624-627 Clinical Practicum III-VI: |
| 6 credits. Provides intensive experience in all clinical anesthesia areas. All course
work represents an integral phase of sequenced clinical progress toward the achievement of competency in entry-level
anesthesia practice. Includes clinical rotations to various affiliate sites to gain experience in management of
specialized anesthetic considerations. Emphasis on greater responsibility for a total anesthetic regime along the
educational/experiential continuum. |
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| NRSA 604 Principles and Practice of Nurse Anesthesia IV: |
| Term course. 2 lecture hours. 2 credits. Fourth in a series of six Principles and
Practice courses. Intensively covers the advanced concepts and principles of anesthetic management with an emphasis on
pediatric, obstetric, endocrine, and hematological disorders. |
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| NRSA 605 Principles and Practice of Nurse Anesthesia V: |
| Term course; 2 semester hours. 2 credits. Fifth in a series of six Principles and
Practice courses. Intensively covers the advanced concepts and principles of anesthetic management with an emphasis on
neuro-anesthesia and anesthesia delivery in specialty settings. |
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| NRSA 606 Principles and Practice of Nurse Anesthesia VI: |
| 1 semester course; 2 semester hours. 2 credits. Last in a series of six Principles and
Practice courses. Intensively covers the advanced concepts and principles of anesthetic management with an emphasis on
crisis management. |
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| NRSA 647 Professional Aspects of Anesthesia Practice III: |
| 1 semester course; 1 lecture hour. 1 credit. Provides the graduate nurse anesthesia
student an opportunity to focus on a variety of professional issues including but not restricted to reimbursement,
influencing health care policy, competence, quality assessment, risk management, departmental management, nurse
anesthesia and the legal system, documentation of anesthesia care, and current issues and their potential effects on the
profession of nurse anesthesia. |
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| NRSA 684 Evidence-based decision making in Nurse Anesthesia: |
| This 3-credit hour course is designed to provide learners with a foundation in the
literature relevant to nurse anesthesia practice. Emphasis will be placed upon establishing a scientific framework for
clinical interventions and critiquing the literature in a systematic fashion. The course culminates in a broad overview
of scientific foundations for nurse anesthesia practice in selected domains. |
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VCU School of Pharmacy, Department of Medicinal Chemistry
| MEDC 532 Medicinal Chemistry for Nurse Anesthetists: |
| 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. A review of the principles of organic chemistry and
bio-organic chemistry presented as a series of lectures covering the structure-activity relationships metabolism, and
mechanism of action of selected agents. |
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VCU School of Medicine, Department of Physiology
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VCU School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
| PHTX 515 Pharmacology for Nurse Anesthetists I: |
| 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. The basic principles of pharmacology including mechanisms
of absorption, distribution, bio-transformation, elimination, dose-response relationships, drug and receptor interactions
are presented followed by a detailed discussion of autonomic, cardiovascular, and renal pharmacology as it relates to
nurse anesthesia. Detailed presentation of the pharmacology of classes of drugs used by nurse anesthetists will be made
with emphasis on general anesthetics. |
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| PHTX 516 Pharmacology for Nurse Anesthetists II: |
| 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: PHTX 515. Detailed presentation of the
pharmacology of classes of drugs used or encountered by nurse anesthetics will be made with emphasis upon local
anesthetics, cardiovascular, chemotherapeutic, and anti-inflammatory agents. Continuation of PHTX 515. |
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