Nurses have been performing the difficult task of anesthetizing patients since the turn of the century.
Many anesthesia nurses are male.
The grant will help to attract a culturally diverse faculty and student body and to create a curriculum for educating nurses who will work in medically underserved urban areas. La Salle started its master's degree program in nurse anesthesia last year through a partnership with The Tornetta School, which has been educating nurse anesthetists since 1951. Students in the program will take all courses in anesthesia at The Tornetta School, and seven courses at La Salle including graduate physiology, pharmacology, research methods and physical assessment. Graduates will receive a Master's Degree in Nurse Anesthesia from La Salle. As part of their education, students will gain clinical experience at urban hospitals.