AN ANALYSIS OF SIMILARITIES AND DISSIMILARITIES AMONG NURSE ANESTHESIA EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS IN THE UNITED STATES (ANESTHESIA).
Contributors: Pepperdine University.
Published: 1990
Number of pages: 224
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Health Sciences, Education.
Description: Nurse anesthesia programs were initially hospital-based offering a certificate-only upon graduation with the major objective to educate nurse anesthesia practitioners. A trend to university affiliation of these programs began in 1972 which resulted in variable degrees and changes in admission, curricula, and graduation requirements. This study identified and analyzed the variables of admission, curricula, and graduation requirements among 75 nurse anesthesia programs.

This study concluded all 75 programs analyzed offered the core anesthesia academic and clinical curriculum and there was a trend identified towards increasing admission requirements beyond the minimum Council on Accreditation (COA) requirements. Curriculum courses and graduation requirements which exceeded the minimum COA requirements were analyzed. These courses were related to university requirements for completion of the master degree, the majority were research oriented. Courses that were not research oriented were educational issues, health administration, health education, and leadership management.

An ANOVA of the graduate scores of first-time takers from the December 1988 Certification Examination indicated significant differences in scores between master degree students and scores of students in other type programs. The areas of significance on total examination scores and subsections on Basic Sciences, Assessment related to the anesthesia process, and General aspects of implementation for the anesthesia process. Master degree students scored higher.

This study also concluded thirty of the fifty two jurisdictions required: (a) graduation from an accredited nurse anesthesia program, (b) recognition of the COA as the national accreditation agency, (c) recognition of the CCNA as the national certification agency, and (d) completion and passing of the Certification Examination to practice as a nurse anesthetist. Eight jurisdictions containing 25 programs did not require any of the four categories analyzed.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-08, Section: B, page: 3784.

Thesis (ED.D.)--PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY, 1990.

School code: 6009.