Master's/Post-master's Nurse Anesthesia Overview

Villanova University College of Nursing and Crozer-Chester Medical Center have collaborated on the development of a joint program to prepare Nurse Anesthetists with a Master of Science Degree in Nursing from Villanova University. There is also a post-master's option.

This accredited concentration in the Graduate Program prepares nurses with a sound base of theoretical knowledge and clinical experience in the practice of nursing anesthesia.

Master's/Post-master's Nurse Anesthesia Overview

It is the purpose of the nurse anesthesia concentration to provide the local community and beyond with competent nurse anesthetists. The faculty also believe that the graduate nurse anesthetist will be willing to participate in leadership activities that support and enhance the profession of nurse anesthesia. Our students have won various awards at state and national conventions and participated in local charity events to assist the community and to raise awareness of nurse anesthetists.

Each didactic course and clinical educational area has a set of objectives. Both faculty and students utilize these objectives as educational guidelines with the ultimate goal being that of satisfying the learning outcomes in the field of nurse anesthesia.

The nurse anesthesia concentration is an integral part of the College of Nursing and has embraced the College's philosophy as its own. The following competencies were developed to conform to the mission and philosophy of the University and of College of Nursing. At the completion of this concentration, the graduate will be able to:

Integrate scholarship and clinical experience based upon evidence to support best practices of nurse anesthesia.
Manage the complexities of anesthesia care from preoperative assessment through the post anesthesia period using all available technologies.
Analyze issues and trends in healthcare for their impact on the practice of nurse anesthesia.
Implement the role of nurse anesthetist to ensure continuity of care and safe effective practice.
Implement quality improvement initiatives that conform to AANA’s Professional Practice Standards.
Analyze the broad context or system within which nurse anesthesia is practiced.

About the post-master's

If you have an MSN and would like to become a nurse anesthetist, you can enroll in the 45-credit Post-Master’s Certificate Program. Upon completion of the required courses, Villanova University, College of Nursing will award you a certificate of completion.

First semester study consists primarily of didactic content in order to prepare you for integration into the clinical area. Subsequently, the didactic and clinical portions are integrated. You will gain your clinical experience through rotations at eight clinical affiliating sites. You will progress from simple to complex cases, completing 1600-2000 hours of clinical experience and no less than 600 cases during the course of the program. The student to faculty ratio never exceeds 2:1, and a certified registered nurse anesthetist or an anesthesiologist will supervise you in the clinical setting. You will be placed “on call” during the Spring semester of the first year to gain experience with emergency surgery. Other specialty rotations include pediatrics and regional anesthesia. A full semester is devoted to the study of pain management.