Mahoney
Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (DNAP)
The DNAP program is designed for registered nurses who wish to assume an educational leadership role within the profession of nurse anesthesia. In addition to preparing students to be highly skilled nurse anesthesia practitioners, the mission of this program is to nurture and develop innovative and creative leaders for the advancement of the profession.
Cari Krening (the lady in the blue shirt)
with her School of Education Leadership Award.
Our students come to us as already highly skilled critical care nurses.
In this clinically intense program with advanced coursework in cardiovascular/thoracic/neuro anesthesia,
pharmacology, obstetrics and neonatal anesthesia, and regional and pediatric anesthesia,
students also take courses in law and medicine, medical ethics, research, learning theory, and leadership.
The American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) and the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Education Program (COA) have worked together for years to ensure that Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) are the best-prepared, safest anesthesia providers possible.
For close to 30 years, the School of Education has been part of this education and training through our Master of Anesthesiology Education (MAE) program, which is jointly operated by Sacred Heart Medical Center and the School of Education.
The educational standards for the CRNA profession, and nurse anesthesia programs, have consistently grown to meet the required knowledge and skills for entry into practice.
As a result of meeting high professional standards, and of a variety of needs assessments, the AANA and the COA have formally recognized the need for practice-oriented doctoral degrees for nurse anesthetists . . . which is what we have done with our anesthesia program.