All accredited nurse anesthesia programs are required to develop clinical curricula that provide students with opportunities for experiences in the perioperative process that are unrestricted and promote their development as competent, safe nurse anesthetists (ref. 2004 Standards – Standard III, Criterion C17 and PDS Standard E.9). Clinical curricula are to prepare graduates for the full […]
Category: FAQ
What types of procedures, techniques, and specialty practice are required to prepare students for entry into practice?
Both the 2004 Standards and PDS require that the nurse anesthesia clinical curriculum prepares the student for the full scope of current practice in a variety of work settings and requires a minimum of 600 clinical cases and 2000 clinical hours including a variety of procedures, techniques, and specialty practice (ref. 2004 Standards – Standard […]
How are “clinical hours” defined?
Clinical hours are defined in the Glossary of the 2004 Standards and PDS. Clinical hours include time spent in the actual administration of anesthesia (i.e., anesthesia time) and other time spent in the clinical area. Examples of other clinical time would include in-house call, preanesthesia assessment, postanesthetic assessment, patient preparation, operating room preparation, and time […]
Does the COA have other requirements regarding student time spent in the clinical environment?
The 2004 Standards and PDS limit student time commitment to a reasonable number of hours that does not exceed 64 hours per week (ref. 2004 Standards – Standard V, Criterion E9 and PDS Standard F.9). This limitation is meant to support patient safety and promote effective student learning. The Glossary defines “reasonable time commitment” as […]
How do students obtain clinical experiences outside the regular clinical schedule to meet the call experience requirement?
Standard III, Criterion C19 (2004 Standards) and Standard E.10 (PDS) require programs to provide “opportunities for students to obtain clinical experiences outside the regular clinical schedule by a call experience or other mechanism.” Call experiences are planned clinical experiences outside the normal operating room schedules. Assigned duty on shifts falling within these hours (e.g., 3-11PM, […]
