Certified nurse anesthetists are advanced practice nurses with master's level training in providing anesthesia to patients in the operating room or obstetrical suite. In order to become a certified nurse anesthetist in California, you must hold an active RN license and complete an accredited training program. There are three schools for certified nurse anesthetists in California, according to the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs.
Kaiser Permanente School of Anesthesia
Kaiser Permanente's School of Anesthesia offers a six-semester, master's degree program for nurse anesthetists in partnership with the California State University, Fullerton School of Nursing. All classes take place at Kaiser Permanente or its affiliated centers. Coursework for this master's program combines specialty lectures, classroom-based learning, laboratory sessions and clinical rotations to fully prepare licensed nurses for advanced practice in anesthesia. Each semester also features a journal club, where students and faculty review and discuss published articles in scientific journals so that students not only stay current with the science and practice of anesthesia, but further develop critical thinking skills necessary to become a nurse anesthetist.
Total cost for the program as of 2010 is approximately $26,000 and includes tuition and fees for both Kaiser Permanente and CSU, Fullerton as well as books and exam fees for the national certification exam.
Kaiser Permanente School of Anesthesia
100 S. Los Robles, Suite 550
Pasadena, CA 91188
626-564-3016
kpsan.org
Samuel Merritt University
Samuel Merritt University, a small, private university in northern California has offered degree programs only in the health sciences for the last 100 years. Samuel Merritt University notes on its web site that its deep partnerships with the major hospital networks in the region as well as its state of the art simulation center set it apart from other California nurse anesthetist programs.
Its master's program, intended for licensed nurses who hold a bachelor's degree in nursing, trains students for advanced practice nursing in anesthesia through seven semesters of clinical simulation sessions, classroom lectures, laboratory work and hands-on rotations in area hospitals.
Samuel Merritt's nurse anesthetist program costs approximately $56,000 in 2010. Tuition and fees vary from year to year based on the per-credit cost set by the university's board.
Samuel Merritt University
370 Hawthorne Avenue
Oakland, CA 94609
510-869-6511
samuelmerritt.edu
University of Southern California
The nurse anesthetist program at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine is part of the medical school's anesthesiology department. The six-semester program offers students classroom sessions combined with hands-on practice in actual cases in the medical school's operating suites; faculty members expect students pursuing the nurse anesthetist master's degree to provide anesthesia services and perioperative care for at least 550 surgical or obstetrical cases before graduation. A one-year specialty fellowship is available after students complete the requirements for graduation. USC's nurse anesthetist program boasts a 1:1 student to faculty ratio and promises students they will get the full use of the medical school's advanced medical equipment and facilities as part of their education. Program costs vary from year to year but are a per-unit basis, calculated for the 45 units required for graduation.
University of Southern California
Keck School of Medicine, Program of Nurse Anesthesia
Center for Health Professions
1540 Alcazar Street, CHP 223
Los Angeles, CA 90089
323-442-2037
usc.edu
Tags: nurse anesthetist, Kaiser Permanente, Samuel Merritt, Merritt University, Samuel Merritt University
