Correction and disclaimer from NMSU: The program admitted 24 students to its generic DNP program in August 2023 and those students will matriculate into the nurse anesthesiology specialty after program accreditation is obtained. The NMSU Nurse Anesthesiology program is pursuing initial accreditation by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA), 10275 W. Higgins Rd., Suite 906, Rosemont, IL 60018-5603; (847) 655-1160, https://www.coacrna.org/. The Nurse Anesthesiology program is undertaking capability review and is planning for an accreditation decision in October 2023. Applying for accreditation does not guarantee that accreditation will be granted.

New Mexico State University now houses the only program in New Mexico that trains students for one of the most in-demand health care professions in the United States.


 
The Doctor of Nursing Practice in nurse anesthesiology is the newest advanced nursing degree offered by the NMSU School of Nursing in the College of Health, Education and Social Transformation. The three-year program trains baccalaureate-prepared registered nurses to become CRNAs, or certified registered nurse anesthetists.


 
“CRNAs provide 72% of all anesthetics in New Mexico. Yet until this year, New Mexico has not had a degree program to educate and train CRNAs,” said Alexa Doig, director of the NMSU School of Nursing.


 
The inaugural class of nurse anesthesiology students began the program in August.


 
Doig developed the program with a team of national experts and an advisory council of CRNAs from across the state. Their goal was to address the workforce need for anesthesia providers in New Mexico, especially in rural areas. As part of the program, students will be required to complete a clinical rotation in a rural or critical access hospital.


 
“CRNAs are currently the primary anesthesia providers in rural New Mexico hospitals,” Doig said. “Therefore, we are committed to developing a pipeline of highly qualified anesthesia providers who can practice independently in these counties.”
 


Nationwide, CRNAs will be in high demand over the next decade. Overall employment of nurse anesthetists is projected to grow an estimated 38% from 2022 to 2032, much faster than the average for all occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.


 
Doig hopes the program at NMSU will attract nurses who want to further their education as CRNAs and remain in New Mexico. Before Doig launched the program, those interested in the specialty had to enroll in programs outside New Mexico and frequently did not return to the state after graduation. 


 
“CRNAs have filled the gap in anesthesia care in New Mexico for decades,” said Shannon Allen, president of the New Mexico Association of Nurse Anesthetists. “NMSU’s nurse anesthesiology program will ensure patients in New Mexico, especially those in rural areas, will continue to receive the same safe, cost-effective care they trust.”


 
Madeline Chalenor, founding director of NMSU’s nurse anesthesiology program, said New Mexico hospitals have a critical need for anesthesia providers because of nationwide shortages and challenges in recruiting providers to the state.


 
“Without anesthesia providers, surgeries and some medical procedures cannot take place,” Chalenor said. “The NMSU School of Nursing is so excited to launch this program to educate anesthesia providers committed to addressing the health care needs of New Mexico and the border region.”


 
Before joining NMSU in February 2023, Chalenor spent 30 years in the U.S. military. She served as an active-duty officer and CRNA in the U.S. Army for 14 years before transitioning to the Army Reserves. For two years, she commanded the largest U.S. Army Reserve hospital in the western U.S. Later, she served as the assistant program director for the U.S. Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia at William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso.


 
In 2022, Chalenor received the Lenore Dudgeon Legendary CRNA Award from the New Mexico Association of Nurse Anesthetists. The award is named after Dudgeon, a well-known CRNA who dedicated much of her career to serving patients across New Mexico. Dudgeon’s daughters, Barbara Roberts and Laura Ornelas, have established a scholarship for NMSU nurse anesthesiology students in honor of Dudgeon, who passed away in 2016. 


 
The inaugural cohort includes 24 students, including Joseph Dill, who became a nurse after retiring from the U.S. Air Force in 2018. Dill knew he wanted to become an anesthesia provider when he began nursing school in Clovis. While working as an intensive care nurse in Dallas, he learned of the NMSU program and decided to apply. 
 


“New Mexico wasn’t even on my radar because I knew there wasn’t a program within the state,” Dill said. “Once I got to NMSU, I realized the amount of work that went into the program and how much time, attention and care the faculty took on making sure this first class is successful.”


 
Dill said he plans to work in New Mexico after completing the program.


 
“I’m looking forward to being a provider and bringing health care and more access to different small communities in New Mexico,” he said.


 
On Oct. 20, the NMSU Foundation and the NMSU School of Nursing will launch a crowdfunding campaign to support additional scholarships for students in the nurse anesthesiology program. To donate to the scholarship fund, visit https://nmsu.news/nurse-anesthesiology-program .


 
Since 2021, the NMSU School of Nursing has received $150,000 from the New Mexico Board of Nursing, $500,000 from the New Mexico Higher Education Department and more than $500,000 in donations from hospital and private donors to launch the program.
 

The full article can be seen at https://newsroom.nmsu.edu/news/nmsu-launches-new-nurse-anesthesiology-program/s/6ec6a95c-83f3-4d9d-806a-f51d7f55e765