Beginning in July, Roseman University in the Las Vegas Valley will host Nevada’s first school of its kind to teach Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists.
The state did not have any nurse anesthetist schools or programs until now. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says that the need for these jobs will grow by nearly 38% over the next ten years.
The Dean of the College of Nursing at Roseman University, Dr. Brian C. Oxhorn, was born and raised in Nevada and knows how important it is for the whole state to have medical workers. He saw that one of those needs was for people who could give anesthesia.
“This community has had a significant shortage of anesthetic providers over the past few years, which has been very detrimental,” Oxhorn said, telling 8 News Now that he was excited for the start of their new program. Our company is the first in Nevada and one of the few in the western United States. We’re very happy about this.
The main difference between an anesthesiologist and a nurse anesthetist is how much schooling they have. An anesthesiologist is a doctor who gives patients who are going to have surgery anesthesia and also analyzes and treats pain. A nurse anesthetist works with other doctors to provide a range of anesthesia and pain medicine treatments.
They can also work on their own. A doctor goes to medical school, while a nurse gets her bachelor’s degree and then goes to a recognized graduate school for nurse anesthesia.
The Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs has now signed off on Roseman University as a nurse anesthetist school.
As the population ages and more treatments are done across the country, there is a greater need for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists. Because there aren’t enough of these workers, surgeries may be delayed and other procedures may have longer wait times.
Now, nursing students at Roseman University can move up in their careers with this masters program that teaches them how to give anesthesia. Students will get a Doctor of Nursing Practice when they finish this new school. They will then need to apply for licensure. Based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, it’s also one of the best-paid nurse specialties, with an average salary of about $200,000 a year.
The first class at Roseman University is now taking applications. They expect the first students to start in July 2024. RNs who are already working can apply for the three-year program on their website.
