By Magnolia Mornings, Magnolia Tribune
(Photo from UMMC)
UMMC announced Monday that the first nurse anesthetist program at the University of Mississippi Medical Center brought 16 registered nurses back to the classroom this semester.
For the inaugural group, it felt like quite an honor to have a seat in class following a months-long application and accreditation process.
“It’s always been a goal of mine to train here at UMMC,” said Joya Johnson, 34, a Meridian native who earned her Bachelor of Science in nursing at Mississippi College. “You get the best, most rigorous training to prepare you for the real world. It feels like it’s a real privilege to be part of this first class here.”
The Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, or CRNA, program is Mississippi’s second such academic program of study for the specialization and was accredited in July by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs. The degree itself is the post-baccalaureate Doctor of Nursing Practice, nurse anesthesia track, a 36-month program based on COA standards and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice. The state’s only other program is at the University of Southern Mississippi.