Doctoral Education, From a Distance.
Part of VCU's value and commitment to technology is being able to offer our entire nurse anesthesia curricula at distance sites across Virginia. Both the entry to practice DNAP and post-master’s DNAP programs are offered at all sites.
Students at distance sites take classes simultaneously with Richmond and all other sites. Our distance site classrooms include two-way synchronous video-conferencing, satellite downlinks, and web-based lessons. Face-to-face instruction is additionally provided on-site by VCU faculty as well as simulation laboratory training. This allows students and faculty at distance sites to interact with students and faculty at all other sites in real time. Department faculty also routinely travel to distance sites to deliver lectures, meet with students, and visit clinical affiliates.
We began offering our didactic curriculum to students in southwest Virginia and the surrounding area in 2004. Replicating this model, the Department expanded to residents of the Roanoke area in 2009, and to Northern Virginia in 2012.
The Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center (SVHEC) was established by the Virginia General Assembly in 1991 to strengthen the economy of southwest Virginia through education and training of the workforce. In 2004, the Department of Nurse Anesthesia partnered with the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center (SVHEC) in Abingdon, Virginia to deliver our curriculum. Through partnership agreements, the SVHEC provides undergraduate and graduate degree programs, as well as professional development courses through distance technologies.
One Partnership Circle
Abingdon, VA 24210
VCU Onsite Student Coordinator:
Kathy Hietala
(276) 619-4346
Abingdon Site Faculty
- Anesthesiologist Martin Eason, MD, Director of the Center for Experiential Learning, Quillen College of Medicine, Eastern Tennessee State University (ETSU); Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Nurse Anesthesia, VCU
- Anatomist Dr. Thomas Kwasigroch, Ph.D., Associate Dean Academic Affairs, Quillen College of Medicine, Eastern Tennessee State University (ETSU) Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Nurse Anesthesia, VCU
Laboratory Experiences
The SVHEC houses a simulation laboratory with a full body high-fidelity human simulator, anesthesia machine with monitors, and several anatomical practice models. This lab offers basic simulation training for the Abingdon site students and is maintained by VCU faculty.
Quillen College of Medicine
Advanced simulation laboratory training for the Abingdon site is obtained at the Quillen College of Medicine at ETSU in its Patient Simulation Laboratory under the direction of Dr. Eason. Further, students from all sites participate in an anatomy lecture and laboratory series at the Quillen College of Medicine’s Cadaver Lab under the direction of Drs. Kwasigroch and Eason.
Abingdon Site Clinical Hospital Affiliations
To provide a broad array of clinical experiences, the department has established clinical site placements in the southwest Virginia region and surrounding areas that range from a Level I trauma center to a small rural 80 bed hospital. Affiliates in Virginia are: Clinch Valley Medical Center, Lee Regional Medical Center, Smyth County Community Hospital, Norton Community Hospital, Salem VA Medical Center and Wythe County Community Hospital. Additionally, outside of Virginia: Bristol Regional Medical Center, Johnson City Medical Center, in Tennessee and Pikeville Medical Center in Pikeville, KY. Clinical affiliation agreements along with Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Program approvals are in place for all of the above sites.
Lab Experiences
The Department of Nurse Anesthesia extended its graduate program in 2009 to the residents of Roanoke, Virginia and the surrounding area in partnership with Carilion Clinic. The Roanoke site is located at the Roanoke Higher Education Center.
108 N Jefferson St.
Roanoke, VA 24016
Roanoke Site Coordinator
Gary Hahn, CRNA, Clinical Instructor, VCU, Department of Nurse Anesthesia
gdhahn@carilionclinic.org
Roanoke Site Manager
Maria Hirsch, DNAP, CRNA
Clinical Assistant Professor, VCU, Department of Nurse Anesthesia
Director, Carilion Professional Services LLC
mthirsch@carilionclinic.org
Laboratory Experiences
The Carilion Center for Simulation, Research, and Patient Safety provides basic and advanced simulated laboratory experiences for the Roanoke Site Students. The Center houses state-of-the art equipment to include a full body, high-fidelity human simulator, an anesthesia machine, ultrasound training equipment, vascular access training devices and various anatomical models.
Roanoke Site Clinical Hospital Affiliations
To provide a broad array of clinical experiences for the Roanoke student cohort, the department has established clinical site placements in the Roanoke Virginia region that range from a Level I trauma center to a small rural 25 bed hospital. Clinical affiliates include: Bedford Memorial Hospital, Blue Ridge Surgery Center, Carilion Franklin Memorial Hospital, Carilion Giles Memorial Hospital, Lewis-Gale Hospital, Montgomery Regional Hospital, Carilion New River Valley Medical Center, Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, and the Salem VA Medical Center.
Lab Experiences
The Department of Nurse Anesthesia extended its graduate program in 2012 to the residents of Northern Virginia and the surrounding area. The northern Virginia site is located in Alexandria, Virginia.
5285 Shawnee Road,
Poplar Run, Suite 110
Alexandria, VA 22312
NOVA site Clinical Hospital Affiliations
To provide a broad variety of clinical experiences, the department has established clinical placements in the Northern Virginia region that range from a Level I trauma center to a small 97 bed facility.
Lab Experiences
In addition to distance learning education, we have numerous affiliations with teaching hospitals across the Commonwealth. We are affiliated with over 55 clinical sites including VCU Health/MCV Hospitals and facilities in Southwest Virginia, Northeast Tennessee, Ohio, and Eastern Kentucky.