Newswise — PARK RIDGE, ILLINOIS – As the only program of its kind in the United States, an advanced pain management fellowship prepares Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) with the pain management skills necessary to meet the needs of Americans with chronic pain, according to the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA). The deadline to apply for the fellowship is July 1, 2016, and the program will begin August 2017.
The fellowship is a partnership between the AANA, Park Ridge, Ill., and the School of Nurse Anesthesia at Texas Christian University (TCU) in Fort Worth, Texas. The Advanced Pain Management Certificate Program is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs, and graduates are eligible to take a certification examination on Non-Surgical Pain Management offered by the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists.
“The field of pain management is continually growing, and to stay on top of the trend, CRNAs should consider earning the credentials needed to become an expert,” said Kay Sanders, CRNA, DNP, director of the TCU School of Nurse Anesthesia. “The AANA-TCU fellowship program is a natural progression for CRNAs learning to provide holistic care for chronic pain patients.”
The post-graduate certificate fellowship in advanced pain management is just over a year in length and comprises a classroom component offered via distance education (didactic education) and a clinical component (hands-on clinical experience offered through one or more clinical sites). Some of the curriculum includes: theoretical foundations of pain; imaging and radiation safety; assessment, diagnosis and referral; pharmacology; interventional pain practice; spiritual aspects of health and illness; and non-allopathic aspects related to pain.
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, “Relieving Pain in America: A Blueprint for Transforming Prevention, Care, Education and Research,” states that about 100 million American adults suffer from chronic pain, and the nation spends more than $600 billion annually in pain management medications.
Under the guidance of experienced pain practitioners, the AANA-TCU fellowship combines online classes with hands-on clinical work. There are 21 academic credits including 240 mandatory clinical hours across three semesters. To learn more about the program and submit your application, visit http://www.crna.tcu.edu/pain-management-fellowship/.
About Texas Christian UniversityFounded in 1873, TCU is a world-class, values-centered private university based in Fort Worth, Texas. The University comprises eight schools and colleges offering 117 areas of undergraduate study, 62 master’s level programs and 25 areas of doctoral study. Total enrollment stands at 10,323, including 8,894 undergraduates and 1,429 graduate students. The student/faculty ratio is about 13:1, and 84 percent of TCU’s 623 full-time faculty members hold the highest degree in their discipline. TCU consistently ranks among the top universities and colleges in the nation, and the Horned Frog family consists of more than 87,000 living alumni. For more information, please visit www.tcu.edu.
About the American Association of Nurse AnesthetistsFounded in 1931 and located in Park Ridge, Ill., the AANA is the professional organization for more than 49,000 nurse anesthetists across the United States. As anesthesia specialists, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) safely provide approximately 40 million anesthetics to patients each year for surgical, obstetrical, pain management, and trauma stabilization services. CRNAs deliver essential healthcare in thousands of communities and are able to prevent gaps in access to anesthesia services, especially in rural, inner-city, and other medically underserved areas of the country. They are highly valued in today’s healthcare environment because they deliver the same safe, high-quality anesthesia care as other anesthesia professionals but at a lower cost, helping to control rising healthcare costs. Additional information about the AANA and CRNAs is available at http://www.aana.com/Pages/default.aspx and http://www.future-of-anesthesia-care-today.com/.
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