Critical thinking skills are vital in any of the nursing and medical specialties. These skills can be taught using adult teaching methods and should be incorporated into all courses in the educational process. Unfortunately, some nurse anesthesia programs fail to adequately address critical thinking or the use of these skills. They often teach using rigidly structured models. This descriptive s...

The International Federation of Nurse Anesthetists [IFNA] has been striving to promote quality education and practice standards since it began in 1989. Many organizations throughout the world have recognized these efforts including the International Council of Nurses. This Guest Editorial summarizes IFNA's achievements and introduces IFNA's new initiative to enhance the quality of anesthesia ca...

DEMOGRAPHICS Case Title: Dante Jackson’s Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Repair (Cardiovascular collapse from a “high spinal”). Patient Name: Dante Jackson. Case Description and Diagnosis: A spinal anesthetic that results in cardiovascular collapse in a 24-year-old healthy male presenting for repair of the left ACL injury. Simulation Developers: Yetunde Olutunmbi, MD; William McIvor, MD; and J...

In an effort to reduce costs, many hospitals may use registered nurses (RNs) with little to no formal education or training in anesthetic or surgical risk to perform anesthesia preoperative interviews (APIs). This lack of education and training can result in day of surgery delays and cancellations because of suboptimal preparation of patients for anesthesia and surgery. The Focused Anesthesia I...

introduction: development of nursing profession is faced with new challenges. role of education is important for advancement of nursing. faculty members are experienced in education, and they are authentic sources for determining of the educational challenges in nursing. the aim of this study was to determine the educational challenges in nursing from the viewpoint of faculty members of nursing...

A university based model of a nurse anesthesia educational program is described, with emphasis on its development in a graduate degree framework. Steps in developing a university based program are outlined.

The medical director of a nurse anesthesia educational program in a Veteran's Administration medical center relates his experiences in creating an educational and practice environment where, through cooperation with the CRNA director, the capabilities of all anesthesia providers are respected and utilized.

The use of ultrasound to facilitate regional anesthesia is an evolving area of clinical, education, and research interests. As our community's experience grows, it has become evident that anesthesiologists performing "routine" ultrasound-guided blocks may very well be confronted with atypical or even pathologic anatomy. As an educational resource for anesthesiologists, the following articles pr...