VCU news

By Michael Ford
University News Services

Not even the U.S. military can hold back Virginia Commonwealth University's graduate program in nurse anesthesia, which surpassed both the U.S. Army and Navy Nurse Corps graduate programs to be ranked the best in the nation by the U.S. News & World Report 2004 rankings of "America's Best Graduate Schools."

"Our department established the vision to become a preferred destination for graduate students and faculty alike studying within art and science of nurse anesthesia," said Michael D. Fallacaro, D.N.S., C.R.N.A., professor and chair of nurse anesthesia. "We collaboratively focused our research efforts on patient safety and made a commitment to disseminate our findings to the profession and community at large. Our curriculum employs simulation technologies to not only impart knowledge to graduate students, but also to have learners apply that knowledge."

The Nurse Anesthesia Department features the Center for Research in Human Simulation, an interactive laboratory featuring two state-of-the art patient simulators and audiovisual equipment that enable instructors to create realistic and infinitely variable training scenarios, as well as the ability to record the training sessions for a detailed debriefing afterwards with participants. The simulation patients are life-sized remote controlled sophisticated mannequins that simulate breathing, pulse and body temperature, as well as arm and eye movement and vocal sounds. The center's lab can be configured to simulate an emergency room, operating room or critical care setting and is used to train students and postgraduate professionals.

"I am overjoyed that the Department of Nurse Anesthesia is ranked number one and I am especially proud of Dr. Fallacaro and his faculty and staff for their demonstrated excellence in didactic and clinical education," said Cecil B. Drain, Ph.D., C.R.N.A, dean of the VCU School of Allied Health Professions. "As the former chair of this department and now dean of the school, I am so happy that the department and School of Allied Health are so recognized. This is indeed a positive demonstration of the VCU 'can do' attitude and the excellence that it brings to the university."

Organized in 1969, Nurse Anesthesia at VCU was first in the nation to offer a master's degree in nurse anesthesia about 23 years ago. Four nurse anesthesia academic faculty work in concert with more than 20 adjunct faculty, two staff members and 13 affiliated training sites to offer a 71-credit hour, seven-semester program of study to earn a master's degree in nurse anesthesia. The department also participates in a unique distance learning doctoral program of study in health related sciences offered through the School of Allied Health Professions. The graduate program in nurse anesthesia admits 25 students annually.

"I am convinced this could not have been accomplished without the dedicated support we receive from our many university and community partners, including the best nurse anesthesia faculty and staff in the nation, a supportive dean and School of Allied Heath Professions, visionary leadership from our president and vice president, the VCU Health System and our many affiliated clinical hospitals in and around the city of Richmond" Fallacaro said. "I am grateful to the many dedicated certified registered nurse anesthetists and anesthesiologists who provide the bulk of the clinical education to our students and also to our VCU basic science faculty in Pharmacology, Chemistry and Physiology. Finally, the graduate students and alumni of the department deserve a hearty 'well done,' since they personify the excellence we strive for."

U.S. News & World Report uses surveys from thousands of academics - deans, program directors and senior faculty - to rank graduate programs in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, law and medicine. According to the magazine, the rankings are based on measures of program quality and the quality of a school's faculty, research and students.

The Sculpture program, in the VCU School of the Arts was also ranked number one in the nation. Altogether, VCU had 20 graduate programs ranked in the top 60 of the U.S. News and World Report 2004 rankings of "America's Best Graduate Schools."

Those details are available at http://www.vcu.edu/uns/Releases/2003/april/040403a.html and http://www.vcu.edu/ranking/.