Credits and Course Descriptions 

Course Number

Course Title and Description

Credit Hours

Semester 1 – spring (SP1)

15

511

Anesthesia Principles and Practice I (APP) - Introduction to the practice of clinical anesthesia. Overview of the anesthesiologist assistant profession, anesthesia care team (ACT), medical terminology, basic drugs, basic equipment, airway management, interpersonal communication, clinical/OR etiquette. Includes Basic Life Support (BLS).

4

512

Clinical Anesthesia Experience I (CAE) - Experiential learning of patient care through supervised instruction in the operating room and other clinical locations. Introduction to OR, perioperative spaces and personnel, perioperative patient flow, sterile technique. Develop knowledge and skills in application of ASA standard monitors, anesthesia machine checkout, basic equipment setup, surgical case flow, sterile technique, personnel, and interpersonal communication.

2

513

Human Patient Simulation I (HPS) - Experiential learning of patient care through supervised instruction in the simulated operating room. Introduction to high fidelity manikins, task trainers, simulation processes/flow (prebrief, scenario, debrief) and guiding principles (basic assumption, advocacy inquiry, sim-isms).

2

514

Anatomy and Physiology I (AP) - Applied anatomy and physiology via a systems-based approach, A&P overview, skeletal, muscular, nervous, and cardiovascular.  

3

515

Pharmacology I (PH) - Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, mechanisms of actions, and toxicity. Follows A&P systems with neuromuscular blocking and reversal agents, local anesthetics, inhaled and intravenous anesthetics, opioids and nonopioid analgesics, sympathomimetics, sympatholytics, vasoactive agents, antiarrhythmics.

2

516

Patient Monitors and Machines I (PMM) - Function and operation of anesthesia machines, compressed gases and waste scavenging, breathing circuits, ventilators, resuscitation equipment, vital sign monitors (SpO2, Fi/ET gas, HR, BP, ECG), laboratory tests (BMP, CBC).

2

Semester 2 – summer (SU1)

15

521

Anesthesia Principles and Practice II (APP) - Clinical correlations (follows A&P systems), chart review, documentation, history taking, patient assessment, advanced airway assessment and management, basic ECG interpretation, and data analyses. 

2

522

Clinical Anesthesia Experience II (CAE) - Experiential learning of patient care through supervised instruction in the operating room and other clinical locations. Focus on anesthesia for adult general surgical cases, may have occasional subspeciality cases.

3

523

Human Patient Simulation II (HPS) - Experiential learning of patient care through supervised instruction in the simulated operating room with high-fidelity manikins and task trainers. Develop knowledge and skills in common intraoperative scenarios, machine and monitor troubleshooting, task trainers PIV, US-guided PIV, arterial line, airway management.

2

524

Anatomy and Physiology II (AP) - Applied anatomy and physiology via a systems-based approach. Focus on renal, hepatic, GI, GU, reproductive, and immune.

3

525

Pharmacology II (PH) - Follows A&P systems of respiratory, renal, hepatic, GI, endocrine, immune with pulmonary pharmacology, diuretics, lipid-lowering agents, glucose regulation, GI motility, antiemetics, hypo/hyperthyroid, chemotherapy, antimicrobials, antiseptics, disinfectants.

2

526

Applied Anesthesia Physics (AAP) - Focus on physics of human physiology/pathophysiology and anesthesia equipment, gas laws, solubility, diffusion, flow dynamics, pressure measurement and gradients, electricity, work, power, temperature and heat, lasers, and ultrasound.

3

Semester 3 – fall (FA1)

15

531

Anesthesia Principles and Practice III (APP) - Clinical correlations including coexisting disease (follows A&P systems), focused physical exams, patient assessment, data analyses. Includes Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS).

3

532

Clinical Anesthesia Experience III (CAE) - Experiential learning of patient care through supervised instruction in the operating room and other clinical locations. Focus on anesthesia for adult general surgical cases, may have occasional subspeciality cases.

4

533

Human Patient Simulation III (HPS) - Experiential learning of patient care through supervised instruction in the simulated operating room with high-fidelity manikins and task trainers. Develop knowledge and skills in infrequent/high-acuity intraoperative scenarios, subspeciality scenarios, and advanced airway management.

1

534

Anatomy and Physiology III (AP) - Applied anatomy and physiology via a systems-based approach. Focus on nervous system in depth with emphasis on ANS, nociception, respiratory and renal systems in depth, reproduction, pediatrics, and geriatrics.

2

535

Pharmacology III (PH) - Follows A&P systems of nervous system in depth with emphasis on ANS, nociception, respiratory and renal systems in depth, reproduction. Electrolytes, crystalloids, colloids, maternal and fetal topics, pediatric and geriatric topics. Review of sympathomimetics, sympatholytics, vasoactive agents, antiarrhythmics. Review of drug interactions

2

536

Patient Monitors and Machines II (PMM) - Function and operation of anesthesia machines, compressed gases and waste scavenging, breathing circuits, ultrasound, advanced monitors (EEG, CVP, ICP, SSEP, CPB, ECHO, AICD), laboratory tests (TEG, INR, PT/PTT, ACT). 

2

537

Professionalism, Quality Improvement, and Patient Safety I (PQIPS) - Focus on CV creation and maintenance, practice standards and guidelines, patient safety, incident reporting.

1

Semester 4 – spring (SP2)

15

611

Anesthesia Principles and Practice IV (APP) - Clinical correlations including coexisting disease, anesthesiology subspecialities, and NCCAA keywords. Includes Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS).

3

612

Clinical Anesthesia Experience IV (CAE) - Experiential learning of patient care through supervised instruction in the operating room and other clinical locations. Focus on anesthesia for required patient populations (peds, geriatrics, high acuity, trauma, emergent, ambulatory/out-patient), required methods of anesthesia (general, monitored, regional/neuraxial), required subspeciality cases (neuro, cardiac, thoracic, vascular, ENT, peds, OB), required procedures (airway management, vascular access, advanced monitoring), and elective cases (NORA, preop/post-op, ICU, transplant, acute/chronic pain).

6

618

Precepting I (PR) - Introduction to teaching in simulation and clinical environments. Learn to teach and teach to learn via peer and near-peer interactions.

1

617

Professionalism, Quality Improvement, and Patient Safety II (PQIPS) - Focus on interviewing acumen, employment contracts, QA/QI frameworks and processes, AAAA annual meeting poster presentations.

3

619

Advanced Cardiopulmonary Topics (ACP) - Focus on anesthetic management of co-existing diseases for cardiac and non-cardiac surgery, ECG interpretation, blood products and fluid management, pro/anticoagulants, arterial blood gases, acid-base balance, ventilation strategies, and pulmonary function tests.

2

Semester 5 – summer (SU2)

15

621

Anesthesia Principles and Practice V (APP) - Clinical correlations including coexisting disease, anesthesiology subspecialities, NCCAA keywords, and journal article critique and reading. 

1

622

Clinical Anesthesia Experience V (CAE) - Experiential learning of patient care through supervised instruction in the operating room and other clinical locations. Focus on anesthesia for required patient populations (peds, geriatrics, high acuity, trauma, emergent, ambulatory/out-patient), required methods of anesthesia (general, monitored, regional/neuraxial), required subspeciality cases (neuro, cardiac, thoracic, vascular, ENT, peds, OB), required procedures (airway management, vascular access, advanced monitoring), and elective cases (NORA, preop/post-op, ICU, transplant, acute/chronic pain).

12

628

Precepting II (PR) - Apply adult education theories to teaching in simulation and clinical environments. Learn to teach and teach to learn via peer and near-peer interactions.

1

627

Professionalism, Quality Improvement, and Patient Safety III (PQIPS) - Focus on medical ethics, patient rights and respect, advanced directives, and hospital policy.

1

Semester 6 – fall (FA2)

15

631

Anesthesia Principles and Practice VI (APP) - Advanced clinical correlations including coexisting disease, anesthesiology subspecialities, NCCAA keywords, and journal article critique and reading.

1

632

Clinical Anesthesia Experience VI (CAE) - Experiential learning of patient care through supervised instruction in the operating room and other clinical locations. Focus on anesthesia for required patient populations (peds, geriatrics, high acuity, trauma, emergent, ambulatory/out-patient), required methods of anesthesia (general, monitored, regional/neuraxial), required subspeciality cases (neuro, cardiac, thoracic, vascular, ENT, peds, OB), required procedures (airway management, vascular access, advanced monitoring), and elective cases (NORA, preop/post-op, ICU, transplant, acute/chronic pain).

12

637

Professionalism, Quality Improvement, and Patient Safety IV (PQIPS) - Focus on professional organizations, advocacy, truthfulness and transparency, anesthesia billing and reimbursement, personal health and wellness, controlled-substances and substance-use disorders.

2

Semester 7 – spring (SP3)

15

711

Anesthesia Principles and Practice VII (APP) - Advanced clinical correlations, anesthesiology subspecialities, NCCAA keywords, and journal article reviews.

2

712

Clinical Anesthesia Experience VII (CAE) - Experiential learning of patient care through supervised instruction in the operating room and other clinical locations. Focus on anesthesia for required patient populations (peds, geriatrics, high acuity, trauma, emergent, ambulatory/out-patient), required methods of anesthesia (general, monitored, regional/neuraxial), required subspeciality cases (neuro, cardiac, thoracic, vascular, ENT, peds, OB), required procedures (airway management, vascular access, advanced monitoring), and elective cases (NORA, preop/post-op, ICU, transplant, acute/chronic pain).

12

713

Transition to Practice (TP) - Focus on certification, licensure, credentialing, privileges, professional responsibilities, employment models, contracts, benefits, financial acumen, and continuing education.

1

GRADUATION

105