В Сент-Клауде открыт первый набор в программу подготовки анестезиологов-медсестер

ST. CLOUD — St. Mary’s University of Minnesota and CentraCare are partnering to bring St. Mary’s doctor of nursing practice in nurse anesthesiology program to St. Cloud. The new location will allow students to complete coursework and clinical rotations in central Minnesota while preparing to become certified registered nurse anesthetists, or CRNAs. The first St. Cloud cohort is full for fall 2026, and classes began Monday, Aug. 31. ADVERTISEMENT The program is intended to help address shortages of anesthesia providers in rural Minnesota, where CRNAs play a key role in providing anesthesia for surgical, obstetrical and other procedures. The St. Cloud location will allow nurses in west-central Minnesota to pursue advanced nurse anesthesiology education without relocating to a major metropolitan area. Students will receive clinical training within regional health systems, community hospitals and rural care settings. “For generations, CRNAs have been an essential part of Minnesota’s health care workforce, caring for patients in our largest health systems as well as in rural and underserved communities,” St. Mary’s program director Leah Gordon said in a statement. “This partnership between Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota and CentraCare builds upon that legacy. By educating the next generation of nurse anesthetists in Central Minnesota, we are not only expanding access to doctoral nurse anesthesia education — we are investing in the future of anesthesia care for Minnesotans." Bobbie Bertram, executive director of APP Practice at CentraCare, said the partnership is designed to create a sustainable pipeline of doctoral-prepared CRNAs for central Minnesota and rural communities. “This partnership reflects our shared commitment to quality education, rural health care, and healthier communities," she said in a statement. "Our rural communities depend heavily on their expertise to maintain local access to surgical, obstetrical, and procedural services. By creating opportunities for nurses to become doctoral-prepared CRNAs through education and clinical training close to home, we are building a sustainable workforce pipeline and addressing workforce shortages in an innovative way.” St. Mary’s DNP in nurse anesthesiology was originally founded in 1952 as the Abbott Nurse Anesthesia program. St. Mary’s has educated and graduated more than 1,100 CRNAs. The school has campuses in Minneapolis, Rochester, Winona and online. CentraCare is a not-for-profit healthcare organization with hospitals in St. Cloud, Benson, Long Prairie, Melrose, Monticello, Paynesville, Redwood Falls, Sauk Centre and Willmar, providing both primary and specialty care throughout the region. For more information, visit www.centracare.com.