Examination of a Nurse Anesthesia Program's Teaching Assistant Model and Its Impact on Increasing Nurse Anesthesia Education Capacity.

Abstract

A nurse anesthesia educator shortage exists that is attributed to factors such as a lack of financial incentive and proper training to be an educator. Due to the faculty shortage, nurse anesthesia programs (NAPs) are forced to defer admission to qualified applicants which reduces the number of certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) that NAPs can produce. Research regarding students as teaching assistants (TAs) at the university level has shown benefits and challenges to students, professors, and the TAs themselves as well as the impact on the overall faculty capacity. Current research regarding TA programs does not pertain to NAPs, therefore, research regarding the impact of TA programs on increasing nurse anesthesia faculty merits further work. This study was conducted using quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews to bridge the gap in the literature on the potential impact of TA programs on NAP faculty shortages. A survey was sent via email to former TAs (n = 44) of the Georgetown University NAP to assess the impact that the TA program had on their decision to enter a role in academia after graduation. Interviews were then conducted on a voluntary basis via a video conferencing platform to add qualitative data to the survey results. The survey response rate was 45% (n = 20). Following proportional analysis, 80% of the survey respondents indicated that they participated in the education of student registered nurse anesthetists in the clinical or didactic setting as a CRNA. Eighty percent of respondents indicated that being a TA positively influenced their desire to become a faculty member. One hundred percent of CRNAs interviewed reported that the biggest barrier to becoming fulltime faculty was the lack of financial incentives offered by NAPs. Interviewees recalled their TA experience as the foundation for their enjoyment of teaching anesthesia. The results of this study indicate that TA programs in NAPs can be used as a method to increase faculty capacity.