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History

What began with four students has become a national program of leadership in nurse anesthesia, with more than 700 graduates to date.

1966 - The University of Kansas began the nurse anesthesia program under the Department of Anesthesiology.

1967 - We admitted our first four students.

1968 - The American Association of Nurse Anesthetists granted the program full accreditation.

1978 - The Kansas Board of Regents granted the program baccalaureate status after having served as a certificate program to that point.

1982 - Granted full department status and graduated our first bachelor’s degree students that same year.

1984 - Moved to the graduate level, offering a master's degree while phasing out the bachelor's degree.

1993 - The program expanded to include satellite locations and the new format was established at Mount Carmel Medical Center in Pittsburg, Kan.

1998 - Further collaboration took place via a cooperative agreement with the BryanLGH Nurse Anesthesia program in Lincoln, Neb. Students from BryanLGH completed their course work at the University of Kansas Medical Center and received a master's degree from the University of Kansas. This continued until 2008.

2003 - A second satellite program was created at Overland Park Regional Medical Center in Overland Park, Kan. Using Web-based instruction, the program provided the required didactics online to students who completed their clinical experiences at the satellite affiliates.

2007 - The first department chair, Carol Elliott, CRNA, MPA, Ph.D., retired and Donna Nyght, CRNA, DNP, was appointed as her successor. She continues to lead the program today.

2012 - The entry level clinical doctorate was approved by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs.

2015 - The first clinical doctorate cohort of 24 students graduated with a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree.

2016 - The name of the degree changed to Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice. KU was among the first 10% of nurse anesthesia programs in the U.S. to offer a clinical doctorate.

Today, the Nurse Anesthesia program is a national leader in education and clinical instruction in the field, with numerous recognitions and high rankings by local and national publications. More than 700 CRNAs have entered the professional ranks of nurse anesthesia as University of Kansas graduates.

KU School of Health Professions

University of Kansas Medical Center
Nurse Anesthesia Education
Mailstop 2020
3901 Rainbow Blvd
Kansas City, KS 66160
913-588-6612 • 711 TTY