Program Information

Program Statistics

Post-Graduate Job Placement

The school has developed an outstanding reputation not only in the community but also throughout the country and our graduates are held in high esteem. Many of our graduates have grown professionally and attained faculty positions, administrative teaching positions, program administrator positions in nurse anesthesia programs, and have held positions for state and national nurse anesthesia associations.

Every student has achieved employment upon graduation in a variety of settings throughout the United States, including the Armed Services, facilities of the Veteran’s Administration, and areas that are medically underserved. Our most recent graduates have received jobs spanning nineteen different states across the country.

Curriculum

The curriculum of the DNP Nurse Anesthesia concentration provides students with 36 months of scientific, clinical and professional foundations upon which to build a sound and safe clinical practice. All nurse anesthesia concentration courses are held at Kaiser Permanente in Pasadena, California and affiliated clinical sites utilizing state-of-the-art facilities. This concentration requires 109 units of full-time study including a doctoral project. Clinical hours are based on competency guidelines from Kaiser Permanente School of Anesthesia.

*All courses and sequencing are subject to change at any time.

Terminal Objectives

Upon completion of the KPSA DNP Nurse Anesthesia program, graduates will demonstrate the ability to:

Patient Safety and Quality of Care

• Conduct comprehensive preanesthetic assessments and develop individualized, evidence-based anesthesia care plans. (Domain 1 & 2)
• Deliver safe anesthesia care across the entire perianesthetic continuum, including preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phases. (Domain 2 & 5)
• Maintain vigilance and prioritize patient safety throughout all aspects of anesthesia delivery. (Domain 5)
• Demonstrate proficiency in advanced airway management techniques across diverse patient populations. (Domain 1 & 2)
• Utilize current anesthesia techniques, pharmacologic agents, adjunctive medications, and technology in the safe administration of anesthesia. (Domain 1)
• Interpret and apply data from invasive and noninvasive monitoring modalities to guide clinical decision-making. (Domain 1 & 8)
• Calculate, initiate, and manage fluid, electrolyte, and blood component therapy appropriately. (Domain 1 & 5)
• Recognize, prevent, and manage anesthetic complications, including crisis and emergency situations. (Domain 5)
• Conduct comprehensive anesthesia equipment checks and identify, troubleshoot, and resolve equipment-related malfunctions. (Domain 5 & 8)
• Implement infection prevention strategies and protect patients from iatrogenic complications. (Domain 3 & 5)
• Apply quality improvement principles and safety science to improve patient and system-level outcomes. (Domain 5 & 7)

Individualized Perianesthetic Management Across Populations

• Provide anesthesia services to patients across the lifespan and across the full spectrum of physical status classifications. (Domain 2)
• Deliver anesthesia care for a wide variety of surgical and medically-related procedures, including trauma and emergency cases. (Domain 2)
• Integrate advanced physiology, pathophysiology, and pharmacology into patient-centered anesthesia management. (Domain 1)
• Adapt anesthetic management to complex comorbidities and high-acuity clinical presentations. (Domain 2)
• Deliver culturally responsive and equitable perianesthetic care to diverse patient populations. (Domain 2 & 3)
• Collaborate effectively with interprofessional teams to optimize patient outcomes. (Domain 6)

Critical Thinking and Clinical Judgment

• Apply advanced clinical reasoning and problem-solving skills in dynamic perioperative environments. (Domain 1)
• Integrate scientific underpinnings and current research evidence into anesthesia practice. (Domain 4)
• Translate evidence into clinical practice to improve patient safety and quality outcomes. (Domain 4)
• Utilize data analytics, quality metrics, and health information systems to evaluate and improve anesthesia care delivery. (Domain 8)
• Critically appraise scholarly literature and integrate findings to guide clinical and systems-level decision-making. (Domain 4)

Systems-Based Practice and Healthcare Leadership

• Apply principles of organizational leadership, systems thinking, and healthcare finance to anesthesia practice. (Domain 7 & 10)
• Participate in quality management and risk reduction initiatives to enhance patient safety. (Domain 5 & 7)
• Analyze healthcare policy and reimbursement systems as they relate to advanced nursing practice. (Domain 7)
• Advocate for policies and initiatives that improve patient care and advance the nurse anesthesia profession. (Domain 3, 7, & 10)
• Incorporate cost-conscious and resource stewardship principles into clinical decision-making. (Domain 7)
• Engage in activities that influence healthcare systems, professional practice, and patient outcomes. (Domain 7 & 10)

Communication and Professionalism

• Communicate effectively with patients, families, and all members of the healthcare team using appropriate verbal, nonverbal, and written communication strategies. (Domain 6)
• Demonstrate proficiency in delivering organized and professional scholarly and clinical presentations. (Domain 4)
• Exhibit ethical decision-making, personal accountability, and professional integrity in all practice environments. (Domain 9)
• Respect human dignity and demonstrate compassion toward patients, colleagues, and communities. (Domain 9)
• Function as an advocate for patients, families, and populations to promote health and safety. (Domain 2, 3, & 9)

Scholarly Practice and Professional Development

• Demonstrate competency in clinical scholarship and analytical methods consistent with doctoral-level nursing practice. (Domain 4)
• Design, implement, evaluate, and disseminate a scholarly project that translates evidence into practice improvement. (Domain 4)
• Apply principles of lifelong learning and professional growth in advanced practice. (Domain 10)
• Engage in professional activities that advance the nurse anesthesia profession. (Domain 10)

Readiness for Independent Practice

• Demonstrate integration of clinical expertise, scientific knowledge, leadership, scholarship, and professional judgment consistent with entry into independent nurse anesthesia practice. (Domain 10)
• Meet all competency expectations aligned with Council on Accreditation (COA) Graduate Standards D1–D50. (Domain 10)

The KPSA terminal objectives align with and encompass COA Graduate Standards D1–D50.

The KPSA terminal objectives were derived from KP and CSUF’s mission, vision, and core values and reflect current educational and professional standards, including the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (AACN) Essentials for Doctoral Education.

AACN DNP Essentials (2022)

• Domain 1: Knowledge for Nursing Practice
• Domain 2: Person-Centered Care
• Domain 3: Population Health
• Domain 4: Scholarship for Nursing Practice
• Domain 5: Quality and Safety
• Domain 6: Interprofessional Partnerships
• Domain 7: Systems-Based Practice
• Domain 8: Informatics and Healthcare Technologies
• Domain 9: Professionalism
• Domain 10: Personal, Professional, and Leadership Development

Clinical Affiliations

Community Affiliations