A helping handbook Nurse anesthesia students take on Anatomy Camp with the help of a new resource BY BRELYN POWELL
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egional anesthesia is a challenging field of study for those on course to become certified registered nurse anesthetists. Those administering this type of anesthesia, which is used to numb large areas of the body, require a thorough knowledge of human anatomy and physiology, and any CRNA will tell you that a textbook is no match for hands-on experience. First-year students in the Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia program in the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Allied Health Professions tackle this daunting unit during Anatomy Camp.
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Nurse anesthesia students, clockwise from left, Michelle Jump, Kathryn Esworthy, Amanda Acuff and Aaron Storsved use the handbook for reference.
The workshop takes place at the East Tennessee State University Quillen College of Medicine, with which the VCU nurse anesthesia department has maintained a partnership for more than 10 years. During the event, VCU nurse anesthesia students and ETSU medical students and interns rotate through stations to practice major regional anesthetic techniques in the school’s cadaver laboratory. “Anatomy Camp is one of the highlights of the program,” says M.S.N.A. student Brian Widener, who attended in 2016. “It’s an immersive, intensive way to get experience that usually takes years to build – and to get that experience early.”