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Project Name: Nurse Anesthetist Traineeships (A22)
Applicant Title: RUSH UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
Abstract Text: Address: 600 S. Paulina St., Suite 1080, Chicago, IL, 60612 Project Director Name: Maiko Yamashita, DNP, CRNA Contact Phone Numbers: xxx-xxx-xxxx Email Address: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx This project’s purpose is to financially support Rush University’s nurse anesthesia trainees (NATs) as they train at distant clinical sites in rural and urban underserved communities. The rigor of Rush University’s nurse anesthesia program (NAP) prevents outside employment due to the required time commitment for students. Students rely on financial support such as grants and loans for tuition costs and living expenses. In 2023, the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA) increased the required clinical cases and introduced requirements for greater case variety. To provide educational opportunities that reflect this change, the NAP has increased the number of clinical affiliation sites from 11 in 2020 to 14 in 2023. Of the new sites, 66% are outside of the city limits, requiring more traveling for NATs. Many NATs do not have the financial resources to pay the additional costs (travel and housing) associated with distance clinical rotations. Particularly NATs from disadvantaged backgrounds, including first generation college students, or historically underrepresented groups, are challenged to meet the additional expenses associated with these valuable clinical rotations. To increase the utilization of clinical training at sites for underserved and rural communities, financial support provided in this grant will be used to help cover the increased cost of training at these clinical sites. Outcome metrics will include clinical case variety, NAT clinical and didactic instructor evaluations, and end of program and employer surveys. Diversity and inclusion in recruiting will continue to be a focus for the program through the holistic admission rubric introduced in 2022. Progress will be tracked, and all reports required for follow-up will be completed. Trainees assigned to rural clinical sites will be selected by the NAP leadership. Plans for allocation of funds will be developed with the Office of Financial Aid (OFA) and funds will be equally distributed to NATs traveling to rural clinical sites to offset their expenses during their full-time clinical education. The clinical sites in MUCs and HPSAs that will host NAT-supported students during clinical rotations include: Rush University Medical Center, Rush University Surgery Center, John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County, Community First Medical Center, and Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Centers, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago in Chicago, IL; MacNeal Memorial Hospital, in Berwyn, IL; Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, IL; Rush-Oak Park Hospital in Oak Park, IL, and Kishwaukee Hospital in DeKalb, IL. Three of the program’s clinical sites are among the top 10 hospital providers of Medicaid admissions in Illinois. Completing clinical rotations in clinical facilities located in medically underserved communities prepares graduates for a smooth transition to practice as CRNAs in similar settings. Additional exposure of students to these community health systems will increase the likelihood they will seek employment in these settings as CRNAs. Fifty percent of 2022 graduates from Rush’s NAP accepted positions at a clinical site where they trained. Completing clinical rotations in clinical facilities located in medically underserved communities prepares graduates to safely care for patients impacted by health disparities. NAT funding is vital to ensure that students have limited economic pressure while in a demanding program and can excel in the didactic and clinical components of their education. NAP graduates will continue to provide safe and cost-effective care to patients in all settings where anesthesia care is delivered, including medically underserved communities and health provider shortage areas.