Nurse Anesthesia
Nurse anesthetists comprise an integral part of the care team in the Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine at UCLA, as their dedication and clinical excellence promote and exemplify our department’s core mission and values.
Clinical Services
Our nurse anesthetists currently practice in a wide variety of clinical settings, including the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, UCLA Stein Eye Institute, Westwood Ambulatory Surgery Center, UCLA Health Surgery Center in Santa Monica, and UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center. We are also located at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital, where we provide obstetric and general anesthesia care to medically underserved populations in South Los Angeles.
Education
In addition to clinical assignments, UCLA nurse anesthetists participate in policy development, quality improvement initiatives, workflow optimization, and education. They regularly provide educational programs including courses on Procedural Sedation, Airway Emergencies, Anesthetic Considerations for Outpatient Surgery, and PACU Safety for our nursing colleagues in all perioperative phases of care.
UCLA is a clinical training site for the USC Keck School of Medicine and Kaiser Permanente School of Anesthesia programs. Students work closely with nurse anesthesia staff and faculty physician anesthesiologists in many anesthetizing locations to gain clinical anesthesia experience. Nurse anesthetists also serve as instructors for various courses and lectures at USC and Kaiser School of Anesthesia, teach in the Simulation Center, and provide supplemental Board Review courses.
Research
Committed to innovation and improving outcomes, several nurse anesthetists have participated in writing research papers and collecting data for post-doctoral research, under the guidance of faculty physician anesthesiologists and PhD nursing faculty.
Community and Global Outreach
Our department also encourages global outreach, supporting nurse anesthetists who participate in mission trips providing care to underserved areas around the world including Nepal, Peru, Myanmar, Kenya, and Guatemala. Their travels are featured on our Global Healthcare Initiatives page.
Mentorship
Since 2020, we have had a formal CRNA mentorship program. The goal of the program is to ensure that all new CRNAs have the proper tools, information, and guidance to succeed within our large institution.
Every new CRNA is paired with two CRNAs upon hire. The mentors and mentees meet up weekly to confer on the orientation progress, discuss specific case guidance, and provide coaching for communication and expectations. There are also scheduled mentorship meetups at three, six and twelve months which provide an opportunity to collaborate outside of work and discuss progress. The mentorship program, combined with an extensive orientation program, supports their transition into our practice at UCLA as well as their future growth.