Advanced Pain Management Fellowship and Certificate Program
TCU's School of Nurse Anesthesia Advanced Pain Management Program is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA).
Mission
The mission of the program is to educate Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) to be competent providers of care to patients who suffer from chronic pain. The purpose of the Advanced Pain Management Program is to educate and prepare advanced pain management practitioners to deliver holistic pain management care, including comprehensive pain management interventions, a focus on reductions in use of opioids and patient education. The objective of the program is to prepare CRNAs to enter this subspecialty of nurse anesthesia practice and to successfully pass the National Board of Certification and Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA) subspecialty certification examination for Nonsurgical Pain Management (NSPM). The NSPM credential program measures the knowledge, skills, and abilities of NBCRNA-certified registered nurse anesthetists for practice in the NSPM field (http://www.nbcrna.com/NSPM/Pages/NSPM.aspx).
Application Deadlines
February 1st for class beginning the next August. Candidates will be notified of admission status by March 1st.
Objectives
Upon completion of the Program, Fellows should be able to:
Demonstrates knowledge and skills required in the area of specialty practice or concentration. Academic success is assessed throughout the Program and is measured as course grades for each student in their permanent academic transcript. Clinical success is monitored through direct clinical mentorship and evaluation. Both formative and summative evaluation is employed to validate the demonstration of knowledge and skills. Each semester, the faculty mentor is solicited to identify:
If the Fellow's clinical performance is acceptable and progression to the next semester is recommended
If weaknesses are identified and noted, but progression is acceptable to the next semester with plans for corrective action
If the Fellow’s clinical performance is unacceptable then progression to the next semester is not recommended
Pain Management Curriculum
A grade of B in each course is the minimum acceptable grade for progression. Failure to achieve a minimum of a B in any course will result in dismissal from the program.
Minimum coursework requirements are as follows:
Semester I (fall) 7 credit hours
Pain Evaluation and Treatment (3) | 3 | |
Imaging and Radiation Safety (3) | 3 | |
Anatomy and Physiology for Pain Management (1) | 1 |
Semester II (spring) 8 credit hours
Comprehensive Pain Management Clinical Practicum-I (1) | 1 | |
Pharmacology for Pain Management (3) | 3 | |
Interventional Pain Strategies for Advanced Pain Practice (3) | 3 | |
Psychology and Spirituality in Pain Management (1) | 1 |
Semester III (summer) 4 credit hours
Comprehensive Pain Management Clinical Practicum-II (1) | 1 | |
Special Topics in Advanced Pain Management (3) | 3 |
The fellow is responsible for the purchase of all books, supplies and equipment as required by courses. Fellows are responsible for all costs of clinical education, including but not limited to: state licensure, malpractice insurance, and all travel costs.
Technology
Students should have sufficient computer literacy to manipulate multiple types of files. Students need a Pentium Class PC with one of the following operating systems: Windows 8, Windows 10, or a Mac OS X based computer with one of the following operating systems: OS X 10.9 (Mavericks), OS X 10.10 (Yosemite), OS X 10.11 (El Capitan), and OS 10.12 (Sierra). Students are required to have Microsoft Office (with PowerPoint, Word and Excel or Mac - compatible version), an internet connection (broadband), a webcam, and a printer.