Western Carolina University

2012

WCU Nurse Anesthesia Program granted 10 year continued accreditation

The WCU Nurse Anesthesia Program received official notification that it was granted the maximum continued accreditation from the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs. Following an extensive self-study and a two day site evaluation by official accreditation reviewers in April 2012, the Nurse Anesthesia Program was thrilled to receive the good news on November 5. In addition to receiving continued accreditation, the Executive Director of the COA wrote the following complement to the WCU Nurse Anesthesia Program:

"The COA would like the program to know that very few programs are granted accreditation with no progress report required. Even fewer programs have achieved the maximum accreditation of ten years. Therefore, the directors of the COA are particularly pleased to offer their congratulations to everyone at the program who has demonstrated their commitment to meeting the requirements for continued accreditation. Please accept the COA's congratulations on the programs performance in achieving maximum accreditation status."

Dr. Kossick serves as accreditation reviewer

Dr. Mark A. Kossick, professor of nursing, completed an accreditation visit at St. Elizabeth Health Center School for Nurse Anesthetists, Inc. affiliated with Youngstown State University, Youngstown, Ohio on October 18-19. He served as an on-site reviewer for the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs.

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2012/10/kossick-serves-as-accreditation-reviewer/

Dr. McDowell presents at regional conference

Dr. Mason C. McDowell, assistant professor and interim director of the WCU Nurse Anesthesia Program, provided an invited lecture to the American Academy of Professional Coders on September 18, 2012. His presentation, titled "Anesthesia, Billing and Codes that Aren't Blue," was a component of the monthly continuing education series used by AAPC to qualify for recertification. Attendees included medical coders, billers and administrations from various medical specialties in the region.

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2012/10/mcdowell-presents-at-regional-conference/

Dr. Kossick serves as ultrasound instructor at the AANA national meeting

Dr. Mark A. Kossick, professor of nursing, served as a clinical ultrasound instructor at the American Association for Nurse Anesthetists 2012 Annual Meeting held August 6 in San Francisco. Kossick assisted attendees with learning basic principles and applications of ultrasound in anesthesia practice.

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2012/08/kossick-presents-at-national-conference/

Dr. Kossick presents at national anesthesia seminar for anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists

Dr. Mark A. Kossick, professor of nursing, presented on September 22-23 five hours of lecture sponsored by A. Webb Roberts Center for Continuing Medical Education of Baylor Health Care System, Dallas, and Northwest Anesthesia Seminars. His topics included "Cardinal Skills for Accurate Interpretation of Myocardial Ischemia", "ST Segment Deviation Algorithm: A Comprehensive Approach to Avoid Errors in Anesthetic Management", "ECG Lead Selection-Patient Safety and Medical-Legal Concerns","The Preop 12 Lead and Prior MI: What is the Diagnostic Criteria", "New Recommendations for Treatment of Arrhythmias".  The lectures were part of an educational program held in Hilton Head, South Carolina and attended by physicians and nurses specializing in anesthesia.

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2012/10/kossick-presents-at-even/

Dr. Collins completes doctorate in leadership, wins dissertation award

September 25, 2012
Dr. Shawn Collins, interim associate director for graduate nursing programs and interim assistant director of the nurse anesthesia program, recently completed a doctorate in leadership. This compliments his clinical doctorate, a Doctor of Nursing Practice. As part of the graduation ceremonies, Dr. Collins was presented with the 2011-2012 Outstanding Dissertation Award from Andrews University. His dissertation, "The Emotional Intelligence Profiles and Cognitive Measures of Nurse Anesthesia Students in the Southeastern United States," looked at emotional intelligence scores of nurse anesthesia students at three junctions in their programs: at the beginning, at one yer and at completion. The purpose of Collins' study was to establish a baseline of understanding as a potential metric to serve as a guide in future studies about both admission to a nurse anesthesia program and emotional intelligence programming for nurse anesthetists in these intensive training programs.

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2012/09/collins-completes-doctorate-in-leadership/

Professor McDowell lectures at continuing education seminar

Dr. Mason C. McDowell, assistant professor and interim director of the WCU Nurse Anesthesia Program, lectured on Monday, September 10, for the Mountain Area PeriAnesthesia Nurses Association at Mission Hospital in Asheville. McDowell's lecture, "Pain Management: Acute and Chronic Pain Patients," was part of a continuing education seminar attended by perianesthesia nurses from multiple hospitals in the region. McDowell reviewed pain pathways, treatment options and alternatives, and introduced case studies for interpretation.

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2012/10/mcdowell-lectures-at-continuing-education-seminar/

Journal publishes WCU graduate Loftis and assistant professors Collins and McDowell's article about anesthesia induced neuronal apoptosis

August, 2012
A former nurse anesthesia graduate student, Grace Loftis, assistant professor Dr. Shawn Collins, interim associate director for graduate nursing programs and interim assistant director of the nurse anesthesia program, and Dr. Mason McDowell, interim director of the nurse anesthesia program, coauthored a manuscript titled "Anesthesia-induced neuronal apoptosis in the Neonate: A review of the current literature." The article was published in the August issue of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists primary scholarly publication, the AANA Journal.

Professor McDowell invited to lecture at national conference held in San Francisco

Dr. Mason C. McDowell, interim director of the WCU Nurse Anesthesia Program, presented “Perioperative Management of Patients with Cardiovascular Disease” at the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists 2012 annual meeting recently held in the Moscone West Convention Center in San Francisco. McDowell reviewed elements of perioperative assessment and management that influence patient outcomes.

With weekly attendance approaching 3,000 members, the event is the largest conference sponsored by the AANA. The invitation to lecture followed a peer-reviewed submission process for new speakers.

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2012/09/mcdowell-invited-to-lecture-at-national-conference-held-in-san-francisco/

Professor Collins wins grant for nurse anesthesia traineeship

August 14, 2012
Dr. Shawn Collins, assistant professor of nursing and director of the nurse anesthesia program, was awarded a nurse anesthesia traineeship grant from the Health Resources and Service Administration in the amount of $11,516. The nurse anesthesia grant expenditures are limited to the payment of all or part of the costs of tuition and fees, books, and reasonable living expenses.

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2012/08/collins-wins-grant-for-nurse-anesthesia-traineeship/

Professor McDowell completes doctoral studies

Dr. Mason C. McDowell received his Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice in August. While serving as a full-time faculty member in the WCU Nurse Anesthesia Program, McDowell completed a curriculum that included pharmacology, biochemistry, pathophysiology, anesthesia program management, curriculum development and evidence-based research review. He has presented components of his doctoral research in 2012 at the World Congress of Nurse Anesthetists in Slovenia and the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists annual meeting in San Francisco.

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2012/09/mcdowell-completes-doctoral-studies/

Professor Collins presents at leadership conference meeting

Dr. Shawn Collins, assistant professor, interim assistant director for the WCU nurse anesthesia program and interim associate director for graduate nursing programs, recently participated on an expert panel for emotional intelligence and presented a poster on emotional intelligence at the Andrews University Annual Leadership Roundtable Conference in Berrien Springs, MI (July 2012). Collins also presented an invited lecture "Implementing and Evaluating Change."

Professor McDowell presents lecture for state association meeting

Professor Mason C. McDowell, Assistant Professor and Assistant Director for the Western Carolina University Nurse Anesthesia Program, delivered an invited guest lecture for the North Carolina Association of Nurse Anesthetists district I and II meeting in May in Raleigh. McDowell was asked to speak on the subject of preoperative cardiovascular risk assessment and management by nurse anesthetists. The lecture completed the series of annual district meetings held by the NCANA.

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2012/07/mcdowell-presents-lecture-for-state-association-meeting/

Professor McDowell lectures at 2012 World Congress for Nurse Anesthetists

Professor Mason C. McDowell, Assistant Professor and Assistant Director for the Western Carolina University Nurse Anesthesia Program, presented at the 2012 World Congress for Nurse Anesthetists in May in Lubljana, Slovenia. The lectures, "Identifying and managing perioperative conditions predictive of poor outcomes," included data from McDowell's doctor work.

Held every two years, the WCNA is attended by nurse anesthetists from around the glove and the scientific program is peer reviewed. The lecture was part of a four-day program held at the Cankarjev dom, Cultural and Congress centre.

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2012/07/mcdowell-lectures-at-2012-world-congress-for-nurse-anesthetists/

Professor McDowell presents 2 hour lecture on Perioperative Management and Clinical Education

Professor Mason C. McDowell, Assistant Professor and Assistant Director for the Western Carolina University Nurse Anesthesia Program, presented a two hour lecture covering "Updates in Perioperative Patient Management: Clinical Practice Guidelines" and "Clinical Education Recommendations for Nurse Anesthetists." The lectures were part of an 8 hour CE conference provided by Western Carolina University's Nurse Anesthesia Program on May 5, 2012 in Asheville, NC.

Dr. Kossick lectures at the WCU Nurse Anesthesia Program's Annual Anesthesia Conference

Dr. Mark A. Kossick, professor of nursing, presented a 6 hour lecture on electrocardiography titled "Root Cause Analysis of ECG Changes Suggestive of Myocardial Ischemia and Infarction". The lecture was part of an 8 CEC conference provided by Western Carolina University's Nurse Anesthesia Program on May 5 in Asheville, North Carolina.

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2012/06/kossick-presents-electrocardiography-lecture/%20

Dr. Kossick invited to lecture at international cardiology conference

Dr. Mark A. Kossick, professor of nursing, received an invite to lecture at the 4th International Congress of Cardiology (ICC) meeting in Guangzhou, China. His lecture will be scheduled for December 4th as part of the Cardiovascular Monitoring and Diagnostic Device Session. The scientific program will focus on the core knowledge and major advances in the field of cardiology diseases. ICC 2012 will draw together many investigators, researchers, and clinicians from all over the world.

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2012/05/kossick-to-present-lecture-at-international-meeting-in-china/%20

Professor McDowell presents at Nurse Anesthesia District 3 and 4 meeting

Professor Mason C. McDowell, assistant professor and assistant director for the WCU Nurse Anesthesia Program, recently presented a continuing education lecture at the 2012 District 3 and 4 meeting for the North Carolina Association of Anesthetists in Charlotte. McDowell spoke on perioperative patient management with emphasis on preoperative evaluation of cardiac risk and recommendations for antiplatelet therapy in patients with bare metal versus drug-eluting stents.

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2012/03/mcdowell-presents-at-nurse-anesthesia-district-3-and-4-meeting/

Dr. Mark A. Kossick presents at a Continuing Education Conference

Dr. Mark A. Kossick, professor of nursing, participated as a lecture faculty as a part of a continuing education program from March 20-22 in Clearwater Beach, Florida. His lecture titles were "Cardinal Skills for ECG Interpretation,", "ST Segment Deviation Algorithm: A Comprehensive Approach To Avoid Errors in Anesthetic Management", "Understanding Modified versus True Chest Leads", "The Preop 12 Lead and Prior MI: What is the Diagnostic Criteria", "Recommendations for Treatment of Supraventricular Arrhythmias", and "Recommendations for Treatment of Ventricular Arrhythmias".

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2012/04/kossick-presents-at-continuing-education-program-in-florida/

Dr. Mark A. Kossick awarded tenure as a Full Professor at Western Carolina University

Dr. Mark A. Kossick, professor of nursing, was granted tenure by the Board of Trustees at their March 9, 2012 meeting. This action is effective beginning of the 2012-2013 academic year.

Dr. Mark A. Kossick invited to serve on the AANA Foundation Scholarship Committee

Dr. Mark A. Kossick, professor of nursing, accepted an invitation by the AANA Foundation Board of Trustees to serve on the AANA Foundation Scholarship Committee for 2011-2012. Responsibilities will include assisting in the selection of recipients by reviewing scholarship applications.

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2012/04/kossick-to-serve-on-anesthetist-associations-scholarship-committee/

Dr. Mark A. Kossick invited to present at the inaugural University of Tennessee Visiting Professor Series

Dr. Mark A. Kossick, professor of nursing, has been invited to present 11 hours of lecture at the inaugural Visiting Professor Series on February 11th and 12th at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville, Tennessee. His lecture titles include "Implementing ECG Analysis Across the Continuum of Anesthesia Care", Principles of Cardiovascular Monitoring", and "Anesthesia for Valvular Surgery".

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2012/02/kossick-to-present-at-ut-medical-center/

Dr. Mark A. Kossick presents lectures at East Carolina University

Dr. Mark A. Kossick, professor of nursing, presented three lectures on January 20, 2012 to graduate nurse anesthesia students at East Carolina University in Greenville. His lectures were “Essentials of EKG Interpretation for the Anesthesia Provider,” “Critical Assessment and Interventions for Invasive Hemodynamic Data,” and “Anesthesia for Patients with Valvular Heart Disease.”

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/category/achievements

Journal publishes Collins' article about nurse anesthesia continuing education

January 18, 2012
Dr. Shawn Collins, assistant professor of nursing and director of the nurse anesthesia program, authored a manuscript titled "Model for a Reproducible Curriculum Infrastructure to Provide International Nurse Anesthesia Continuing Education." The article was published in the December issue of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists primary scholarly publication, the AANA Journal.

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2012/01/journal-publishes-collins%E2%80%99-article-about-nurse-anesthesia-continuing-education/

2011 

Dr. Collins presents at nurse anesthesia state meeting

November 8, 2011
Dr. Shawn Collins, assistant professor and director for the WCU nurse anesthesia program, recently presented a lecture at the North Carolina Association of Nurse Anesthetists 2011 annual meeting in Asheville. Collins spoke on "Avoiding the procrustean solution", with a focus on evidenced practice in anesthesia.

Collins also served as a judge for the student research poster presentations entered by students from five nurse anesthesia programs in North Carolina.

Students present research co-authored with DeCristofaro and McDowell

Dr. Claire DeCristofaro, associate professor in the master's degree program in nursing and a medical doctor, and Mason C. McDowell, assistant professor and assistant director for the WCU Nurse Anesthesia Program, co-authored research by nurse anesthesia students Jed Godfrey and Bryan Haslam. Godfrey and Haslam recently presented "Does Clevidipine Possess the Clinical Attributes of an Ideal Parenteral Antihypertensive Agent for Anesthesia Practice?" and provided information to anesthesia providers regarding a new anti-hypertensive agent at the annual conference of the North Carolina Association of Nurse Anesthetists held in Asheville.

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2011/11/students-present-research-co-authored-with-decristofaro-and-mcdowell/

Dr. Kossick selected to serve as WCU's Anesthesia Simulation Education Coordinator

Dr. Mark A. Kossick, professor of nursing, on July 22, 2011 was selected to serve as the Anesthesia Graduate Simulation Education Coordinator. This position has been developed in concert with the recently awarded $1.23 million HRSA Grant for the graduate Nurse Anesthesia Program. Dr. Kossick will provide oversight of simulation education which includes development of 1) an operating room high-fidelity simulation lab, 2) curriculum-staged scenarios, 3) future research, 4) mentoring faculty, 5) a control center for delivery and evaluation (debriefing) of student simulation experiences.

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2011/09/mark-a-kossick-presents-seminar-selected-as-simulation-coordinator/

Professor McDowell Presents at Nurse Anesthesia State Meeting

Professor Mason C. McDowell, assistant professor and assistant director for the WCU nurse anesthesia program, recently presented a lecture at the North Carolina Association of Nurse Anesthetists 2011 annual meeting in Asheville. Professor McDowell spoke on perioperative patient management - emphasizing cardiac risk analysis, application of clinical guidelines for managing patients with cardiovascular disease undergoing non-cardiac surgery, and management of patients with pacemakers, implanted defibrillators and coronary stents.

Mason also served as a judge for the student research poster presentations entered by students from five nurse anesthesia programs in North Carolina.

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2011/11/mcdowell-presents-at-nurse-anesthesia-state-meeting/

Dr. Collins wins grant for nurse anesthesia traineeship

August 20, 2011
Dr. Shawn Collins, assistant professor of nursing and director of the nurse anesthesia program, was awarded a nurse anesthesia traineeship grant from the Health Resources and Service Administration in the amount of $2,306. The nurse anesthesia grant expenditures are limited to the payment of all or part of the costs of tuition and fees, books, and reasonable living expenses.

Nurse anesthesia program wins $1.23 million grant

August 16, 2011
WCU recently won a three-year, $1.23 million grant to expand the nurse anesthesia program and develop a high-fidelity simulation laboratory at the Asheville-Buncbome Technical Community College Enka campus.

During the first year of the grant from the Health Resources Services Administration, WCU's School of Nursing will purchase a human patient simulator advanced enough to recognize what drugs are being administered and provide the appropriate response. In addition, the simulator is equipped to record video of students practicing nurse anesthesia and data detailing the simulation useful for debriefing sessions.

"We can review with students what they did, if there was anything they could have done better and where they could improve," said Dr. Shawn Collins, director of the nurse anesthesia program and the grant's director. "This allows our students to safely gain more skills and confidence in administering anesthesia before they begin working with real, live patients."

The grant also provides for simulation consultation to develop simulation scenarios for anesthesia and a diversity consultant to work with students and faculty. In addition, the funding will support faculty salaries, resources such as testing software and anesthesia journal subscriptions.

WCU's 28-month nurse anesthesia program accepts 14 students into each cohort class, which is less than 20 percent of applicants. With the grant, WCU will be able to grow each incoming class to 16 students in the second year of the grant and 18 in the third year of the grant.

"The use of high-fidelity simulators in a state-of-the-art simulated operating room will give our anesthesia students a higher level of preparation and afford them opportunities to practice critical skills and scenarios that rarely occur in real life, but when they do occur, it is critical that the nurse anesthetist know how to respond quickly and accurately," Dr. Judy Neubrander, interim director of the School of Nursing. "Using this level of technology gives our anesthesia students a superior education."

Dr. Collins also recently won an approximately $2,400 award from HRSA to fund nurse anesthesia student traineeships.

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2011/08/nurse-anesthesia-program-wins-1-23-million-grant/

WCU wins "Anesthesia Bowl" again

The  Western Carolina University nurse anesthesia program won the Anesthesia Bowl on Saturday October 1, 2011.  The Anesthesia Bowl is a "jeopardy-style" competition held each year at the annual meeting of the North Carolina Association of Nurse Anesthetists (NCANA).  WCU graduated its first nurse anesthesia class in 2009.  Despite its brief history compared to the competition, WCU nurse anesthesia has now won the bowl 3 of the last 4 years, claiming victory over Duke, Wake Forest, UNC Charlotte, Raleigh School, and East Carolina University. Each team consists of four graduate students from the six nurse anesthesia programs in the state of North Carolina.  The winning team keeps the coveted trophy at its respective school for the entire year.  Members of the WCU team were Katrina McDonald, Jed Godfrey, Leah Dickerson, Holly Braswell, and Bryan Haslam (alt).   Nurse Anesthesia faculty and contributing faculty were Dr. Shawn Collins, Prof. Mason McDowell, Dr. Mark Kossick, Prof. Ian Hewer, and Dr. Claire DeCristofaro. 

The bowl victory capped off a great weekend for the WCU nurse anesthesia program. Three nurse anesthesia faculty members were invited speakers at the NCANA annual meeting held at the Grove Park Inn Sep 30-Oct 2.  Prof Mason McDowell presented recommendations for Perioperative Patient Management; Dr. Shawn Collins presented information on Evidence Based Practice; and Dr. Mark Kossick presented the Essentials of EKG interpretation and Computerized ST segment analysis.  Additionally, WCU nurse anesthesia students Bryan Haslam and Jed Godfrey were selected to provide a brief presentation of their research project titled "Does clevidipine possess the clinical attributes of an ideal parental antihypertensive agent for anesthesia practice?

Click here to read the official WCU press release.

Nurse Anesthesia Program wins $1.23 million grant

CRNA Class of 2011 earn 100% overall Boards pass rate

Dr. Kossick presents continuing ed program, asked to serve as journal reviewer

August 30, 2011
Dr. Mark A. Kossick, professor of nursing, recently presented a continuing education program for Blue Ridge Regional Hospital's critical care nurses, nurse anesthetists and emergency medical services personnel titled "Two-Day 12 Lead ECG Seminar." The program was held in Spruce Pine. Dr. Kossick also was recently notified that he had been selected to serve as an American Association of Nurse Anesthetists journal reviewer. AANA's peer-reviewed journal was established in 1933 and is the official publication of the association.

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2011/08/kossick-presents-continuing-edprogram-asked-to-serve-as-journal-reviewer/

Dr. Mark Kossick presents at Mission Hospital

June 7, 2011
Dr. Mark A. Kossick, professor of nursing, recently presented a lecture to certified registered nurse anesthetists at the Heart Center of Mission Hospital in Asheville. Dr. Kossick's lecture was titled "Current Practice Guidelines in Electrocardiography for Anesthesia Providers."

In addition, Dr. Kossick also recently presented a seven hour comprehensive EKG seminar to certified registered nurse anesthetist clinical faculty as part of the Western Carolina University 2011 Nurse Anesthesia Update continuing education conference. His lecture content included diagnosing myocardial ischemia, injury, infarction in surgical and intensive care patients scheduled for surgery, and how to diagnose supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias with current treatment strategies.

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2011/06/mark-kossick-presents-at-mission-hospital/

Dr. Kossick presents at seminar, state conference; serves as accreditation reviewer

Dr. Mark A. Kossick, professor of nursing, presented a seven-hour EKG seminar in Las Vegas on April 3. Attendees included physicians and nurses specializing in anesthesia.

Dr. Kossick also completed an accreditation visit at Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth on April 6-9. He served as an on-site reviewer for the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs.

In addition, Dr. Kossick presented three lectures in January to graduate nurse anesthesia students at East Carolina University. His lectures were "Prerequisite Knowledge to Mentoring Anesthesia Providers in Electrocardiography," "Critical Assessment & Interventions for Invasive Hemodynamic Data" and "Anesthesia Concepts for Patients with Valvular Heart Disease."

Dr. Kossick also recently presented a two-hour lecture titled "Navigating ST Segment Changes During Anesthesia" at the North Carolina Association of Nurse Anesthetists All Districts Meeting in Greensboro.

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2011/04/kossick-presents-at-seminar-state-conference-serves-as-accreditation-reviewer/

Dr. Collins and nurse anesthesia students meet with N.C. legislators

February 23, 2011
Dr. Shawn Collins, director of the nurse anesthesia program, and 10 students joined more than 100 students and certified registered nurse anesthetists in Raleigh to meet with state legislators at an event sponsored by the North Carolina Association of Nurse Anesthetists.

The event began with a luncheon at the Cardinal Club on the 28th floor of the Wachovia Building overlooking the state capital. NCANA lobbyists and members of the board of directors presented talks on state policy-making, lobbying and legislative agenda as it pertains to the practice of anesthesia in North Carolina. Students then observed legislative sessions in the House and Senate and had opportunities to meet with district representatives and senators.

The event had the largest attendance in NCANA history, said Collins. The agenda from the meeting provides a foundation for upcoming events sponsored by the NCANA and American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, including a mid-year assembly in Washington in April and a legislative reception in Raleigh on May 17.

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2011/02/collins-and-nurse-anesthesia-students-meet-with-n-c-legislators/

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2010

NC State Anesthesia College Bowl Champions!

For the second time in three years, Western Carolina University nurse anesthesia students have dominated at that annual North Carolina State Anesthesia College Bowl. Five WCU anesthesia  students recently competed against other North Carolina anesthesia students and practioners in the 2010 North Carolina Nurse Anesthesia College Bowl held in Wilmington, NC. The WCU Nurse Anesthesia students who competed in the 2010 College Bowl include Jennifer Greer, Annie Meyers, Zach Vorst, Matt Morris and Blair Powers. The School of Nursing is proud to announce that the Anesthesia Bowl trophy once again resides with WCU!

In 2008, a team of students from the nurse anesthetist program at Western Carolina University took first place in t North Carolina State Anesthesia College Bowl, beating teams from five other N.C. schools for the title.

The state quiz bowl, which tests students' knowledge of anesthesia topics such as physics, chemistry, physiology and pharmacology, is held annually as part of the annual meeting of the N.C. Association of Nurse Anesthetists. After claming the state crown, Western's winning student team then challenged a team of certified registered nurse anesthetists from around the state, crushing the CRNA team by a score of 7-2.

Western will retain the trophy for one year. The 2009 NC State Anesthesia College Bowl will be held in Asheville at the Grove Park Inn in October, when WCU students will defend their title.

Members of the WCU team, who all are students in the master's degree program in nurse anesthesia, are Tiffany Outar of Asheville, a graduate of Temple Baptist School who earned her undergraduate degree at WCU;  K. Logan Key of High Point, a graduate of T.W. Andrews High School who earned his undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill; Lance Greer of Hickory, a graduate of St. Stephens High School who earned his undergraduate degree at Lenoir-Rhyne College; Mya Montoya of Asheville, a graduate of West Hall High School who earned her undergraduate degree at Emory University; and Randy Parker of Asheville, a graduate of Asheville High School who earned his undergraduate degree at WCU.

Team coaches were Shawn Collins, director of WCU's nurse anesthesia program; and faculty members Cheryl Johnson and Mason McDowell.

"We are very proud of our students," said Johnson. "We are the newest nurse anesthesia program in the state, and it is unprecedented for a new school to have a winning bowl team."

Bottom Row (Left to Right):WCU Anesthesia Bowl Team members:  K. Logan Key, SRNA; Mya Montoya, SRNA; Lance Greer, SRNA; Tiffany Outar, SRNA. Top Row (Left to Right): Cheryl Johnson, CRNA Team Coach; Randy Parker, SRNA, Team Alternate; Shawn Collins, CRNA, Team Coach; Mason McDowell, CRNA, Team Coach

All students are in the senior year of the Nurse Anesthesia Program (Master of Science in Nursing) at WCU.

Dr. Kossick presents EKG seminar

November 17, 2010
Dr. Mark A. Kossick, professor of nursing, recently presented a seven-hour EKG Seminar in Key West, Fla. Attendees included physicians and nurses specializing in anesthesia.

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2010/11/kossick-presents-ekg-seminar/

Dr. Collins presents at national and international conferences

October 26, 2010
Dr. Shawn Collins, assistant professor of nursing and director of the nurse anesthesia program, recently presented "Model for a Reproducible Curriculum Infrastructure for Nurse Anesthesia CE in Developing Countries" as a part of a peer-reviewed and invited podium presentation at the third National Doctors of Nursing Practice Conference held in San Diego.

Collins also presented this topic at the peer-revieweed invited International Conference on Education, Research, and Innovation in Madrid, Spain on November, 15, 2010.

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2010/10/collins-presents-at-national-and-international-conferences/

Dr. Kossick to serve on two research committees

October 13, 2010
Dr. Mark A. Kossick, professor of nursing, has been selected to serve on two research committees. For 2010-11, Dr. Kossick will serve as a member of the North Carolina Association of Nurse Anesthetists research and education committee. During this same time, he has accepted an invitation to serve on the national level for the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists research committee.

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2010/10/kossick-to-serve-on-two-research-committees/

Nursing faculty, students present at state conference

Faculty and students from Western Carolina University's graduate nursing program presented posters at the annual North Carolina Association of Nurse Anesthetists conference during the fall 2010 semester.

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2010/10/nursing-faculty-students-present-at-state-conference/

Dr. Mark A. Kossick presents at national nurse anesthetists meeting

September 1, 2010
Dr. Mark A. Kossick, professor of nursing, recently presented his research titled "Evaluation of a New Modified Chest Lead in Diagnosing Ectopy of Unknown Origin" at the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists National Meeting in Seattle.

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2010/09/mark-a-kossick-presents-at-national-nurse-anesthetists-meeting/

Nursing professor makes presentation, authors chapter in nurse anesthesiology textbook

August 18, 2010
Dr. Mark A. Kossick, professor of nursing, gave a talk titled "Current Anesthesia Practice" on July 24-25 in Concord. Topics included accurate interpretation of myocardial ischemia, anesthesia segment analysis, selecting ECG leads and myocardial infarction assessment. Participants, who were eligible to receive continuing education credit, included anesthesiologists, certified registered nurse anesthetists and emergency room physicians. Dr. Kossick also contributed a chapter on antiarrhythmics in a new textbook titled "Pharmacology for Nurse Anesthesiology" from Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

http://thereporter.wcu.edu/2010/08/nursing-professor-makes-presentation-authors-chapter-in-nurse-anesthesiology-textbook/

2009

Collins presents at national conference

October 30, 2009
Dr. Shawn Collins, assistant professor of nursing and director of the nurse anesthesia program, recently presented "Differentiating between standards of practice and evidence-based practice and their affect on outcomes" as part of a peer-reviewed and invited podium presentation at the second National Doctors of Nursing Practice Conference held in Miami.

Collins serves on national HRSA Grant Review

April 30, 2009
Dr. Shawn Collins, assistant professor nursing and director of the nurse anesthesia program, recently served as a grant reviewer for the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) with a focus on advanced education nursing in Washington, D.C.