Hooding ceremony held for graduates of the state’s only public nursing anesthesia program

On the morning of August 9, 2024, the Augusta University College of Nursing celebrated the first ever Nursing Anesthesia Program hooding ceremony. Twenty-nine nursing anesthesia students were hooded by program director and DNP chair, Dr. Shannon Broxton and received a certificate of completion from Dean Beth NeSmith.

After welcoming words from NeSmith and Broxton, the ceremony began with a speech from emeritus faculty and program co-founder Gene Murdock, detailing the genesis and trajectory of the program. His speech was followed by Broxton presenting the three program specific awards.

• Founders Award: Robert Crumrine, received by his daughter, the Honorable Rebecca Crumrine Rieder
• Founders Award: Gene Murdock, MSN
• Program Director Award: Tasha Rodriguez, DNP

The Nursing Anesthesia Program, approved by the Board of Regents in 1994, is nationally recognized and ranked among the best graduate programs in the nation. Each graduating student had to complete a competitive admission process, 81 semester hours, 225 lab hours, and 1,980 clinical hours.  “They are officially eligible to take the National Certification Examination. These students will soon join the workforce as certified registered nurse anesthetists, and we could not be more proud!” said NeSmith.

Below are the names of our esteemed graduating students and their project titles:

• Jada Anderson, Implementation of a Standardized Handoff Tool in the Critical Care Setting
• Kyle Brookman, Assessing the Impact of CHG-impregnated Dressing on CLABSI Occurrence
• Nancy Burkett, Provider Adherence to Massive Transfusion Protocol Activation in the Operating Room
• Sarah Chaloult, Provider Adherence to Massive Transfusion Protocol Activation in the Operating Room
• Taylor Cox, Implementation of Intubation Assistance Training for Intensive Care Nurses
• Ryan Delaney, Evaluation of Compliance in Utilizing a Newly Created Pediatric Prewarming Protocol
• Michelle Dunwoody, Program Evaluation: Effectiveness of Nurse Education on Patient-Ventilator Asynchronies
• Anthony Gunter, Creation and Implementation of a Preoperative Prewarming Protocol
• Daphne Haynes, Indwelling Urinary Catheter Usage Protocol and Educational Implementation in Laboring Patients with an Epidural
• Lifang Huan, Evaluation of Compliance in Utilizing a Newly Created Pediatric Prewarming Protocol
• Devin Joe Hunt, Implementation of Intubation Assistance Training for Intensive Care Nurses
• Chasaney Johnson, Assessing the Impact of CHG-impregnated Dressing on CLABSI Occurrence
• Raequon Jones, Assessing and Decreasing Survey Fatigue of Registered Nurses in the Hospital Setting
• Souleymane Kabore, Creation and Implementation of a Preoperative Prewarming Protocol
• Kristin Kubel, The Effects of Eliminating and Using IV Lidocaine Postoperatively Within the ERAS Surgical Population
• Alyssa Mahan, Assessing and Addressing the Respiratory and Airway Learning Needs for PACU Nurses at The Augusta Surgical Center
• Cassidy McDaniel, Indwelling Urinary Catheter Usage Protocol and Educational Implementation in Laboring Patients with an Epidural
• Sarah McPherson, Non-Pharmacological Pain Management: The Effectiveness of Music Therapy on Pain Reduction for Cardiovascular Surgery Patients
• Victoria Mulford, Assessing and Addressing the Respiratory and Airway Learning Needs for PACU Nurses at The Augusta Surgical Center
• Sara Norman, The Effects of Eliminating and Using IV Lidocaine Postoperatively Within the ERAS Surgical Population
• Ansley Oliver
• Implementation of a Standardized Handoff Tool in the Critical Care Setting
• Haley Parris, Evaluating the Outcomes of Post-pyloric vs. Gastric Enteral Nutrition
• Tasha Rodriguez, Program Evaluation: Effectiveness of Nurse Education on Patient-Ventilator Asynchronies
• Alexander Rogers, ICU Acquired Delirium and Sleep: Implementation of a Sleep Promotion Bundle
• Courtney Nicole Sanderlin, Potential Barriers to Preoperative Forced-Air Warming Protocol Implementation and Adherence from the Perianesthesia Nursing Perspective: a Cross-Sectional Study Using the Theoretical Domains Framework
• Jonathan Shepard, ICU Acquired Delirium and Sleep: Implementation of a Sleep Promotion Bundle
• Amanda Sifre, Perioperative Management of Malignant Hyperthermia
• Jacob Walker, Perioperative Management of Malignant Hyperthermia
• Susanna Zadig, Non-Pharmacological Pain Management: The Effectiveness of Music Therapy on Pain Reduction for Cardiovascular Surgery Patients

The College of Nursing would like to thank the honored guests that were in attendance for this momentous occasion.

• Dr. Jennifer Sullivan – Interim Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, and Dean of the Graduate School
• Dr. Susan Grant – Executive Vice President, Chief Experience Officer & Chief Nurse Executive, WellStar Health System
• Mr. Mark Schreiber – Vice President and CNO, Wellstar MCG Health
• Dr. Shawn Little – Assistant Vice Chancellor of Healthcare Education, University System of Georgia. She will be joining us after the meeting with the chancellor.
• Family of CRNA Program Founder, Robert Crumrine – Patricia, Andrew, Jennifer, Douglas Rieder, and the Honorable Rebecca Crumrine Rieder.
• Ms. Debbie Layman – esteemed College of Nursing alumna and Executive Committee Chair of the Augusta University Foundation
• Ms. Mary McCormack – Associate Vice President, Estate and Gift Planning
• Dr. Steffen Meiler – Department Chair, MCG Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine