From the Desk of the Director

April 11, 2019 

I’m sorry I missed sending out a communication email last week. I am glad we all had some face-to-face time this week. 

Thank you to everyone for your patience with the university’s new MUHUB registration software. There were some early technical issues but I think we have worked through most of them at this point. Please let The Office of Graduate Admission know if you are still having issues with the registration process.

For everyone going to Mid-Year Assembly, this is a great learning experience. Enjoy and take notes. You will be able to use this information to protect CRNA practice in any state that you end up working in. If you get a chance and like Italian food, Filomena Ristorante (1063 Wisconsin Ave in D.C.) is my personal favorite!

Our program consultant, Dr. Garrett, will be on campus on April 19.

Please email me any questions, concerns, or to schedule a meeting if you wish.

Thanks,
Dr. Stelflug
Interim NA Program Director

April 4, 2019 

I hope everyone has had a good week. We had Dr. Luellen to Marian on Wednesday when she interviewed (second interview) for the Assistant Program Director position. The search committee will be making a decision on hiring for this position very soon.

Class of 2020 will start clinical immersion soon. They will come back to campus one day a month for class. This class will be NCE “Board” review using APEX units.

Class of 2021 will have APEX soon; my hope is Monday. I encourage you to start working through the units as time permits. Each unit has pretests. The scores on your pretests will not be used. I encourage everyone to print out the corresponding workbooks and fill them out. This process is very time intensive so don’t worry about progress. Work on it when you can.

Just as an update the Marian University Nurse Anesthesia program remains accredited. Every program has to work to maintain accreditation standards and we are no different. I believe our curriculum to be strong and that it adequately prepares SRNAs for the clinical experience. Our clinical sites provide excellent training and experiences that prepare you to become a CRNA. We are looking forward to our program being an integral part in producing nurse anesthetists that fill the ever-increasing need in Indiana and nationwide.  

Dr. Garrett, program director of the Otterbein University/Grant Medical Center Nurse Anesthesia Program was hired as a consultant for our program and will be coming for a visit soon.

Thanks,
Dr. Stelflug
Interim NA Program Director

March 17, 2019 

There are no major announcements on the hiring of faculty and staff. A candidate for the assistant director position will be on campus for a second interview on March 20. The second interview for the director has not been scheduled yet. The committee plans to make its recommendations to the Dean April 1. After the recommendations are made, offers will be made to the candidates. I will let you know of potential start dates when we get them.

DNP projects can be done individually or in pairs. If done in pairs, each individual will still be responsible for doing their own papers, for example, each doing your own literature review. Ideas for projects can come from clinical sites so keep your ears open for any issues you hear CRNAs and anesthesiologists talk about during your clinical time. Ideas can also come from your prior place of employment. Topics don’t always have to be anesthesia related. Faculty will help you narrow your topic as most students come up with ideas that are too big for a DNP project.

Thanks,
Dr. Stelflug
Interim NA Program Director

March 7, 2019 

Marian University and the Leighton School of Nursing are continuing with their plan to hire well qualified individuals for the program director and assistant program director positions. The search committee held their first interviews with the candidates last Monday and are now continuing with the process of hiring for these positions.

Our program was extremely well represented at the Indiana State conference last weekend! Also, Maggie Boeckman and Aaron Hoard, two of our students, did a fantastic job presenting at the conference! I’m excited to see more presenting at future state meetings.

Lastly, we will have another Town Hall meeting this Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in room EC 124.

Thanks,

Dr. Stelflug
Interim NA Program Director

February 26, 2019 

I recently held a Town Hall with the current students in the Nurse Anesthesia program. The gathering was an excellent opportunity for communication, sharing, and program updates. As a new student, you can look forward to the same tradition once you arrive.

Interviews were held this week with three well-qualified candidates for the Program Director and Assistant Director positions. Tentatively, campus interviews will be held within the next two weeks.  Marian University is committed to hiring the right individuals for these positions!

We continue preparations for the inaugural cohort to take the NBCRNA Self-Evaluation Examination (SEE Exam). The SEE exam is a 240-question test that you will take after your second year in the program. The exam has NCE board-style questions and has a very high correlation to passing boards.

Professor Yant and myself along with our clinical coordinator are working on clinical assignments for the Class of 2021.

Thanks,
Dr. Stelflug
Interim NA Program Director

February 19, 2019 

Welcome to my first weekly email to keep you informed of our program’s activities.

Recently, Professor Yant and I attended the ADCE in Houston. We learned many techniques to enhance nurse anesthesia learning through low-fidelity and high-fidelity simulations. We also had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Gerbasi, CEO of COA.

Currently, I am working to increase the number of faculty in the NA program. I believe that we are making good progress in this area. Two candidates each have applied for the Program Director and Assistant Director positions.

Another area we are increasing is formal training in course instruction and evaluation. Professor Yant and I are in the process of becoming Master Class certified in teaching at Marian. This certification is not easy, but we are investing hours to improve your learning environment. Our primary goal is your success!! 

If you have any questions about this email or other aspects of the nurse anesthesia program, please email me directly. I will include my replies in next week’s update. Until then, I hope you are well.

Thanks,
Dr. Stelflug
Interim NA Program Director