The Marian University Nurse Anesthesia program offers two pharmacology courses prior to students entering the clinical setting. The pharmacology I course provides students with foundational knowledge of medications used daily. This includes common doses, their mechanism of action, indications for use, contraindications, and special considerations for each. This knowledge is key for safe and successful practice of Anesthesia providers. The six-month gap between the completion of the pharmacology I course and the start of clinicals for Marian University SRNAs potentially risks students’ ability to retain information learned. In an effort to prevent this, first year SRNAs at Marian University were provided a lecture covering most common pharmacologic agents used in the operating room aimed at enhancing both knowledge and confidence level. First, a literature review was conducted to help highlight the most efficacious ways of enhancing students’ knowledge and confidence. A total of ten articles were selected and found to contribute to the purpose of the project; enhancing students’ knowledge and confidence level. The educational intervention took place on May 10th, 2023 on the campus of Marian University. The presentation was composed of 41 slides and was presented throughout the duration of an hour and composed of a pre and post-test. Topics included, most common induction agents, vasopressors, vasodilators, neuromuscular blockers, reversal agents, and cardiac medications. The pre and post-test were composed of seven questions, five knowledgebased questions, one measuring quantifying confidence level, and one asking for the last four digits of their Marian University student ID number. After implementation, it was found that the mean confidence level of students increased from 5.1 to 7 (on a scale of 1-10). Furthermore, students improved overall average scores for knowledge-based questions from 78% to 96%.

Creator

• Johnson, William Zane

Language

• English

Keyword

• pharmacology

• foundational knowledge

• medications

• SRNA

• retention of learned information

• knowledge and confidence levels

Date created

• 2024

Resource type

• Research Paper

Rights statement

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/