Inaugural Anesthesiology Assistant program now underway at KCU-Joplin medical school

The first-ever class of students in the new Anesthesiology Assistant program at Kansas City University-Joplin has officially started studies on the Joplin campus.

Dr. John Paulson is interim dean of the college of health professions at KCU. He says interest in the program was strong.

"We had over 900 applicants for 24 spots," he says. "The overwhelming majority of the students selected were from this region. We actually have over 70 percent of the first class from Missouri and 83 percent from the Four-State area."

Dr. Paulson says the local needs of area hospitals were high on KCU-Joplin's list of priorities.

"We started this program with a manageable number of students basically to meet the immediate demands of hospitals in this area," he states. "That's because we were in a position where if we started a program here and partnered with the hospitals we would be able to put potential applicants into hospitals in this region in the shortest period of time."

Dr. Paulson says for those completing the program, the sky is the limit.

"The demand for skilled assistants continues to grow nationally. We obviously hope our graduates will stay local but the ongoing anesthesia shortages make this a great career choice and with it you have the opportunity to work locally, regionally and nationally."

The program takes 28 months to complete. Students are currently involved in an initial five-week-long bootcamp.

"Anesthesiology Assistants work under the direct medical supervision of Physicians Anesthesiologists," Dr. Paulson says. "They are an extension of them."