The University of Illinois Chicago plans to launch a nurse anesthesia program with the help of a $10 million donation.
The UIC hospital had demonstrated a growing need for CRNAs amid workforce shortages and conducted feasibility studies on the possibility of adding them, according to a June 7 news release from the university.
Christine Schwartz, an alumna of UIC, a supporter of the college of nursing and a member of the department's external advisory board, committed $10 million to the program. The donation is the largest in the college of nursing's history and will establish a nurse anesthesia program that will begin its accreditation process in June.
The gift will fund the build-out of simulation labs and student space to train future nurse anesthetists. Students will be able to train in simulated clinical environments.
Jobs in the anesthesia field are projected to grow 18% in the next decade, according to the release.
Among Illinois' 102 counties, 31 lack registered anesthesia providers, according to research from UIC.