The Master of Science in Anesthesia Program at Case Western Reserve University is a 24-month master’s degree program that prepares students to work as certified anesthesiologist assistants.
The program is comprised of rigorous didactic, simulation and clinical work. The latter begins just a month after first-year students start their coursework, and is designed to work in union with the didactic and simulation courses to enable students to apply theory and practice to real-world clinical settings and to have expansive hands-on learning opportunities. First-year students participate in approximately 300 cases and work over 600 hours in the clinical setting. Students graduate with an average of 2200 clinical hours and over 600 cases, with the option of focusing on specific subspecialties.
With four program locations in major metropolitan areas, the CWRU MSA Program provides a network of clinical training sites to students—allowing them the unique opportunity to train at many of the nation’s premier hospitals with some world-renowned anesthesiologists and accomplished anesthetists.
As a program, we are committed to providing students with the highest quality experiences evidenced by our devoted faculty, ongoing clinical instructor curriculum development and the impressive pool of dedicated clinical instructors across the nation. Our faculty is comprised of both anesthesiologists and certified anesthesiologist assistants, who are known for being extremely personable and approachable. The CWRU MSA Program is often described as a family, as the faculty and staff work diligently to support students throughout the duration of their coursework. As a program, we encourage students to
- Serve their patients and society
- Pursue projects and research opportunities that align with their interests
- Take advantage of advocacy opportunities as students and young professionals
- Realize the work-life balance afforded by this profession
These overarching goals have enabled the MSA Program to offer a unique and unparalleled experience to students since the program began in 1969.
The vision of the MSA Program is to educate the finest anesthetists in the world. The accomplishments of our current students and our alumni are a testament to that vision, and our success as a program.