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College of Health Care Sciences - Anesthesia Assistant Program

M.S. in Anesthesia - Jacksonville

New Student Orientation

Dear Students:

Congratulations on your acceptance into the Anesthesiologist Assistant program here at Nova Southeastern University’s Jacksonville campus! The faculty and staff here in Jacksonville would like to extend a salutation to each of you and look forward to officially embracing you as a member of our 2023 entering class. You have completed the initial steps toward the fulfillment of an exciting career in anesthesia. The new faculty and staff in Jacksonville are dedicated to ensuring that you receive a preeminent educational experience to assist in the attainment of your professional goals.

We sincerely look forward to working with your class in a collaborative effort that will culminate your graduation as Anesthesiologist Assistants. The goal of the Anesthesiologist Assistant program is to prepare students for lifelong learning and leadership roles that will benefit the healthcare community. We are committed to training and educating competent anesthetists who will embrace the anesthesia care team to provide safe, quality, and compassionate anesthesia care of all degrees of illness for the surgical patient.

Thank you again for choosing Nova Southeastern University Jacksonville campus, and please know that we stand prepared to work with you and serve you at every step along this journey. It is with great pleasure that we extend a warm welcome to you, the Class of 2025!

Sincerely,

Professor Gregg Mastropolo, M.M.Sc., CAA
Program Director
Master of Science in Anesthesia
Anesthesiologist Assistant Program
Jacksonville Campus

White Coat Ceremony

Date: May 24, 2023

Time: 10:00 am

Place: The Schultz Center, 4019 Boulevard Center Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32207

The White Coat Ceremony will be held on Wednesday, May 24, 2023, at 10:00 am, at the Schultz Center. More information on the RSVP process for guests will be provided at a later date. 

Orientation and First Day of Class

Orientation for the Entering Class of 2023 will be held on Thursday, May 25, 2023.  Classes will begin the following week on Tuesday, May 30, 2023. More information will be provided via email.

Immunizations and Physicals

The immunization and criminal background processes are coordinated through a 3rd party vendor, CASTLE BRANCH, and are to be completed prior to attending orientation and classes starting. To begin the electronic process each student will receive an e-vite sent to your Nova Southeastern University student email account.  When received, students will follow the instructions for uploading physical examination and immunization documents to the  CASTLE BRANCH Portal and completing their background check. For questions regarding immunizations or background check, please contact the Admissions Counselor or  Ellen Rondino, Manager of Clinical Operations at er499@nova.edu.

  • All incoming students must complete immunizations and have a physical examination prior to the first day of classes.  Please have your physician or healthcare provider to fill out the Physical Exam Form and the Immunization Form. 
  • If a student is having to repeat the Hepatitis B series, then one dose of the Hepatitis B vaccine must be completed prior to the first day. 
  • Evidence of TB testing: 
    • The AA program will accept both the two-step PPD or the QuantiFeron Gold blood test. 
    • A clear chest x-ray will be accepted if the student has a history of a positive TB test. 
  • Immunization Form
  • Physical Exam Form
All immunizations and physical records MUST be uploaded to CastleBranch website prior to the first day of class.

Medication Sheet

Please review the following document in preparation for your entrance into the AA program. You will be tested on the entire "Anesthesia Medication Sheet" the second week of the program. Please know all drug names, type of drug, and dosages.  A photojournal will also be required and directions on this assignment will be provided via email. 

Anesthesiologist Assistant Booklist

A booklist is provided for the program. The student should purchase all textbooks that are denoted in “red” in preparation for the first semester. In addition, students should purchase the most current edition of the textbook. Many of these books are available electronically and free version are available for reading only through the NSU HPD library.

Ordering White Coats 

All White Coats will need to be obtained prior to the date of orientation. As this process can take up to six weeks, please make sure that you have ordered your white lab coats by the deadline provided by the department. The ordering of your white lab coat is through the NSU Fashions, https://nsu.fashionsealhealthcare.com/.  Please select Anesthesiologist Assistant - Jacksonville Program and follow the instructions. For questions, please follow up with Ms. Harris, Academic Coordinator, at sharris@nova.edu

SharkCards

All students are required to have a student ID, a SharkCard and must be registered for classes. The SharkCard Office will be on campus May 25, to take photos and provide SharkCards to all incoming students.

Membership Applications

All students are required to join four anesthesia organizations that support the Anesthesiologist Assistant profession. Please complete the membership applications for the American Society of Anesthesiologists, Florida Society of Anesthesiologists, American Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants, and the Florida Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants. One of the first society's that you must join is the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). After you join the ASA, you will be given the opportunity to join the Florida Society of Anesthesiologist (FSA) within that same portal. It is the ASA's policy that you must join the ASA first before you can join any state society such as FSA. Once you join the ASA, the cost to be a student member of the FSA is $26.00

Please follow the links below to complete your membership applications before the first day of class. For questions regarding membership, follow up with Professor Mastropolo, Program Director at gmastrop@nova.edu

All Nova Southeastern University Health Professions Division (HPD) Anesthesia Assistant students are required to maintain adequate health insurance during their matriculation in the program.  Students are automatically enrolled in the Nova Southeastern University Student Medical Insurance Plan and the charge is assessed to the student account as part of registration. Students are billed for insurance per semester.  For health insurance questions visit: Student Insurance or email studenthealth@nova.edu .  Waivers and pricing for 2023-2025 are available after May 1. Students who choose to opt out of the NSU health plan must do so by the posted deadline on the website, by completing the online 2023-2024 waiver form. 
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