Eligibility for the Master of Science in Anesthesia (MSA) program requires completion of the program’s pre-requisite courses, found by clicking here. In an effort to assist prospective students in evaluating their previous coursework for equivalency to the required pre-requisites, the School of Medicine Office of Admissions has provided information below for courses that have previously been evaluated for equivalency.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to the high volume of courses offered that may meet the pre-requisite requirements, only courses that have been officially reviewed in the application process are posted below. If you have taken coursework that is not listed below, you may email a syllabus of the course to medicine@umkc.edu for official equivalency approval (and it will be posted below thereafter). This list is continually updated as courses are reviewed for approval.

MSA Program Affiliate Cities

Beginning in their second year, students will complete 4 or 8-week clinical rotations at hospitals and surgery centers throughout the Midwest and the United States. These rotations will further enhance their anesthesia experiences in general and orthopedic surgeries and also include rotations in the anesthesia sub-specialties of obstetrics, pediatrics, trauma, neuro, and cardiovascular surgery. The MSA program works with many sites across the country to continue expanding our network of cities with clinical affiliates that meet our program standards and curriculum needs.

Some of our growing list of affiliate cities includes:

• Albuquerque, NM
• Excelsior Springs, MO
• Houston, TX
• Kirksville, MO
• Kansas City, MO
• LaCrosse, WI
• Leavenworth, KS
• Liberty, MO
• Little Rock, AR
• Oklahoma City, OK
• Madison, WI
• Milwaukee, WI
• Myrtle Beach, SC
• Salt Lake City, UT
• Springfield, MO
• Springfield, OH
• St. Louis, MO
• Tulsa, OK
• Washington, DC

Our students have a 100 percent job placement rate upon completion of the Master of Science in Anesthesia Program. These graduates have found jobs as anesthesiologist assistants in urban areas throughout Missouri and the United States, including:

• Albuquerque, NM
• Cleveland, OH
• Houston, TX
• Kansas City, MO
• LaCrosse, WI
• Liberty, MO (KC suburb)
• Madison, WI
• Milwaukee, WI
• Myrtle Beach, SC
• Springfield, MO
• St. Louis, MO
• St. Peters, MO (St. Louis suburb)
• Trinity, FL (Tampa Bay suburb)

Anesthesiology practices in many states employ Anesthesiologist Assistants as part of their anesthesia care team. Visit the American Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants website for a map of the states where Anesthesiologist Assistants currently practice.

Dedicated to the education & advancement of the anesthesia care team

The vision for the Master of Science in Anesthesia program is to provide a didactic and clinical environment producing anesthesiologist assistants who are integral components of the Anesthesia Care Team. Our graduates will be driven by compassion and guided by science and sound technical skills producing high quality and competent patient care. The students, graduates and faculty foster the belief of lifelong learning and service through academic endeavors and professional engagement.

Program Statistics

The MSA program reports a 100 percent pass rate for students attempting the NCCAA certifying exam, as well a 100 percent positive job placement rate. Approximately 80% of all program graduates have accepted post-graduation jobs in Missouri. 

Accreditation

In light of COVID-19 restrictions, all current admissions deadlines currently stand as indicated below; however, we are dedicated to ensuring flexibility in our response to the challenges our applicants are facing during this pandemic. The Office of Admissions will continue to monitor the situation, should changes need to be made to our process. Please contact us if you run into difficulties meeting admissions requirements or with additional questions you may have.

March: Application is Available

The application process involves three separate applications: the UMKC General Application for Admission, the CASAA application, and the School of Medicine MSA Student Portal.

August 15: Application Deadline

The CASAA application must be submitted and verified by this date, unless this date falls on a weekend, in which case the deadline will be the next business day. CASAA applications that are submitted or verified after the deadline will be considered late. The UMKC General Application for Admission and the UMKC application fee are also due by August 15. After the CASAA application has been verified, applicants will receive additional information on accessing the School of Medicine MSA Student Portal, reviewing the Technical Standards, verifying shadowing experiences and completing the final submission. The Technical Standards, shadowing verification and final submission must be complete two weeks after the application deadline. The latest MCAT/GRE score accepted is the July MCAT/GRE.

*If any of these materials are submitted after the deadlines provided, the application will be considered late and reviewed with other late applications at the discretion of the admissions committee. The admissions committee does not guarantee the review of applications that become complete late. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Once admissions decisions have been made, no other applications for admission will be considered.

September: Offers to Interview are Extended

Applicants selected for an interview or placed on the interview waitlist will be notified electronically. Applicants not selected for an interview will be notified electronically, as well.

All applicants selected for an interview must select and confirm a date for interview. All applicants must interview in person at the School of Medicine. Phone interviews are not permitted.

October: Interviews Take Place/Offers of Admission are Extended

Applicants offered admission will be notified electronically of their acceptance to the program. Students placed on the alternate list or denied to the program will also be notified electronically. All admission decisions are communicated electronically. Admission decisions are not communicated via phone. All decisions of the admissions committee are final.

January: Classes Begin

Students who have been offered admission and who have accepted the offer of admission will matriculate to the School of Medicine Master of Science in Anesthesia program in January.

What is an Anesthesiologist Assistant (AA)?

Anesthesiologist Assistants (AAs) are highly skilled health professionals who work under the direction of licensed anesthesiologists to implement anesthesia care plans.  AAs work exclusively within the anesthesia care team environment as described by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). 

All AAs possess a premedical background, a baccalaureate degree, and also complete a comprehensive didactic and clinical program at the graduate school level.  AAs are trained extensively in the delivery and maintenance of quality anesthesia care as well as advanced patient monitoring techniques.

Typical AA Job descriptions include:

The specific job descriptions and duties of AAs may differ according to local practice.  State law or board of medicine regulations or guidelines may further define the AA job description.

• Making the initial approach to a patient of any age in any setting to obtain an appropriate and accurate pre-anesthetic health history, perform an appropriate physical examination and record pertinent data
• Performing or assisting in the conduct of diagnostic laboratory and related studies as appropriate, such as drawing arterial and venous blood samples
• Establishing non-invasive and invasive routine monitoring modalities
• Assisting in the application and interpretation of advanced monitoring techniques such as pulmonary artery catheterization, electroencephalographic spectral analysis, echocardiography and evoked potentials
• Assisting in the induction, maintaining and altering anesthesia levels, administering adjunctive treatment and providing continuity of anesthetic care into and during the post-operative recovery period
• Assisting in the use of advanced life support techniques, such as high frequency ventilation and intra-arterial cardiovascular assist devices
• Assisting in making post-anesthesia patient rounds
• Performing evaluation and treatment procedures essential to responding to life-threatening situations, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, on the basis of established protocols (basic life support, advance cardiac life support, and pediatric advanced life support)
• Assisting in the performance of duties in intensive care units, pain clinics and other settings, as appropriate
• Training and supervising personnel in the calibration, trouble shooting and use of patient monitors
• Performing delegated administrative duties in an anesthesiology practice
• Assisting in clinical instruction

Employment characteristics

Anesthesiologist assistants work as members of the anesthesia care team in any location where they may be appropriately directed by legally responsible anesthesiologists. The AAs most often work within organizations that also employ nurse anesthetists, and their responsibilities are identical. Experience to date has been that AAs are most commonly employed in larger facilities that perform procedures such as cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, transplant surgery, and trauma care, given the training in extensive patient monitoring devices and complex patients and procedures emphasized in AA educational programs. However, AAs are used in hospitals of all sizes and assist anesthesiologists in a variety of settings and for a wide range of procedures. Starting salaries for recent graduates range from $120,000 to $140,000 for the 40-hour work week plus benefits and consideration of on-call activity.

Due to UMKC’s University-wide announcement regarding COVID-19 planning and safety measures, all non-essential university events have been cancelled until further notice.

The UMKC School of Medicine offers prospective MSA students the opportunity to visit the Health Sciences Campus to learn about the MSA Program curriculum and selection process.

Campus Visit Days

The School of Medicine offers information sessions for the MSA program that allow students to meet with an admissions representative, as well as staff from the MSA program. Prospective students will have the opportunity to ask questions of the program director and/or a faculty member.

Thursday, October 8th (evening)

Thursday, November 19th (afternoon)

Wednesday, December 16th (evening)

Meeting times will be arranged through the Office of Admissions in cooperation with MSA staff. Visits will occur in small groups with other prospective applicants. Family members / guests are welcome, but small children are not advised.

If registration becomes full or you are looking to register less than one week prior to the event, please contact the UMKC School of Medicine Office of Admissions at (816) 235-1870 or medicine@umkc.edu.

It is important to take into consideration the cost of your graduate education and your individual financial needs.  Financial planning for the MSA program should include estimated tuition and fees, supply costs and living expenses.

MSA Program Estimated Education Fees, 2020-2021

The estimated annual educational fees for 2020-2021 provide estimated financial costs to assist you in planning.  These estimated expenses are subject to change without notice.

All numbers above are approximate and do not include additional university and program fees or any living expenses. For exact tuition and fee figures, please see the Cashiers Office Website. MSA Program tuition and fees are set per semester and are not determined by credit hours. Tuition assistance may be provided by the School of Medicine.

Financial Aid

The UMKC Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships can assist with providing additional information regarding financial aid programs, including federal and state grant and loan programs.  In addition, the UMKC Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships can offer you more information on the types of expenses you can expect, as well as the type of assistance that might be available to you.

In general, students interested in merit or need-based financial aid may be eligible for various loans, grants and/or other financial aid programs. To be considered for such programs, a student must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is available through the UMKC Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships or online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

The priority date for filing the FAFSA is February 1.

Bigmask.com Anesthesia Scholarship

For additional financial aid information, contact:

UMKC Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships
University of Missouri-Kansas City
101 Administrative Center
5100 Rockhill Road
Kansas City, MO 64110-2449
Phone: 816-235-1154
Web site: www.sfa.umkc.edu

Because of our obligation to ensure that patients receive the best medical care possible, certain abilities are required of our students. To undertake and successfully complete the Master of Science in Anesthesia program, an individual must possess those intellectual, emotional and physical capabilities which are necessary to participate fully in the curriculum and which are essential to achieve the levels of competence required for graduation from the program.  The requisite technical skills that candidates for the Master of Science in Anesthesia degree must demonstrate include, but are not limited to the following:

• Effectively communicating verbally with patients and their family members and with other healthcare professionals. Must demonstrate the ability to work as an effective member of the health care team.
• Interacting with patients, including obtaining a preoperative history and performing perioperative anesthesia related physical examinations.
• Effectively communicating in writing, and by record keeping, those data and information essential to the practice of anesthesia and the care of patients.
• Having the ability to multitask, which includes;  hearing, processing, and interpreting multiple conversations, monitor signals, alarms, instructions, operating the anesthesia delivery system, and providing direct patient care simultaneously in fast-paced patient care settings (e.g., operating room, intensive care unit, emergency room).
• Reading and comprehending written parts of the medical record and other patient care documents in order to safely and effectively participate in the delivery of anesthesia care.
• Having sufficient motor skills and coordination to perform diagnostic and therapeutic tasks, including invasive procedures, on patients in a timely manner so as to ensure the safety and well-being of the patients.  These tasks include but are not limited to peripheral and central venous catheterization, arterial puncture and cannulation, breathing bag-and-mask ventilation, placement of oral and nasal airways, laryngeal mask airway insertion and management, and endotracheal intubation.
• Having sufficient strength, motor skill, and coordination to lift, move, and position patients as required for administration of anesthesia and performance of cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
• Having sufficient speed and coordination to quickly and safely react to emergent conditions in the operating room as well as throughout the hospital in order to comply with standards for patient safety.
• Recognizing and differentiating colors of signals displayed on monitors; being able to work in both light and dark conditions as exist in patient care areas (e.g., operating room, radiology suite, endoscopy suite); being able to recognize details of objects both near and far.
• Having the abilities to make measurements, calculations, reason, analyze and synthesize patient data and solve problems. Be able to comprehend three-dimensional relationships and to understand the spatial relationships of structures.
• Having the emotional health required for full utilization of his/her intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgment, the prompt completion of all responsibilities attendant to the care of patients, and the development of mature, sensitive and effective relationship with patients.
• Having the ability to tolerate physically taxing workloads, effectively carry out responsibilities and to function effectively under stress. Students and practitioners must possess sufficient emotional stability to withstand stress, display flexibility and to learn to function in the face of uncertainty inherent in the clinical problems of many patients.
• Having the ability to maintain attendance, especially in clinical coursework, in order to earn the required clinical practice hours and experience for graduation.
• Having no impairment that would preclude continuous performance of all of the above activities or any and all of the other activities that are an integral part of an anesthesiologist assistant’s participation in the anesthesia care team.

Because of the above essential functions, the School of Medicine strongly discourages the use of surrogates to perform these functions as a reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. While each application is reviewed individually, it is necessary that each degree candidate himself or herself be able to observe and perform each task required by the curriculum of the school. Similarly, the school does not consider the waiver of required examinations a reasonable accommodation for individuals with learning disabilities. Learning-disabled students, when appropriate,* may be granted additional time on required examinations, be examined in separate testing facilities or accommodated in other reasonable ways, but they will not be exempted from the requirement to take and pass such examinations.

The University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine Admissions Committee for the MSA program will review qualified applicants who are unable to meet the technical standards for admission as stated above. The entire application file will be formally reviewed by the committee in consultation with the UMKC Office of Services for Students with Disabilities.

*Contact the UMKC Office of Services for Students with Disabilities for information regarding definition and documentation of learning disabilities.