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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville student Emily Robson took home top prize for using her knowledge on anesthesia-based topics at the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) College Scholar Bowl. The event was held during the organization’s national conference in Salt Lake City in August.

Robson represented SIUE on a team of six students studying at universities across the nation. Teams answered board-review type questions regarding chemistry, anatomy and physiology, pediatric/neonatal, obstetrics, pharmacology and more.

 “It was exciting to represent SIUE in the college bowl,” said Robson, a senior in the SIUE Nurse Anesthetist program. “The team I was on first competed against other teams composed of nurse anesthesia students. Once we defeated the student teams, we went on to win against a team of practicing anesthetists. They were great sports, but that was especially rewarding.”

Attending professional conferences like this is heavily promoted by the SIUE Nurse Anesthetist program, according to program director Andrew Griffin. In fact, the University is rated among the top five programs in the nation in student participation in professional organizations after graduation.

“We feel that part of being a professional anesthesia provider is being engrained in the profession and learning and networking with people, and understanding what the healthcare industry is all about,” explained Griffin.

“Since our students are at the doctoral level, we find it especially important to encourage them to be cognizant of all of the factors that push patient access to care, push laws and regulate how care can be provided.”

Griffin says 100 percent of SIUE students who have graduated in the past five years have joined the AANA. In all, the organization has approximately 50,000 members.

Photo: SIUE students pose with Nurse Anesthetist Program Director Andrew Griffin at the AANA National Conference. (Griffin - third from right, Emily Robson - second from right)