MOBILE, Ala. – The University of Mobile announced its inaugural class to the new School of Nurse Anesthesia’s Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice program. This is the first and only DNAP program in a four-state region that includes Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Georgia.
The new School of Nurse Anesthesia will hold classes in a blended format, combining on-site and online learning. Graduates will be eligible to take the National Certification Examination required to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist.
The following students, also pictured above, began the 36-month doctoral degree program on August 16:
Front row from left are: Morgan Wieczorek, Meredith Perry, Alexandra Brock, Olivia Janyska, Anna Caroline Gaines
Middle Row: Alec Cunningham, Olivia Partin, Molly Lane, Tyler Downs
Back Row: Evan Brock, Joel Hicks, Heath McGrew
Leading the DNAP program as professor of nurse anesthesia and director of the new School of Nurse Anesthesia is Todd Hicks, DNP, CRNA. Most recently, Dr. Hicks served as an assistant professor and the associate pathway coordinator of the BSN-DNP Nurse Anesthesia Pathway at University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).
In addition, Hicks is the Expert Clinical Sciences Lecturer for Valley Anesthesia Review, which is a nurse anesthesia board review course given multiple times per year across the country. In this role, he has assisted more than 1,000 nurse anesthesia graduates to prepare for the National Certification Examination (NCE).
Matthew Hunter Speeg, DNP, CRNA, joins UM as assistant professor and associate program director of the School of Nurse Anesthesia. Most recently he served as an adjunct assistant professor within the BSN-DNP Nurse Anesthesia Pathway at UAB while maintaining a clinical anesthesia practice at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Birmingham.
The university is accepting applications for the second cohort of students who will begin the program in August 2022. To learn more or apply for admission, visit umobile.edu/dnap. For more information, call Enrollment Services at 251.442.2222.
About the University of Mobile
The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are: Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.
For more information about the University of Mobile, visit the website at www.umobile.edu or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
Zac Douglas is the marketing communications specialist for the University of Mobile. He graduated from the University of Mississippi in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in integrated marketing and communications. As marketing communications specialist, Zac is responsible for writing and strategizing content about the university, assisting with media relations, and handling other marketing and communications projects. He is an active member at Cottage Hill Baptist Church and enjoys spending his time surfing, skating and climbing.