Educators are hoping to address some of Nevada’s systemic healthcare challenges by bolstering the talent pipeline of a critical operating room job.
Nova Southeastern University opened Nevada’s first anesthesiologist assistant program at its new regional campus on Wednesday. The campus, 876 Seven Hills Drive in Henderson, welcomed its first cohort of 25 students on May 12 for its 27-month master’s degree program.
The campus is 18,000 square feet, with fully functioning operating rooms, including four anesthesia-specific high-fidelity simulators to provide hands-on clinical training.
Students will also receive guidance from the U.S. Anesthesia Partners Center for Anesthesia Education and Leadership at NSU, which will provide direct support and a network of anesthesia clinicians to serve as mentors and proctors during clinical rotations.
The opening of the anesthesiologist assistant program comes after 2023 legislation that provided for the licensure and regulation of anesthesiologist assistants in Nevada.
“Really, the reason for it (the Henderson campus) is there was a need for it, and the anesthesiologists supported it in the state of Nevada, in order to get the licensure,” said Robert Wagner, chair of the department of anesthesia at NSU.
NSU said it is opening the anesthesiologist assistant program to “to address a state and national shortage of anesthesia professionals,” according to a press release from the university.
The program hopes to expand to 50 to 60 students in the future, said Wagner. Also looking ahead, NSU hopes to open a respiratory therapy and physician assistant degree programs at its Henderson facility.
Dean Polce, an anesthesiologist with the U.S. Anesthesia Partners of Nevada and faculty member at NSU, pointed to Nevada’s consistently low ranking in terms of healthcare. The Commonwealth Fund ranked Nevada 46th out of 50 states for state health system performance in 2026.
“We need these schools, so all three of them, Roseman, UNLV and Nova Southeastern, are really helping healthcare delivery in Southern Nevada,” said Polce. “(U.S. Anesthesia Partners) is happy to help in any way.”
Contact Emerson Drewes at edrewes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @EmersonDrewes on X.
