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ANAP Microcredential Curriculum Overview

This page lists the full CRNA CE catalog available in Ollivate.

  • ANAP learning content is organized by category and topic to help registered nurses explore core anesthesia concepts and build familiarity with material commonly encountered in CRNA training.

  • ANAP is a preparatory, optional microcredential for registered nurses and does not replace formal CRNA program coursework or clinical education.

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  • Understand what anesthesia is, its goals, and how it supports patient safety and comfort during surgical and procedural care.

  • Learn the differences between general, regional, monitored anesthesia care, and local anesthesia, and when each is used.

  • Identify the roles and responsibilities of professionals involved in anesthesia care and how the team works together.

  • Review the typical perioperative workflow from preoperative assessment through recovery and postoperative care.

  • Understand the principles of patient safety, vigilance, and accountability that define nurse anesthesia practice.

Module 1: Introducing the World of Anesthesia

This module establishes a broad understanding of anesthesia care and the perioperative environment, helping learners orient themselves to the clinical, team-based, and safety-driven nature of nurse anesthesia practice.

Module 2: Mastering the Basics: Airway Assessment and Management

Focuses on foundational airway knowledge and assessment skills essential to safe anesthesia care, emphasizing anatomy, equipment, and basic management techniques.

  • Understand upper and lower airway anatomy and the physiologic principles that support ventilation and oxygenation.

  • Learn how to evaluate the airway and identify features that may predict difficulty with ventilation or intubation.

  • Identify commonly used airway devices and understand their basic function and clinical use.

  • Understand the fundamentals of airway management techniques used to support ventilation and secure the airway.

  • Learn core concepts of oxygen delivery, preoxygenation, and safe intubation practices.

  • Understand how capnography and pulse oximetry monitor ventilation and oxygenation during anesthesia care.

Module 3: Cardiovascular Foundations for Anesthesia

Introduces key cardiovascular concepts relevant to anesthesia, helping learners understand hemodynamics, monitoring, and common perioperative medications.

  • Understand basic cardiac anatomy and physiology, including heart function, cardiac output, and circulation.

  • Learn what determines blood pressure, how it is measured, and why it matters during anesthesia care.

  • Recognize basic EKG components and common rhythms relevant to perioperative monitoring.

  • Identify commonly used cardiovascular medications in the operating room and their primary effects on heart rate and blood pressure.

Module 4: Pharmacology Foundations for Nurse Anesthesia

Provides a foundational overview of anesthesia-related pharmacology, focusing on how drugs work, interact, and are used safely in clinical settings.

  • Understand how drugs move through the body and produce effects at target sites.

  • Learn basic receptor theory, including agonists, antagonists, and receptor affinity.

  • Identify induction agents, opioids, muscle relaxants, and their primary purposes during anesthesia care.

  • Recognize commonly used reversal agents and emergency medications and understand when and why they are administered.

  • Understand drug interactions and patient-specific factors that influence medication selection and safety.

Module 5: Introduction to Anesthesia Machines and Monitoring

Introduces essential anesthesia equipment and monitoring systems, highlighting how technology supports safe anesthetic delivery and patient assessment.

  • Understand the purpose and core components of the anesthesia machine.

  • Learn how medical gases are delivered and how vaporizers administer inhaled anesthetic agents.

  • Understand how breathing circuits function and how CO₂ absorbers allow safe rebreathing.

  • Recognize common anesthesia machine alarms and the conditions they indicate.

  • Understand essential anesthesia monitors, including EKG, NIBP, EtCO₂, temperature, and neuromuscular monitoring.

Module 6: The Perioperative Journey: From Assessment to Recovery

This module follows the patient through the perioperative continuum, emphasizing safety, communication, and coordinated care before, during, and after anesthesia.

  • Understand airway evaluation, ASA classification, and allergy review as part of preoperative preparation.

  • Recognize the importance of positioning, thermoregulation, and safety checks during surgery.

  • Understand PACU priorities, discharge criteria, pain management, and PONV considerations.

  • Learn how accurate documentation and effective communication support continuity of care.

Module 7: Anesthesia Considerations for Special Populations

Explores how patient-specific factors influence anesthesia planning, risk, and management across diverse populations.

  • Understand physiologic differences, airway considerations, and drug dosing in pediatric patients.

  • Recognize key intraoperative priorities that support patient safety, including positioning, temperature

    management, and standardized safety checks.

  • Learn how frailty, pharmacokinetic changes, and cognitive risk affect anesthesia care in older adults.

  • Understand how obesity impacts airway management, drug dosing, and respiratory function.

Module 8: Anesthesia Emergencies: Recognition, Response, and Prevention

Introduces common anesthesia-related emergencies, focusing on early recognition, initial response, and patient safety.

  • Recognize early signs of malignant hyperthermia and understand immediate response priorities.

  • Identify signs of perioperative anaphylaxis and initial management strategies.

  • Recognize hypotension, bradycardia, and tachyarrhythmias and understand basic response strategies.

  • Understand risk factors and strategies to reduce perioperative nausea, vomiting, and aspiration.

  • Recognize how equipment issues and human factors contribute to anesthesia-related events.

Module 9: Becoming a CRNA: The Roadmap to Advanced Practice

An overview of the nurse anesthesia career pathway, offering insight into education, training, and professional expectations.

  • Understand prerequisites, education requirements, and clinical experience needed to pursue nurse anesthesia.

  • Review curriculum structure, clinical training, and academic demands of CRNA programs.

  • Explore CRNA scope of practice, autonomy, and impact on patient care.

  • Learn key components of CRNA program applications, timelines, and preparation strategies.

  • Understand what CRNA programs assess during interviews and how candidates can prepare.