Academic-health system collaboration enables students to complete education and clinicals locally while expanding the anesthesia workforce in West-Central and rural Minnesota.
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota and CentraCare today announced a strategic partnership to expand Saint Mary’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in Nurse Anesthesiology program to St. Cloud. The addition of this new location will enable students to learn and complete their clinical rotations directly within their own geographic area in St. Cloud while building critical CRNA workforce capacity across West-Central and rural Minnesota. The first cohort in St. Cloud is already full for Fall 2026, with classes set to start on Aug. 31.
Nurse anesthetists are vital providers in modern healthcare delivery and serve as the primary anesthesia providers in rural hospitals. However, healthcare systems across rural Minnesota continue to face acute staffing shortages that jeopardize access to essential surgical and obstetrical procedures. Local access to anesthesia care is often the deciding factor in whether patients can receive surgical services within their own communities.
Empowering Local Students to Train and Practice Where They Live
Nurse Anesthesiology students often have to commute or relocate to major urban medical centers to complete their academic coursework and clinical requirements. The new St. Cloud location is one of the first in the state that is specifically designed to support rural healthcare needs, and will expand opportunities for local nurses to pursue advanced CRNA degrees and fulfill their clinical hours right in their home region.
By offering consistent, immersive didactic instruction and hands-on clinical practice within West-Central Minnesota health systems, community hospitals, and rural care environments, the program works to remove geographic barriers for prospective students. This local training pipeline ensures graduates are uniquely prepared to step directly into full-scope anesthetic practice upon licensure where they already live and work, directly strengthening the healthcare workforce of the surrounding communities.
“Minnesota has a proud and longstanding tradition of nurse anesthetists providing safe, high-quality anesthesia care to patients and communities across our state. For generations, CRNAs have been an essential part of Minnesota’s healthcare workforce, caring for patients in our largest health systems as well as in rural and underserved communities,” said Saint Mary’s program director Leah Gordon, DNP, CRNA. “This partnership between Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota and CentraCare builds upon that legacy. By educating the next generation of nurse anesthetists in Central Minnesota, we are not only expanding access to doctoral nurse anesthesia education — we are investing in the future of anesthesia care for Minnesotans and ensuring that this remarkable tradition of service continues for generations to come.”
“This partnership reflects our shared commitment to quality education, rural healthcare, and healthier communities. CRNAs are highly trained anesthesia professionals who provide essential care throughout Minnesota, serving both as independent anesthesia providers and as valued members of anesthesia care teams,” said Bobbie Bertram, MBA, DNP, APRN, CNP — executive director, APP Practice — CentraCare. “Our rural communities depend heavily on their expertise to maintain local access to surgical, obstetrical, and procedural services. By creating opportunities for nurses to become doctoral-prepared CRNAs through education and clinical training close to home, we are building a sustainable workforce pipeline and addressing workforce shortages in an innovative way. Together with Saint Mary’s University, we are bringing a vision to life that preserves access to full-scope anesthesia care, strengthens rural healthcare, and advances CentraCare’s commitment to making rural life healthier while maintaining the exceptional quality of care our patients and communities deserve.”
Guided by Mission
Saint Mary’s Doctor of Nursing Practice in Nurse Anesthesiology has a long-standing legacy of academic and clinical excellence. Originally founded in 1952 as the Abbott Nurse Anesthesia program, Saint Mary’s has educated and graduated over 1,100 CRNAs who are highly respected leaders in patient care and clinical practice across the nation.
This expansion reflects Saint Mary’s Lasallian Catholic mission and commitment to emphasizing practical education, ethical leadership, and dedicated service. By enabling students to complete their education locally and equipping them to meet the distinct challenges of regional healthcare, Saint Mary’s and CentraCare are helping build a sustainable workforce that ensures patients across West-Central and rural Minnesota receive top-tier, localized care close to home.
Media inquiries
Ashly Bissen, senior director of Communication
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
abissen@smumn.edu | 507-457-8692
Karna Fronden, manager, Public Relations
CentraCare
karna.fronden@centracare.com | 320-251-2700, ext. 71381
About Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
Grounded in Lasallian Catholic values, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota awakens, nurtures, and empowers learners to ethical lives of service and leadership. Whether in person or online, adult or undergraduate, students are treated with respect, taught with humanity, and supported by faculty and staff committed to their success in programs designed to prepare graduates for today’s and tomorrow’s careers. Founded in 1912 and accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota enrolls thousands of students at its undergraduate and graduate programs on campuses in Minneapolis, Rochester, Winona, and online. Saint Mary’s offers a highly personal, real-world-ready educational experience that fully prepares students to work, lead, and serve with character and purpose. Learn more at smumn.edu.
About CentraCare
CentraCare is an integrated, not-for-profit health care organization, working to improve the lives and wellbeing of those living in Central, Southwest and West-Central Minnesota. CentraCare provides care through hospitals located in St. Cloud, Benson, Long Prairie, Melrose, Monticello, Paynesville, Redwood Falls, Sauk Centre and Willmar and provides both primary and specialty care throughout the region. With a focus on rural health care, CentraCare is one of the largest health systems in Minnesota and is proud to provide expert health care locally. Learn more at centracare.com.
