Kenneth M. Kirsner, JD, CRNA

Associate Professor of Nursing

Director, MSN Nurse Anesthesia Program

Professor Kirsner came to FGCU in 2006 as the founding director of the Nurse Anesthesia Program.  His basic nursing education was obtained at the University of Miami where he received his BSN in 1979.  He continued with his education at the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he received his anesthesia certificate in 1983 and his MS(Nursing) in 1985.  In 1987 he returned to the University of Miami where he served as Symposium Editor of the University of Miami Law Review and received his JD (cum laude) in 1990.

Professor Kirsner began his career as an emergency department and medical intensive care unit nurse at Jackson Memorial / University of Miami Medical Center.  After completing his anesthesia training he returned there as a nurse anesthetist.  He practiced as a trial attorney for the National Labor Relations Board before beginning his academic career in nurse anesthesia at the University of Kansas.  He served as Program Director for the Nurse Anesthesia Program at Baylor College of Medicine and also worked as a clinician at Ben Taub General Hospital and The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.

Professor Kirsner has served as an editorial board member, book review section editor and editorial committee member of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Journal.  His publications include articles in the legal and anesthesia literature; he has authored book chapters, including co-authoring a chapter in The Chemistry of Drugs for Nurse Anesthetists.  His presentations include state and national and international meetings including 6 presentations at AANA Annual Meetings.  He has also presented before the Swedish Association of Nurse Anesthetists and the World Congress for Nurse Anesthetists in Helsinki. His current research interests include the provision of anesthesia for oncologic surgical patients, barriers to entry into acute care nurse practitioner programs and the development of shared curricula in acute care nurse practitioner and nurse anesthesia programs. 

Outside of work Professor Kirsner enjoys running (having run 4 marathons), training in martial arts (he is a black belt in the Chayon-Ryu martial arts style), hiking, scuba diving (he is a NAUI scuba instructor) and kayaking, which he does from his home in Fort Myers.  He also enjoys studying nature and enjoys reading books of all kinds.

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Accreditation

Florida Gulf Coast University is accredited by the

Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate, baccalaureate, and master's degrees.

1866 Southern Lane

Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097

Telephone number 404-679-4501

Florida Gulf Coast University School of Nursing baccalaureate nursing program
is fully accredited through the
Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 530
Washington, DC 20036-1120
(202-887-6791)
for initial program accreditation.

Florida Gulf Coast University School of Nursing baccalaureate nursing program
is fully approved by the
Florida Board of Nursing
4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin # C02
Tallahassee, FL 32399-3257
(850) 488-0595
Program approval extends from 2001-2006

Florida Gulf Coast University MSN Nurse Anesthesia Program
is accredited by the
Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA)
222 South Prospect Avenue

Park Ridge, IL.  60068

(847) 655-1160

The program's next accreditation review by the COA  is scheduled for May 2010