Inducing general anesthesia is an intricate process that requires a high level of skill and care. It involves administering medications to render a patient unconscious and inserting an endotracheal tube down their throat to support breathing.
Now, NMSU students in the nurse anesthesiology program have a dedicated space in which to practice the procedure — and much more — in a brand-new, low-risk environment. The Nurse Anesthesiology Perioperative Training Center opened its doors in October 2025 in the Health and Social Services Building on the Las Cruces campus.
The 1,500-square-foot simulated operating room is equipped with state-of-the-art, medical-grade equipment, high-fidelity patient mannequins and advanced audiovisual technology. The training center provides a comprehensive range of educational experiences from advanced anesthesia skills training to highly realistic patient-care scenarios.
“The Nurse Anesthesiology Perioperative Training Center is the heart of our Doctor of Nursing Practice program in nurse anesthesiology,” says Alexa Doig, NMSU School of Nursing director. “It is a space where our students can perfect their skills in a low-stress, hands-on setting, preparing them for their clinical requirements and eventual careers as certified registered nurse anesthetists.”
The new simulated operating room was part of a major renovation and expansion of the School of Nursing’s Skills and Simulation Center. The projects were primarily funded by $2.6 million in general obligation bonds appropriated by the New Mexico Legislature and approved by voters in 2022.
The facility improvements mark a significant milestone for NMSU, arriving two years after the School of Nursing launched the first Doctor of Nursing Practice program in New Mexico dedicated to training certified registered nurse anesthetists. The first cohort will graduate in August 2026.
“The new simulated operating room is playing a key role in helping the program meet its mission of filling critical workforce needs in New Mexico and surrounding areas,” Doig says. “I’m proud of what our program has become in a few short years. Our students and faculty are demonstrating its success every day, showing its value as of one of the best and most affordable programs of its kind in New Mexico and hundreds of miles in either direction.”
Top: Lindsay Gray, left, and Kate Dickens, nurse anesthesiology residents in NMSU’s nurse anesthesiology program, work with a high-fidelity patient mannequin in the new simulated operating room on the Las Cruces campus. The operating room is the newest edition to the School of Nursing’s Skills and Simulation Center. Bottom: Belal Azzam, left, nurse anesthesiology resident, and Gray demonstrate equipment in the new simulated operating room on the Las Cruces campus.
1305 N. Horseshoe Street
Las Cruces, NM 88003
