Philip Jung, a student in the Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice at FSU Panama City, was recently selected as the Region 7 Student Director to the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA).

“We could not function without the approval of the Council on Accreditation. That’s what ensures the quality of our program,” said Stacey VanDyke, director of the DNAP program at FSU Panama City. “This student is going to be part of ensuring the quality of other programs all over the country.”

Jung’s term of membership will begin with the organization’s meeting Oct. 23-25, and will end just before the October 2025 meeting. As part of his responsibilities, Jung will review programs that are under consideration for accreditation. Region 7 includes 23 institutions from Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

The student directors are selected from those enrolled in accredited nurse anesthesia educational programs located in specific regions. The COA suggests that the student body of each program nominate one student who they feel can best represent nurse anesthesia students throughout the country.

“Philip is a go-getter,” VanDyke said. “He makes himself available as an ambassador of the program, he’s the president of the Anesthesia Club, a natural leader. There were a lot of other applicants, but he rose to the top and they picked him.” 

The COA consists of twelve directors and meets three times per year for deliberation of accreditation and other program-related decisions as well as a variety of policy-related issues. The student functions as a full member of the Council, except that the student cannot vote.