Mary Baldwin’s second class of nurse anesthetists finished thirty-six months of training this week. Their dean told them the hard part starts now.
On August 14, 2026, MBU graduated its second-ever class of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs). This 23-person class earned their Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) Degrees after 36 months studying and practicing the crucial and delicate work of anesthesia.
Every nurse learns Patricia Benner’s model of clinical competence: five stages running from novice to expert, with expertise arriving only after years of real cases in real rooms. It is the most cited framework in the profession, and it usually gets invoked as encouragement.
Dean of Nursing Shelia Talbott ran it backward.
Today you are going from being experts to being novices once again. It’s a frightening process. Your education is never over, and expertise is learned and earned through real-world experience.
Shelia Talbott
Everyone in the room had been an expert at something — these are experienced ICU nurses and career healthcare workers already. They gave that up to start over. Talbott named the cost directly: “You gave up income, time, and studied and worked even when you were tired. This accomplishment belongs to you, and though you didn’t do it alone, you should be very proud.”
Several awards were presented at the ceremony, each recognizing students’ exemplary contributions and effort in the program.
Didactic Excellence Award – Allison Burks-Paysour and Landen Horton
MBU Agatha Hodgins Award – Ashley Nelson
2025 Nancy Morse Evans Award – Donathan Bryant
Rabinowitz Pharmacology – Ashley Nelson and Daniel Lloyd
Class president Ashley Nelson addressed her fellow graduates with some final pieces of wisdom, before they disperse to populate Virginia’s and the country’s hospitals and health systems:
“The best teams are not made up of people who never struggle. They’re made up of people who show up when they are.”
What They’d Tell You
We asked four graduates the same question on their way out: what’s one piece of advice for someone starting the next class?
Hayley Shafer
Headed to Cincinnati Children’s
“Prepare for a marathon, not a sprint. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Take it one day at a time. Lean on your classmates, lean on your family.”
Landen Horton
Headed to VCU Health
“It gets better, it gets better, it gets better. It’s going to feel like a lot, but it gets better.”
Adam Gold
Headed to Inova Loudoun Hospital
“Just keep pushing and take care of yourself — the community if here for you.”
Damon Duarte
Headed to California after graduation
“I’m most excited because CRNA work is a totally different type of autonomy.” … “It’s the best decision I ever made.”
The 2026 Murphy Deming
CRNA Class
The following students graduated in August 2026 with their Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) degrees.
- Shabre Almeida
- Amenda Almonte
- Troy Boulden
- Marcus Bowen
- Donathan Bryant
- Allison Burks-Paysour
- Yi Chang
- Damon Duarte
- Hannah Duffy
- Na’Quesheaun Edgeston
- Monzerrat Fuller
- Adam Gold
- Elizabet Hasanaj
- Landen Horton
- Cassandra Keefe
- Daniel Lloyd
- Gabriella Miskell
- Ashley Nelson
- Danielle Parker
- Hali Schilling
- Hayley Shafer
- Bria Sherrod
- Myra Williamson
Gallery
About the Program
Mary Baldwin’s Doctor of Nursing Practice: Nurse Anesthesiology is a 36-month hybrid program based in Staunton, accredited by the COA and CCNE. The inaugural Class of 2025 posted a 100% overall pass rate on the National Certification Examination and 100% employment within six months of graduating.