Virginia Chris Muckler
Associate Professor in the School of Nursing

Virginia “Chris” Muckler, DNP, CRNA, CHSE is an Associate Clinical Professor and the Interim Assistant Program Director for the Duke University Nurse Anesthesia Program (DUNAP). Dr. Muckler is responsible for simulation-based teaching, didactic course instruction, and has clinical oversight for the nurse anesthesia program.  Dr. Muckler served as the Clinical Education Coordinator (CEC) from 2011-2019 as acting liaison between clinical sites, preceptors, Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists' (SRNA), and DUNAP. 

After serving on active duty in the United States Air Force, Dr. Muckler earned a BSN at Auburn University Montgomery (AUM). She completed a MSN at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro/Raleigh School of Nurse Anesthesia and joined the staff of Duke Regional Hospital (DRH) in 2002. During her time at DRH, she served as a clinical preceptor for DUNAP students, held CRNA managerial and staff positions, and served on multiple nursing and hospital committees.

Dr. Muckler earned her DNP degree from the Duke University School of Nursing in 2011 with “Focused Anesthesia Interview Resources (FAIR) to Improve Efficiency and Quality” as her scholarly project. Her scholarly interests include simulation, suspension of disbelief, the evaluation of educational preparation of registered nurses for preoperative anesthesia, day-of-surgery cancellations and delays, and the use and effect of perioperative oral and intravenous acetaminophen. She is a member of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, North Carolina American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, Sigma Theta Tau, American Nurses Association, North Carolina Nurses Association, the International Nurses Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL), and the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH).  She was 1 of 20 selected for participation in the National League for Nursing's (NLN) Simulation Leader Program, has taught simulation in the US, Ghana, and Norway and introduced transgender simulation in the DUNAP.  Dr. Muckler was recently selected as a member of the 2019 Duke Clinical Leaders Program and is one of two CRNAs recommended by the AANA to participate in a federally funded simulation study involving a 12-member simulation expert panel.

Current Research Interests

Healthcare simulation-based training
Intraprofessional Simulation

Current Appointments & Affiliations

Contact Information

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