Nurse Anesthesia Alum Creates Scholarship for Future Students

Leslie Jeter, D.N.P., CRNA, recalls spending a career week in a local hospital when she was in high school that would forever change her life. 

Amidst the seemingly chaotic goings-on of the operating room, with its noisy machines, alarms and busy personnel attending to anesthetized patients, there was one individual Dr. Jeter noticed who always seemed to know what was happening while directly caring for the patient. 

It was the nurse anesthetist, and, upon learning of Dr. Jeter’s interest, the woman offered her a deeper glimpse. 

“She took me under her wing for a few days and really talked to me about the profession, and it was an amazing experience,” Dr. Jeter said. “Holding a patient’s life in your hands is empowering and unforgettable — and I knew that was what I was going to do.” 

Dr. Jeter established the Leslie A. Jeter Scholarship Fund earlier this year to provide financial support to students in each of the VCU nurse anesthesia program locations, including Richmond, Abingdon, Roanoke and Alexandria. She’s also documented a gift through her estate to provide future support for the scholarship fund. 

A Georgia native, Dr. Jeter said there were no master’s-level nurse anesthesia programs in her home state when she finished the nursing program at Vanderbilt University. She found VCU’s nurse anesthesia program and described it as “life-changing.” 

“The education I received afforded me so much, not just materially, but professionally, and helped shape me into the person I am today,” Dr. Jeter said. 

The academics were challenging and rigorous. Faculty and professors were deeply committed to their students’ success and well-being. 

Dr. Jeter went back to Georgia and spent 30 years as a nurse anesthetist. She is retired from clinical practice, but continues to teach. 

“VCU met my goal of receiving the best in nurse anesthesia training. When I graduated, I was confident and competent to practice,” she said. “It’s thrilling to be able to give back to students, and I look at this as an investment in the future of nurse anesthesia.”

If you would like to support the Leslie A. Jeter Scholarship Fund, please contact T. Greg Prince, Ed.D., senior director of development at the College of Health Professions, at tgprince@vcu.edu or 804-828-7247.