The Anesthesia Record

Below is my introductory Student News article, published in the October 2010 issue of the AANA News Bulletin.  One down, 11 to go!

As I begin my year-long term as your student representative, I feel humbled, blessed and, frankly, shocked to have been appointed to such an important position in this esteemed organization.  Although I possess a degree in economics and have thus been taught to extrapolate future trends from currently known data sets, I couldn’t have predicted this turn of events.  This is not a reflection of the quality of my education but of the many unexpected directions my career path has taken over the past several years.

Background

Like a flight from Indianapolis to Denver with a layover in Atlanta, my journey towards nurse anesthesia school has not followed an expected route.  In May of 2003, I walked down The Lawn at the University of Virginia wearing a cap, gown, and ridiculously large grin.  I had secured degrees in commerce and economics, a job as a retail buyer for Hecht’s Department Store Company, and an apartment in Arlington, Virginia.  A few months after I began working, however, I realized that I wasn’t passionate about my job and decided to pursue an entirely different career path.  Because, let’s face it, if we are going to spend the next 40 years of our lives doing something, that something had better be amazing.

I spent the next year searching for the right profession and, fortunately, my persistence paid off.  (See mom and dad?  Stubbornness isn’t such a bad quality after all!)  After two years spent completing prerequisite coursework, I entered the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s accelerated nursing program.  I graduated in 2007 and, for the first time in my life, actually enjoyed my job.  For this reason, I was surprised to discover my desire to return to the classroom – this time for nurse anesthesia training.  

Although I never would have envisioned myself as a nurse anesthetist a mere decade ago, I couldn’t be happier to have found such a challenging and rewarding profession.  Similarly, I am overjoyed with the unexpected opportunity I have been afforded in representing my fellow students this year.  Your continued support of the nurse anesthesia community and the AANA will no doubt improve our lives as students, our future careers as CRNAs, and my experience as your Student Representative.

Thank You

I am fortunate to be following in the footsteps of Chris Leger, 2009-2010 student representative to the Education Committee.  Chris’s dedication to the anesthesia student community as well as his ability to infuse humor into the stress-filled lives of students through his writing and speaking engagements make his a hard act to follow.  Nevertheless, with the guidance of the AANA Education Committee members, led by 2009-2010 AANA President Jim Walker, CRNA, DNP, I intend to try.  

I would also like to extend my gratitude to Blaire Jones, Katherine Pehler, William Self, and Kathryn Watterson for taking the initiative to improve the lives of SRNAs by campaigning for the AANA student representative position.  Sharing the podium with such a dedicated and hardworking group of individuals was truly an honor.  Furthermore, their passion for our profession gives me great confidence in our student body’s commitment to bettering the CRNA educational process and student experience.

Challenges and Opportunities Ahead

As those of you who were able to attend this year’s annual meeting in Seattle are well aware, we are about to enter the nurse anesthesia profession at a very important point in its history.  Our country’s recent economic struggles and government overhaul of our healthcare system, in addition to the newly published research confirming the cost effectiveness and superb outcomes of CRNA-administered anesthesia services, have combined to create a “perfect storm” for the advancement of our profession.  Many communities that have never before utilized CRNAs will likely begin relying on our profession to provide their residents with the best possible care at an incredible value.  We must be ready and willing to meet this demand by ensuring that all CRNAs receive appropriate training in the classroom and operating suite during their student years.  

The future success of our profession therefore rests on our shoulders.  It is our responsibility as students to search out the didactic and clinical education we need to continue the time-honored tradition of outstanding anesthesia care following graduation.  This means taking the initiative to identify and improve the deficiencies of our nurse anesthesia programs, promoting our profession to members of the general public, helping our fellow classmates succeed, and contributing to the success of future generations of SRNAs for years to come by fostering an atmosphere of trust and respect when instructing students in the future.

I am eager for the opportunity that we have as students to contribute to our profession in a meaningful way and incredibly excited to serve as your voice during such a pivotal moment in time.  Though no one – economists-turned-SRNAs included – can definitively predict the impact that the healthcare changes will have on our careers as nurse anesthetists, I have great confidence that our efforts today will pay dividends for years to come.