Anesthesia Guidebook

My guest today is Dr Brian McGrory.  His is an orthopedic joint replacement surgeon at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine.    He earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry biology at Cornell, attended medical school at Columbia, followed by residency in orthopedic surgery at the Mayo Clinic Graduate School where he also earned a Master’s degree in orthopedic research.  Dr McGror...

Dr. Jason Bolt, DNP, CRNA is a YouTuber and social media influencer in the anesthesia community. He graduated from Union University with his doctorate in anesthesia in 2019 and now practices in a collaborative group in the Bay Area. He offers mentorship through his YouTube channel memberships and enjoys helping others reach their goals in nursing and in anesthesia. He volunteers as a member of the...

Today my guests are Trent and Katie Bishop, a CRNA couple who practice independently and live in Durango, Colorado.  We’re going to talk about serotonin syndrome and cases that both Trent and Katie have recently experienced as providers in their practice. Trent & Katie Bishop are CRNAs practicing independently in Durango, Colorado. Trent has a background in biology and EMS prior to pursuing a...

“Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I will remember. Let me do and I will understand.” – Confucius Demo-do teaching is all about “show me and I will remember.” Demo-do is a simple process where educators outline what will be demonstrated, then demonstrate the process as it should be performed, then coach the learner through immediately practicing the technique. De...

Please follow the link below to complete the survey associated with this podcast for Obi’s research with the University of Saint Francis: Effectiveness of a Nurse Anesthetist Preceptor Training Survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9M7VG92 Obinna Odumodu, BSN, SRNA is currently completing his doctorate in anesthesia at the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne, Indiana as of February 202...

Today my guest is Chuck Frisch, DNP, CRNA, FAAPM, CH, a CRNA with over 35 years of experience in anesthesia who serves as the director of anesthesia at Box Butte General Hospital in Alliance, Nebraska.  He’s here to talk about rural, independent CRNA practice. Chuck initially studied molecular, cellular & developmental biology in college before switching gears to nursing school in effort to ge...

The Top Drawer Run Down is a 3-part series covering the 39 most commonly administered intravenous medications in anesthesia. These medications are often found in the top drawer of anesthesia carts in the United States. The Top Drawer Run Down was originally posted on From the Head of the Bed … a podcast for the anesthesia community in September of 2019. Michael Mielniczek, MSN, CRNA joins me...

The Top Drawer Run Down is a 3-part series covering the 39 most commonly administered intravenous medications in anesthesia. These medications are often found in the top drawer of anesthesia carts in the United States. The Top Drawer Run Down was originally posted on From the Head of the Bed … a podcast for the anesthesia community in September of 2019. Michael Mielniczek, MSN, CRNA joins me...

The Top Drawer Run Down is a 3-part series covering the 39 most commonly administered intravenous medications in anesthesia. These medications are often found in the top drawer of anesthesia carts in the United States. The Top Drawer Run Down was originally posted on From the Head of the Bed … a podcast for the anesthesia community in September of 2019. Michael Mielniczek, MSN, CRNA joins me...

In this episode, I talk with Jenny Li, BSN, SRNA about using pre-procedural ondansetron to prevent spinal-induced hypotension in elective cesarean-sections. Ms Li is completing her Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) at the University at Buffalo and structured her doctoral work around this topic. She received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from University of California, Davis in 2013 and went...

Today I’m joined by Jennifer & Robert Montague to talk about the experience of significant others in anesthesia school. Rob is currently a second-year SRNA at the University of New England and Jen, his wife, is a Master’s-prepared Registered Dietitian who has taken on the lioness’ share of providing child care and homeschooling responsibilities for their two children while Ro...

Lieutenant Colonel Peter D. Strube is a CRNA who graduated from St. Mary’s University school of anesthesia in 2006 with a master’s degree. His undergraduate degree is from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. He was awarded the Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia (DNAP) in June of 2017 and is currently enrolled in his MBA. Lieutenant Colonel Strube is soon to be retired from the United States Army Nurse Corps....

Aurora Quaye, MD is an anesthesiologist who specializes in regional anesthesia and pain medicine at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine. She completed her residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and a fellowship in Regional Anesthesia at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.  Dr. Quaye’s clinical interests include decreasing the use of opioids for pain management, in improving provider...

The following ten ideas have the power to change your attitude towards and even the trajectory of your professional career and life.  There’s three core domains to developing as an anesthesia provider:  your knowledge base, skill set and attitude.  Each are unique and require different kinds of effort or deliberate practice to grow & improve.  This guide is predominately ab...

This episode is a continuation of the series on Leadership in Emergencies… the art & science of resuscitation.   Be sure to go check out episode 7 of the podcast where I give a quick run down of leadership in emergencies and how we can work towards improving our individual & team performance in anesthesia crises.    Ryan Mountjoy, MD is a board-certified physician anesthesiologist with Spe...

This is a distillation of 10 key tips to help folks who are learning airway management improve their skills. This show gets straight to the point: 10 tips for airway management in 10 minutes. 10 Tips for Airway Management 1. Develop a growth mindset and practice deliberately 2. Do a good airway assessment 3. Develop and follow a plan 4. Control your environment 5. Position the patient and yourself...

The NBCRNA CPC Program allows for CRNAs to earn Class B Credits by listening to podcasts; this episode tells you how. The National Board of Certification & Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA) recognizes anesthesia-related podcasts, like Anesthesia Guidebook, as valid sources of Class B credit in their Continued Professional Certification (CPC) Program that all CRNAs participate in....

Today I’m joined by Will Cohen to talk about clinical precepting.  We discuss ways to create effective learning environments, how to expect excellence while being supportive and other tips for mastering the art of precepting. Will created the Facebook page CRNA Preceptors and has become well known in the CRNA world for creating masterfully crafted deep dives on physiology & pharmacology to hel...

Leadership in emergencies is about leadership outside of emergencies. The art and science of resuscitation involves understanding and mastering both the systems design and human factors at play in emergencies. In this episode, I unpack research by Weinger, et. al. (2017) to help us see the potential for improvement in our response to emergencies as anesthesia providers. This is the tip of the iceb...

Today I talk with Marcus House, BSN, SRNA about his decision to live in an ambulance during remote clinical rotations in anesthesia school. Marcus is currently working towards completing his Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice at Missouri State University. He holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Education and Nursing, both from Southeast Missouri State University. Marcus worked for 7 years as a hi...

Kiki Mattress, MSNA, CRNA runs the blog The CRNA Chase which seeks to “empower, inspire, and educate” people who are interested in becoming CRNAs. In this episode, I talk with Kiki about her journey to become a CRNA and her passion for helping others understand and be successful on that same path. “Don’t just talk about it, be about it!” Kiki Mattress, MSNA, CRNA on w...

MJ Hiblen is an illustrator from Norwich, United Kingdom who’s first book of art titled, Front Line Heroes is available now from Eyewear Publishing.  This book is incredibly powerful.  I’ve followed MJ’s work on Instagram since the early days of the COVID19 pandemic when he began drawing images depicting the coronavirus as a classic comic-book style menacing villain with healthcare worke...

This episode on succinylcholine will unravel the mysteries and controversies around the medication – from it’s molecular shape and how that influences which receptors subtypes and locations it exerts its effects on to practical information on dosing and how to optimize airway management while mitigating the side effects of succinylcholine.  At the time of this recording in March of 2018...

Matt Poirier, MSNA, CRNA joins Anesthesia Guidebook to give a run down on dexmedetomidine. We cover the pharmacology & dosing right off the bat in this episode and then we take some time to discuss the art of using dexmedetomidine peri-operatively. Matt Poirier is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist at Maine Medical Center, a level 1 trauma center in Portland, Maine.  He obtained his...

Welcome! You made it! This is episode 1: the origin story, the backdrop, the context to who we are, where we’re from and where we are headed. Check out the podcast in your favorite player or right here on the website to hear our story, which is all about YOUR STORY! You’re on a path to becoming an expert anesthesia provider… we’re here to help guide you. Everything we do is designed to help...