Beyond The Mask: Innovation & Opportunities For CRNAs

Hypovolemic shock is the final shock state in this series of episodes that focuses on the identification, management, and differential diagnosis of different shock states. Jeremy and Sass discuss current treatment options for a patient experiencing hypovolemic shock and some of the various problems that can occur during this crisis.   Here are some of the things you’ll learn on this show: Which me...

Every year it seems like more and more nurses are taking an active interest in politics, both local and regional, and today’s guest is someone who’s been on the rise as a public official.  Sara Rodriguez, a nurse and community leader, won her campaign in Wisconsin to become the state’s next Lieutenant Governor and joins us today to talk about her shift from public health to policymaker.   Here are...

Nearly all of us have been in a situation where we’ve noticed something off or not right about someone we work with or someone we know but we didn’t say anything or take action. It’s a problem across the country, but the CRNA profession has a higher rate of substance use disorders than the general public.   So how can we do a better job identifying and helping our peers who feel isolated and suffe...

It’s not uncommon to use push-dose vasopressors for blood pressure management in anesthesia practice. Maybe even more so now than in the past. Jeremy and Sass talk about the various options and situations for blousing vasopressors, and perhaps most importantly which one to use. In fact, recently there was a Journal Course in the AANA Journal talking about the increased (and safe) use of push dose...

Last year, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, and one of the items that received many of the headlines was the $80 billion allocated to the Internal Revenue Service. This will impact every taxpayer but what does it mean specifically for CRNAs and other nurses. Your work earns a nice paycheck every year so tax changes will have an impact on you. Plus, there’s a lot to pay...

The 20th century was filled with advancements in nursing and anesthesia with much of the innovation coming in the world of pediatrics. One of the women who had a huge hand in improving the care for children was Betty Lank, who worked as the Chief Nurse Anesthetist at Boston Children’s Hospital for decades.   Today we’ll look back and her life and career with Nancy Bruton-Maree, CRNA, and Sandy Oue...

You’re quietly sitting behind the drape and all of a sudden you see significant dysrhythmias on the ECG during an operation. Now what? In this episode Jeremy and Sass review a case of Cardiogenic Shock and go over the crisis checklist for this critical event. They also examine current diagnostic strategies and potential differential diagnoses. Here are some of the things you’ll learn on this show:...

We talk all the time about the lack of nurse representation in policy-making positions, but that doesn’t make the data any less surprising. Today we’ll have a great discussion with Darlene Curley, EdD, RN, FAAN, about a study she recently completed on state nurse legislators. She’ll share some of the details with us in this episode and we’ll also have a wide-ranging discussion on how CRNAs and oth...

During our visit to the NCANA meeting last fall, we had the opportunity to host a live podcast about lobbying for your state association and we had the pleasure of bringing NCANA lobbyists Patrick Ballantine and Tracy Kimbrell onto the panel with us. Both of them have been tremendous assets to our association because of their passion for lobbying. We explored that role to find out what skills it t...

The latest update to the ASA Difficult Airway Algorithm has a number of key changes that Jeremy and Sass will take you through in this episode of the podcast. You’ll notice that the Algorithm is much more practical and easier to use in an emergency. Overall there’s been a massive emphasis placed on situational awareness and limiting attempts, and for the first time, there are guidelines for pediat...

Necessity is the mother of invention and today’s guest is a living example of that. Suzanne Jagger, DNP, CRNA, APRN, was on vacation in Fiji when she got an email that her contract was up. Without work and a family to care for, she quickly decided on the trip to learn Botox and ended up starting her own business soon after returning home. Now Suzanne is helping other CRNAs and NPs learn how to fol...

When you look back over the history of nurse anesthesia, the most forgotten group of nurses might have been those that served the country during World War II. It took nearly a half-century to tell their story but thanks to Carolyn Nicholson the legacy of that group of incredible nurses is being carried on today. We’ll look back at the war and the role of nurse anesthetists by telling the story of...

Before a CRNA ever gets to the operating room to perform anesthesia, they need to be thoroughly prepared for what they might face. Having checklists to follow is great, but they’re only effective if the diagnosis is correct. That’s why Jeremy and Sass believe in reviewing the principles related to crisis management so that you can make the correct diagnosis for every scenario you find yourself in....

CRNAs face stressful situations every day but that doesn’t always prepare them to deal with the obstacles that life can throw your way, especially when those events put a strain on your finances. Oftentimes, your relationship with a financial advisor might feel more like a therapy session during emotional times, and that’s ok. Let’s discuss some scenarios where it’s almost inevitable that a talk w...

As we put the finishing touches on another year, we didn’t want to use this time looking backward. Instead, we want to zoom out and get a better idea of where healthcare is headed. Who better to discuss this than Scott Becker, who is the founder of Becker’s Healthcare and someone who has his finger on the pulse of the industry. We’re loaded with a long list of questions and have plenty we want to...

We’re shifting gears a bit in this episode by focusing on the examination side of anesthesia and hosting our first ever Q&A episode. Since students take a lot of tests in anesthesia school and CRNAs are prepping for the CPC examination, testing is a critical part of the profession. As educators, Jeremy and Sass both write a lot of test questions so they’ll share their experience from that side...

Today we bring on our first DNAP candidate, Gerald Murphy, MS, CRNA, APRN, to share his Doctoral Scholarly Project and use this platform as the dissemination piece. He has focused his attention on the transition period for SRNAs moving into the workforce and beginning their career as CRNAs. This new independence can be overwhelming and a bit scary so improving that process and providing guidance f...

It’s not something people openly talk about but feeling like you’re professionally inadequate happens to a lot of people. This is known as imposter phenomenon (IP) and it’s something that CRNAs deal with much more than you might realize. We’ve invited former CANA president Jeffrey Darna, PhD, DNP, CRNA, ACNP-BC onto the show to explain why high-achieving individuals have this self-perception of in...

Today Jeremy and Sass talk about the third type of distributive shock, septic shock. They review the need-to-know info for this shock state based on the updated Surviving Sepsis Guidelines released in 2021. They'll walk you through a crisis checklist that will help you identify and manage septic shock. So, buckle up...it's go time!    Here are some of the things you’ll learn on this show: Case pre...

The VA CRNA practice has been a topic of importance for a while because the VA hospital is the largest healthcare system in the country and currently employs more than 1,100 CRNAs. The worry is that if it fails, it will have a huge domino effect across the country. So what direction is the Association of Veterans Affairs Nurse Anesthetists (AVANA) headed? Executive Director Peter Kallio, DNP, CRNA...

With the increased distress and rationing of care that arose during the COVID-19 pandemic, the topic of Moral Injury (MI) has started to garner much more attention in the world of healthcare. This repeated conflict between an individual’s morality and the management of care causes a deep emotional wound that often drives workers out of the profession altogether. Jerry Hogan, DNSc, CRNA wrote an ar...

It hasn’t been the easiest year for a lot of people, but we know there’s still plenty to be grateful for as we approach another Thanksgiving. Specifically, we wanted to shine the light on the AANA and everything they do for our profession each year. New AANA President Angela Mund, DNP, CRNA is a friend of the show and someone we appreciate quite a bit so we wanted to spend some time with her on th...

CRNAs and SRNAs/RRNAs have asked us to give them the essential information needed to manage different OR cases. Episodes they can listen to while on their commute, on a run, or just relaxing at home with their headphones. Today we’re going to review the Anesthesia Management for a Pheochromocytoma. This is the second episode in our endocrine surgical procedures series, so get ready for this power-...

When Sharon visited the NCANA meeting in Wilmington, she sat through a lecture full of people with children and grandchildren that were panicked listening to the speaker. It was eye-opening and something we wanted to bring awareness to because it can be avoided.  The person speaking that day was Emily Funk, DNP, CRNA and we asked her to come on to talk to us about the danger of button batteries an...

CRNAs continue to be in high demand so finding a job isn’t always the challenge, but how do you go about identifying and landing the right job? Thomas Davis, DNAP, MAE, CRNA is an Air Force-trained CRNA who learned a lot about leadership during his time in the military and has used that to start  ProSynEx Authentic Leadership . Today we’ll dive into the hiring process and share tips for any CRNA e...