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As our wellness theme continues, today we’re focused on student wellness, which is essential to producing competent, confident, and emotionally healthy CRNAs. Erin and Greg welcome Matthew Zinder, DNAP, CH, CRNA, practice owner, educator, wellness researcher, and co-founder of Program Prep, to break down the realities of stress inside anesthesia programs and what both faculty and students can do about it.
With the increasing pressures faced by CRNA students, it is essential for educators to understand the unique stressors these future healthcare providers encounter. Matt shares practical, research-backed tools programs can implement — from structured wellness modules to breathing practices, meditation, compassionate check-ins, and environmental cues that shift students out of fight-or-flight.
Here’s some of what you’ll hear in this episode:
🧠 ICU culture follows students - Care for others → ignore self.
😷 COVID changed baseline stress - PTSD + chronic stress entering programs.
🎢 Type-A struggle with “square one” - Big fish → beginner again.
🧘♂️ Wellness must be structured - Integrated modules, daily practices, real tools.
💬 Check-ins matter - Safe spaces + simple techniques improve outcomes.
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"Sleep is the non-negotiable for health and wellness. There is nothing in our physiology that isn’t affected by sleep.”
-Matthew Zinder, DNAP, CH, CRNA
