CRNA Careers

Nurturing Knowledge with Thanks

As we celebrate another Thanksgiving, we want to show our appreciation for an organization that does so much for CRNAs. Many people don’t know about the AANA Foundation’s purpose and why it’s important to individual CRNAs working in the OR, but they play a critical role in supporting and growing the profession. Today we’ll spend time with Executive Director Nat Carmichael and Treasurer Mike Anderson, DNP, CRNA to learn more about the best kept secret in our profession.

Read More

Advocacy in Nurse Anesthesiology Training with Dr. Kristie Hoch

We pose the question to guests all the time about how to get more CRNAs involved on the advocacy side of the profession, but today’s guest is taking a hands-on approach to instilling that mindset at the educational level. Dr. Kristie Hoch has taken her passion for advocacy and applied it to the nurse anesthesiology program at the University of Arizona. Together with co-host Tracy Castleman, DNP, CRNA, APN-A, FAANA, we will hear all about her training process and why she thinks this leadership training will pay off in all aspects of their careers.

Read More

A Movement to Enhance Obstetric Anesthesia with Suzie Newell

Today we’re joined by Suzie Newell, DNP, CRNA, FAANA once again, but this time we will focus on an area of anesthesia that has become outdated: obstetrics. Behind her passion for this area of anesthesia, Suzie helped create the Society for Obstetric Nurse Anesthesia and Research (SONAR) to fill a void for people that had practical solutions to problems she was seeing in the field. Find out how this organization came to be, what it hopes to accomplish, and how you can get involved.

Read More

Strengthening the Future of CRNAs Through Mentorship with Richard Wilson

How do we make the next generation of CRNAs better than the previous generation? This is the question that led today’s guest, Richard Wilson, DNAP, CRNA, to get involved in education and provide leadership training mentorship for the next group of CRNAs so they have the ability to take the profession to another level. Join us today as we talk about the importance of mentorship, how to be a successful mentor, and what benefits it provides our industry when we have stronger applicants.

Read More

What We Gain When We Sacrifice with Yana Krmic, CRNA

Sacrifice is part of the job when you’re a nurse. We all understand that comes with the territory. But there’s an even greater level of sacrifice for those who try to be advocates and leaders within the profession.

Read More

Discovering the Healing Power of Battlefield Acupuncture with Angel Jaap, CRNA

Battlefield Acupuncture (BFA) is rapidly gaining recognition for its effectiveness in alleviating acute and chronic pain, as well as anxiety. When we heard Angel Jaap, CRNA speak about this at the AANA Spring Symposium, we wanted to bring her on to learn more about this alternative therapy. You’ll understand why she wants more nurses to learn this protocol after you hear some of the applications and success stories she shares today.

Read More

Crafting Your Elevator Speech for Professional Confidence with Julie Gauderman, CRNA

Have you ever been caught off guard when asked to explain who you are or what’s important to you? That’s a conundrum our guest Julie Gauderman, MS, DNAP, APRN, CNRA is here to help you navigate. Together with co-host Tracy Castleman, DNP, CRNA, APN-A, FAANA, we dive into the concept of an elevator speech, how to craft it, and why it’s an effective way to confidently represent your profession and control your narrative.

Read More

AANA Launches Rm8 Initiative to Support CRNAs & Healthcare Innovation

Board members Tracy Young, CRNA, MBA and Jeff Molter, MSN, MBA, CRNA sat down with us at the AANA Annual Congress in Seattle to explain the new Rm8 innovation lab and what they hope it provides CRNAs around the country.

Read More

CRNAs and Law Enforcement: The Parallels of Managing Pain and Having Compassion

We are joined by former Chief of the Aurora (Illinois) Police Department Kristen Ziman. She wrote a book about her experiences – good and bad – in the law enforcement profession and the leadership lessons she learned. You’ll be surprised by how many parallels there are between her career and the careers of CRNAs and this episode will have some powerful messages to share.

Read More

Meet Lokum: A New Tech Company Designed to Connect CRNAs to Employers

The nursing industry is filled with so many bright and talented people and today’s guest is just another example of that. Ayoade (Joy) Ademuyewo, DNP, CRNA is the founder and CEO of Lokum, which helps match vendors directly with anesthesiology providers without having to go through recruiting agencies. Find out why this could be the future of work as an independent contractor and learn more about the person behind it all.

Read More

Overcoming Physical Limitations: Brett Fadgen’s Road to Anesthesia

Jeremy and Sharon were up in Hershey for the PANA Spring Symposium and hosted a live taping of the podcast with Brett Fadgen, MSN, CFRN, CRNA. If you haven’t heard Brett’s story, it’s a remarkable one about perseverance and never giving up in the face of life’s challenges. Join us to hear all about his journey and how he became the only one-armed nurse anesthetist.

Read More

Ep 247: The Commission for Nurse Reimbursement with Rebecca Love

The issue of reimbursement is one that we’ve covered from many different perspectives on this show but now it’s time to take the problem into our own hands. Rebecca Love, RN, MSN, FIEL is leading a commission for nurse reimbursement to tackle this broken financial model once and for all. Today we’ll tell you all about the commission’s plan and why we think this will transform the healthcare system and help end the terrible nursing crisis our country is facing.

Read More

Ep 244: Military CRNAs – Lessons Learned & Lives Well Lived

Janet Setnor, MSN, CRNA is a retired Colonel with the US Air Force Reserve Nurse Corps and someone we talked to last year about how she helped bring full practice authority to that branch of the military. Today she joins us to tell us more about her time in the military, how it helped prepare her for civilian life, and what she thinks will happen with the VA issue still being debated.

Read More

Ep 242: The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Creating a Preferred Workplace for CRNAs

Tom Davis, DNAP, MAE, CRNA is an Air Force-trained CRNA with a lot of high-level experience in anesthesia, and throughout his CRNA career, he’s really focused on two aspects of the profession: healthcare leadership and patient safety. In doing this, he’s learned so much about emotional intelligence and the role it plays in creating a preferred workplace. He joins us this episode to define emotional intelligence, explain why listening is crucial, and help us better understand how we can improve our own EI.

Read More

Ep 239: What Can Be Done to Solve the Nursing Shortage?

More nurses are leaving the bedside every year and it has created a shortage nationally. If you’re listening to this podcast, you probably already know good and well about this issue. So what can be done to attract and keep more nurses? Former ANA president Ernest Grant, PhD, RN, FAAN joins us to sort through this pressing issue within the profession and share ideas about what can be done at every level to solve the problem.

Read More

Ep 238: Having a Plan B – Why CRNAs Should Consider a Side Hustle

The CRNA profession continues to be a strong career path that allows you to comfortably save for retirement, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t always have a backup plan just in case. As we’ve seen over the last few years, crazy things can happen that shake up our day-to-day routines at a moment’s notice. In this episode, we’ll talk with Plan B CRNA Podcast host Bobby Jones, MSN about how anyone can start a side hustle, and maybe more importantly, how and why they should consider it.

Read More

Ep 237: To DNP or Not To DNP

Many CRNAs are returning to school to earn their Post-Master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice but is it worth it to spend the time and money to earn another degree? You can find plenty of information and discussion about DNP project topics and people that have earned their DNP, but it’s not as easy to find a thorough explanation of how to go through that process and the actual value it provides. Devin Miller, CRNA, DNP joins the show today to get into the details of a DNP and tell us why he feels it can empower nurses after completing the program.

Read More

Ep 234: The State of Nursing Today with Becky Patton

We focus quite a bit on specific people or issues in nursing, but it’s always great to take a few steps back and take a high-level view of the profession. Today we’re excited to welcome someone who has been incredibly influential and has used that position to give back through service and endowment. Becky Patton, DNP, RN, CNOR, FAAN joins the show to give us a thorough assessment of the state of nursing today and address some of the industry’s key questions and challenges.

Read More

Ep 231: How to Care for People with a Substance Use Disorder

Today’s guest has spent a lot of her time in recent years trying to help educate people in this area. Leigh Taylor, DNP, MS, CRNA, APRN, presented at the AANA Annual Congress, which is where we first saw her and knew it’s a topic we wanted to spend more time discussing on the podcast.

Read More

Ep 223: Starting Your Own Aesthetic Injectables Practice

Now Suzanne Jagger is helping other CRNAs and NPs learn how to follow her path to start their own aesthetic injectables practice, and she’ll share that experience on this episode. If you’ve ever considered aesthetics or were curious to learn more, we’ll share an inside look at what it takes to be successful along with the challenges of running a practice.

Read More