CRNA HISTORY SERIES

Ep 228: Betty Lank’s Role in Boston Children’s Hospital

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 Ouellette, CRNA and try to capture the im-pact she made on a hospital and a profession.

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Ep 222: The Experience of a WWII Nurse Anesthetist & the Lessons Learned

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, BSN, RN, BC 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 Adeline Simonson, whose experience is very much like all the brave individuals serving on the front lines.

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Ep 199: Olive Berger, CRNA – Founding Member of the AANA

The early years of anesthesia were a time when nurses proved just how valuable they were as this new world was being explored. Olive Berger, CRNA was one of the women that rose to the occasion and helped shape the profession through her work with ‘blue babies’ and with the AANA. Today we look back on her career with show historians Nancy Bruton-Maree, CRNA and Sandy Ouellette, CRNA.

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Ep 189: Catherine Lawrence, First Nurse to Administer Anesthesia

On this look back through the history of nurse anesthesia, we’ll tell you the story of Catherine Lawrence. This Civil War nurse became the first to administer anesthesia during the Second Battle of Bull Run but she also accomplished a lot more during her life. Nancy Bruton-Maree, CRNA, and Sandy Ouellette, CRNA, will give us all the details and help us learn more about this important figure in nursing.

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Ep 184: CRNA Manpower – Trends from the Past Decade & a Look Into the Future (Part 2)

Today we’re continuing the conversation with Nancy Bruton-Maree, CRNA, and Sandy Ouellette, CRNA, on the history of CRNAs in the workforce. In part two, we’ll look at educational changes since 2010 along with the updated statistics on active professionals and students. We’ll also turn our attention to the future of anesthesia and discuss the trends that might be on the horizon.  

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Ep 183: CRNA Manpower – The History of Shortages and the Studies That Followed (Part 1)

Over the past five decades, quite a bit of attention has been paid to the challenges facing the CRNA workforce, especially when numbers dropped significantly in the 80s and 90s. The lack of manpower pushed Congress, the AANA, and other organizations to study the reasons behind the lack of graduates and determine what solutions might exist. Nancy Bruton-Maree, CRNA, and Sandy Ouellette, CRNA, join us today to take us back through the history of these shortages and the studies that followed in part one of this two-part series.

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MEET YOUR HOSTS...

SHARON PEARCE, CRNA

Sharon graduated from the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Hospital Nurse Anesthesia program in 1992. She resides in North Carolina and currently works as a 1099 CRNA. Association service includes the President of the North Carolina Association of Nurse Anesthetists. She served three years on the AANA (American Association of Nurse Anesthetists) Public Relations (PR) committee and conducted Media Training for state associations in conjunction with the AANA Senior Director of Strategic Communications, Chris Bettin. Sharon was the producer of the AANA PR award-winning video, The Best Kept Secret in Healthcare.

She chaired the Government Relations Committee of the AANA in 2009-2010 and has been a registered lobbyist and legislative involvement for over 22 years. Board of Director service at the national level of the AANA has included Region 2 Director, Vice President, President-Elect, and President in 2014-2015. Sharon ran for the North Carolina House of Representatives in 2015-16 but unfortunately lost in the primary. Not to be deterred, Sharon returned to school to obtain her Doctorate at Yale University, leading her to design the first-ever Candidate School for Nurses and Midwives. Although Covid intervened, canceling the pilot program, Sharon has created a Facebook Group called Influential Nurses, a group to facilitate, encourage, and empower nurses running for elected office. Sharon believes the time is now for nurses to take their rightful seats in positions of INFLUENCE. 

JEREMY STANLEY, EA, CFP ®, AIF ®

Jeremy Stanley is the president and founder of CRNA Financial Planning ®, an AANA Member Advantage Program Partner. For more than two decades, he has been helping CRNAs utilize their career paths to pursue their dreams. As a member of the Wake Forest Baptist Health
Nurse Anesthesia Program Advisory Committee, as well as a Public Trustee to the AANA Foundation, Jeremy stays abreast of the ever-evolving healthcare landscape as well as the political issues that affect CRNAs. An advocate for the CRNA profession, Jeremy has written two books – exclusively for CRNAs. “The Wealthy CRNA” lays out a foundational road map for CRNAs to plan their financial futures, and “A CRNA’s Life After Anesthesia” is designed to assist CRNAs in planning for retirement. Both books have been prior approved by the AANA for Class A CE credits.

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