AANA Archives - Beyond The Mask Podcast

Ep 250: Strengthening Advocacy Efforts with the AANA’s New Deputy Chief Advocacy Officer Ingrida Lusis

May 25, 2023

We had a chance to spend some time with the new AANA Deputy Chief Advocacy Officer Ingrida Lusis during our time at the mid-year assembly to learn more about her background in government affairs and how she plans to strengthen advocacy by bringing state and federal affairs all under one umbrella. Join Sharon and guest host Tracy Castleman, CRNA, as we go on the offensive with our newest advocacy leader.

Ep 248: Hear from the Candidates for 2023-24 AANA Board of Directors

May 18, 2023

Voting started this week for the next round of AANA Board of Directors elections, and we want to help you get to know your candidates a little better. Thanks to our friends at the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, we will share the opening statements from the Board of Director Candidates’ Forum during the Mid-Year Assembly so you can hear first-hand from each of the talented CRNAs running for office.

Ep 235: 2023 AANA Update with CEO, Bill Bruce

March 16, 2023

Bill Bruce, MBA, CAE, took over as the CEO of the AANA last summer so we caught up with him to get an update on how the organization has progressed over his first eight months. It’s already been a busy term already with staffing changes and the AANA moving into a new building, but there are many policy issues to be managed and addressed as well. Join us as we find out what’s happening inside the AANA and how the organization is tackling key issues.

Ep 234: The State of Nursing Today with Becky Patton

March 9, 2023

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.

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

February 9, 2023

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.

Ep 214: Where is VA CRNA Practice Headed?

December 8, 2022

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?

Ep 213: Moral Injury and Nurse Anesthesia

December 1, 2022

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 article about this subject, so we’ve asked him to explain the effects of MI and how CRNAs can resolve this conflict.

Ep 212: Thankful for the AANA and Its Ongoing Efforts for CRNAs

November 24, 2022

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 Angie 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 this holiday to talk about everything she’s hoping to accomplish over the next year.

Ep 210: The Dangers of Button Batteries & the Immediate Care Required

November 17, 2022

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 and the harm they can cause almost immediately when ingested.

Ep 209: Tips for Getting the Right CRNA Job with Lt. Col. (ret) Tom Davis

November 10, 2022

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 exploring new employment so that you have the best chance at landing that perfect job.

Ep 207: Normalization of Deviance and Production Pressure for CRNAs

November 3, 2022

When you look at how critical mistakes happen in the workplace, the normalization of deviance is often the culprit. You can find examples of this in all different areas of life, but CRNAs frequently face the pressure of doing things as fast as we can to meet the demands of production pressure. Today we want to explore this idea of normalization of deviance with Randy Cornelius, DNP, ARNP, CRNA, and discuss how CRNAs can work to overcome this.

Ep 206: From the OR to the C-Suite with Randy Moore

October 27, 2022

Randy Moore, DNP, MBA, CRNA, left his role as the AANA CEO about a year ago to take over as Chief Anesthetist Officer at NorthStar Anesthesia. It was a little surprising because it seemed like a great long-term position, but the reasons for his departure make sense when you hear him explain his vision moving forward. That’s why we’ve invited our friend and colleague onto the show to catch up on this huge career change.

Ep 204: CRNA Strong – Inspirational Stories from Four CRNAs

October 20, 2022

Check out the timestamps below to help you navigate through the many topics we discussed. On This Episode: Our profession is filled with incredible individuals who are resourceful and know how to make the most out of whatever comes their way in the operating room and in life. During our time at the AANA…

Ep 201: Why Member Engagement from Everyday CRNAs Is Vital to the Health of the AANA

October 6, 2022

Check out the timestamps below to help you navigate through the many topics we discussed. On This Episode: Every member of the AANA is taking an active approach by paying dues and being a part of the organization, but the success of the AANA relies on participation by each and every CRNA. On this…

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

September 22, 2022

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.

Ep 195: Meet the New AANA CEO, Bill Bruce

August 25, 2022

The AANA introduced its new CEO earlier this summer and Bill Bruce, MBA, CAE has already hit the ground running. So what does a non-CRNA bring to the organization? We got the opportunity to sit down with him to learn more about his background, his leadership style, and how he hopes to engage and build trust with members.

Ep 192: Effective Federal Advocacy Starts at Home

August 4, 2022

The great thing about being an advocate for nurse anesthetists is that anyone can have an impact no matter where they live. Many federal legislators starts locally so there are opportunities to create relationships early and close to home. Sarah Tweedy, CRNA, got a first-hand look at working with legislators as a student and has carried that interest into her young professional career. Find out what she’s learned about advocacy and how best to build relationships with policy-makers.

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

June 2, 2022

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.

Ep 176: Meet 13 Candidates in the 2022 AANA Elections

April 14, 2022

The AANA Elections to appoint 2022-2023 board and elected committees will open on April 19 and members will have two weeks to cast their votes. We had the opportunity to go to the mid-year assembly in Washington D.C earlier this month and give candidates the chance to speak directly to you about their views and goals to help you make a more in-formed decision. Today you’ll hear from 13 CRNAs who will be on the ballot this month.

Ep 172: Remembering the True Leadership of Patrick Downey

March 17, 2022

In November of 2021, the AANA lost a great man in Patrick Downey. This former president and patriarch of the Diamond Club served as a CRNA for more than 50 years and impacted many lives along the way. It’s fitting that this St. Patrick’s Day episode is a look back at his incredible life and the work he did for nurse anesthesia.

Excellent podcast!
April 9, 2023 by Nrsanesthesiarocks from United States
I just happened to get an email from Doximity and looked at it….I often ignore those emails because it pertains more to APRNs and not CRNAs. Listened to your latest podcast about side businesses! I’m literally doing that right now…branching out into aesthetics and wellness services. You talked about hand and wrist pain and oh man you know me…we all struggle with that from all that masking. Ouch! You can only get so many injections before they don’t work anymore! I can’t believe I haven’t listened to you before. I’ve absolutely questioned my decision to branch out and try new things because it’s so much work. You motivated me to keep on pushing and learning. I’m super excited to listen to the rest of your podcasts and continue on with my education so I don’t have to rely completely on my anesthesia jobs (I have 4 of them right now) to support my family. While it is great money in relation to the rest of the worlds occupations it’s extremely stressful too. With two kids in college and me being the only money maker in the family there’s a ton of pressure and stress…plus supporting my extended family! And I still have student loans! Yuck. Time to make my money to work for me! You have given me renewed motivation! Thank you!
Thank you!
January 19, 2023 by militartyanesthesia from United States
Sharon and Jeremy, I really appreciate your time and effort in putting on this podcast! It’s consistently the best anesthesia podcast I listen to.
This show is well above the Drapes!!!!
June 16, 2022 by Scotty NC from United States
If you are a CRNA you need to listen to this podcast. It is chopped full of professional advice for the CRNAs in and out of the operating room. Bravo! And keep up the excellent work.
Positivity alert!
May 10, 2022 by Stesusmad from United States
Sharon and Jeremy are so positive and uplifting. It’s great to hear about CRNA contributions to this world. There are so many great voices in this community!
Amazing Topics of Issues Affecting CRNAs outside the OR
April 23, 2022 by Backstabbing Gaspasser from United States
This is my car ride go-to podcast! The guests are amazing and the hosts are dynamic! Thank you for the varied topics and wonderful discussions! I look forward to Thursday mornings when the new episodes are released.
Great Podcast!
March 16, 2022 by J. Cross CRNA from United States
This podcast is very well put together. I love the hosts Sharon & Jeremy, they do a fantastic job at presenting topics as well as getting great speakers on the show! This is my morning commute podcast everyday! Thank you for all that you do!
Must listen
February 18, 2022 by Bill.Nye from United States
I enjoy listening every morning. Great content and always a pleasure to learn something new
Informative!
December 16, 2021 by CMP Anesthesia from United States
I appreciate hearing more information globally about our profession! Thank you!
Amazing resource for SRNAs
December 11, 2021 by biggestbaseballfanever from United States
I started listening to this podcast religiously early on in my CRNA journey, a year before applying to CRNA school. The content in this podcast was one of my most helpful resources for getting into my first choice school, Wake Forest! It has also been a huge motivator for getting involved with the AANA now and throughout my career. I highly recommend this podcast to every prospective CRNA I meet.
Win/win
October 29, 2021 by Trvlgrl1 from United States
I appreciate hearing the latest and greatest in the world of Nurse Anesthesiology while also getting Class B credits. Just listen on your commute for a win/win experience. I love the perspectives from Jeremy and Sharon who both ask varied and insightful questions!

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