sharon pearce

Ep 187: Panel on Incivility and Bullying with the Nebraska State Association

Jeremy and Sharon took part in a panel discussion on incivility and bullying within the CRNA workplace and educational system. Speaking alongside members of the Nebraska Association of Nurse Anesthetists, they were able to dive into the core issues at the heart of this behavior from the perspective of both the student and the preceptor. Plus, they offered up solutions to help curb incivility and bullying.

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Ep 186: Empowered Women Empower Women

None of us get to where we are without the help and guidance of other people. We rely on mentorship from our peers to lift us up and empower us to accomplish great things. With the input from a few powerful women on this episode, we want to highlight women that have played a key role in helping advance the industry and discuss how we can elevate each other through empowerment.

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Ep 179: Ukranian Born to New York State President – Meet Yana Krmic, CRNA

Few people in our profession represent what it means to be a CRNA more than Yana Krmic, MSN, CRNA, APRN. Born in Ukraine and raised in Siberia before moving to the United States 25 years ago, Krmic overcame many challenges to become a CRNA and eventually rise to the position of president of the New York State Association of Nurse Anesthetists. Her story is an inspiration to us all and one we’ll share on the podcast today along with her feelings on what’s happening in her home country.

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Ep 178: How Cochrane Collaborates to Promote Evidence-Based Decision Making

The healthcare industry has always depended on collaboration to advance medicine and improve care for patients. Much of that collaboration comes in the form of sharing findings from studies and research, which is what the Cochrane Network tries to compile into thorough and systemic reviews. By working with clinicians, policymakers, providers, and even CRNAs like Dru Riddle, PhD, DNP, CRNA, FAAN, Cochrane promotes evidence-based decision making across healthcare, and today we’ll learn more about the US Network and the role it plays for CRNAs.

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Ep 177: The Path to Full Practice Authority in the Air Force

The fight to give CRNAs full practice authority continues in states across the country but there have been some important victories along the way. All you need to do is look to our military to find a model that many people would like to see across the profession as the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force have all removed restrictions on CRNAs. Today we’ll talk with Air Force Colonel Jan Setnor, MSN, CRNA, who was one of the key people involved in helping the Air Force gain that authority and she’ll share the story of how it all happened.

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Ep 176: Meet 13 Candidates in the 2022 AANA Elections

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.

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Ep 175: Why More Nurses Need to Be Elected to Congress

As we approach another round of midterm elections, we wanted to introduce you to one of the few nurses around the country that hopes to represent her state in Congress. Renee Ellmers is running again in North Carolina after previously serving three terms and she’s doing so with the goal of improving access to healthcare in our country. We’ll also discuss why it matters to have nurses representing our profession as elected leaders and how it might have made a difference in a recent ruling in Tennessee.

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Ep 173: When Guessing Goes Wrong for CRNAs in Retirement

When planning for retirement, many CRNAs end up guessing at some of the most important questions. You’d never enter an operating room unprepared so why risk everyone you’ve worked so hard for throughout your career by not having a plan in place? Today we’ll get answers to these key financial questions so you don’t have to play the guessing game.

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Ep 172: Remembering the True Leadership of Patrick Downey

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.

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Ep 171: Health and Wellness for the CRNA

Long hours and high stress are typically a recipe for poor health, which is why it’s always good to get a reminder to put ourselves and our bodies first. That can be difficult for CRNAs, who are trained to prioritize the needs of others. That’s why we wanted to bring on master nutritionist Donnell Carter, MBA, MS, CRNA to give us the information and motivation we need to take steps towards a healthier lifestyle.

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Ep 170: The History of TEFRA and How It Changed Anesthesia

Forty years have passed since the Tax, Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act (TEFRA) became law and this piece of federal legislation changed the way payment and reimbursement was tracked. Today we’ll look back on the history of TEFRA with Nancy Bruton-Maree, CRNA, and Sandy Ouellette, CRNA, to learn more about the reasons behind it, how the AANA responded, and what revisions have been made through the years.

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Ep 169: CRNA Advocacy in Pennsylvania and the Lessons Learned

Today we want to shine the advocacy spotlight on the work being done by CRNAs in Pennsylvania, who have helped drive some significant changes in their state. Laura Wiggins, DNP, CRNA and Jessica Poole, DNAP, CRNA are two of the nurses involved in shaping the legislation and they join us to share the details on what’s happening in the Keystone State and what it means for all of us in the profession.

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Ep 168: A Free App Created to Improve Anesthesia

Time is of the essence in the operating room, and it’s important that you’re able to track down the information you need as quickly as possible. Thanks to technology, this process is becoming much more efficient. Today we’ll introduce you to Matthew Willis, DNP, CRNA, the person who developed, coded and maintains the educational app Master Anesthesia. Find out how this app is changing the way nurse anesthetists are able to track down infor-mation and make instant calculations right from their phones.

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Ep 167: In Search of the First Anesthetists

The history of the nurse anesthesia profession is a bit murky as records weren’t kept well through the years as medicine and healthcare progressed, but there are opinions on who the first anesthetist was. Today we’ll examine the most likely candidates with our historians Nancy Bruton-Maree, CRNA, and Sandy Ouellette, CRNA, and try to determine who can claim the title of the real first anesthetist.

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Ep 166: How Elevated Ambient Noise in the OR Impacts Health & Safety

It’s something outside people might never think about but ambient noise can have a direct impact on the health of CRNAs and the safety of the patients. Many people working in op-erating rooms don’t realize the effect that elevated noise levels can have and there might be different reasons for that. But we wanted to bring Marianne Cosgrove, CRNA, DNAP, APRN, PhD, onto the show to tell us more about the research she’s done in this area and what she’s found.

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Ep 165: Incivility and Bullying by Healthcare Providers in the Clinical Setting

Incivility and bullying can be found in all types of environments in our society and that’s un-fortunately true with the academic and clinical settings for SRNAs. This can create an envi-ronment that interferes with a student’s ability to learn, ability to cope, relationships, health and well-being. Holly Chandler EdD, CRNA, conducted a study with students to learn more about the issues they’re facing and joins us to share her findings and look at the larger problem within the healthcare industry.

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Ep 164: CRNA Entrepreneurship in Aesthetics and Wellness

If you’ve ever considered being your own boss and building a business that can supplement or replace your CRNA income, there are paths out there that our peers are paving. One of those people is Mariann Trice, CRNA, ARNP, who transitioned to an independent practice after working more than 30 years in the medical field….

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Ep 160: Remembering Helen Vos, The Mother of Continuing Education

Our historical series wouldn’t be complete without an episode dedicated to the life and accomplishments of former AANA president Helen P Vos. What better way to truly understand her impact on the profession than by talking with two of her former students who were later mentored by Ms. Vos. Let’s welcome back Nancy Bruton-Maree, CRNA,…

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Ep 159: Tracking Surgeon Quality to Improve Cost & Care for Patients

Patients trust that their healthcare providers are sending them to the best surgeon possible when the need arrives, but that’s not always the case. Too often, patients aren’t receiving the best match when surgery is required due to outdated methods but times are changing. Sanjay Prasad, MD, CACS, started the company SurgiQuality to better track surgeon results and better identify quality of care. Today he joins us to talk about this new business and its goal to improve both costs and care for all parties.

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Ep 158: How to Protect Your Professional License from Litigation

Although you never go into a patient’s room with the expectation that anything will go wrong, sometimes it does. It’s important for nurses to be prepared in the event that a lawsuit is ever filed against you. Today we’ve invited attorney Nick Dowgul to the show to tell us more about the legal process and what can happen to your nursing license after a lawsuit. There’s a lot to learn and we want to make sure you are able to protect yourself and your career.

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