Tag: anesthesia school

Categories
Anesthesia Education Preparing for Grad School/Residency Wellness

#106 – What we know about anesthesia school formatting – Cassie Capps

What’s up yall! I am back after a few months off from the podcast. This is episode 106 – following up: what we know about anesthesia school formatting with Cassie Capps.

This is a follow up show to the episode that Cassie brought to us back in December on the effects of anesthesia school didactic formatting on resident wellbeing… whether in-person, online, synchronous or asynchronous styles have any effect on your wellbeing as a trainee.

Before we get to this show, I’ve got a couple updates for you… our crew at Maine Medical Center has been on a bit of tour this spring attending conferences, job fairs and universities telling the story about our team and why we may be where you want to invest your career as an anesthesia provider. Cat Godfrey & April Bourgoin were just down at AANA’s Mid Year Assembly in Washington D.C. and then Cat made her way on to University of North Carolina at Greensboro to chat with the residents at Terry Wick’s program. She followed up dropping in on UNC-G with a virtual lunch & learn session with Mary Baldwin University’s anesthesia program over in Virginia. And then, Kristin and I just returned last week from Florida International University’s job fair down in Miami. We were so happy to know that even the locals thought it was super hot cause oooooooo….eeeeeeee… it was swimmy humid and all kinda hot down in the Sunshine State. We were stoked to meet a bunch of FIU anesthesia residents and tell yall about our absolutely gorgeous summers and four season climate up in Maine and how we’re probably where you want to start your career if you’re looking for a top notch level 1 trauma center to be at where you’re treated with respect, well-supported and want to join a thriving team that has a ton of fun working together. Just saying.

Part of my intention with Anesthesia Guidebook is to help CRNAs make a successful transition to practice and if you’re looking to do high acuity work in a busy tertiary medical center surrounded by an amazing team and in a phenomenal location, drop me a line and we can chat. I’d love to tell you more about our crew and see if we’re a good fit for where you’re headed.

In other news, this fall I’m teaching at Encore Symposium’s Autumn in Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park conference. If you’re looking for a spot to come knock out some continuing education this year, Encore is headed back to Bar Harbor, Maine, which is just outside of Acadia National Park, from October 14-17. If you’ve never been to Acadia, or Bar Harbor or Maine… this is your chance. Come check it out. Acadia in October is simply stunning… a national park, on an island, in Maine. With your anesthesia friends! You’ll be hard pressed to find a cooler spot to come get your learn on. Hope to see you there!

All right… with that, let’s get to this show. Cassie Capps is back. We first heard from Cassie in late December 2024 on episode 99 of Anesthesia Guidebook and now she’s back to walk us through the impact of anesthesia school didactic formatting on resident wellbeing. Thank to everyone who took Cassie’s survey and provided your insights… the data was actually a bit surprising so let me re-introduce Cassie to you and then she’s gonna get right to it.

This podcast was part of Cassie Capps’ Doctor of Nursing Practice in anesthesiology program at the University of Arizona. Prior to anesthesia training, Cassie was a CVICU Registered Nurse for 8 years and worked in the cath lab for 5 years before that. Prior to nursing school, Cassie completed a Master’s degree in music with a focus on Piano Performance & Pedagogy. Cassie continued to teach piano on the side while completing her doctorate in anesthesiology at the University of Arizona.

Her unique experience with anesthesia school included moving through her program as a single mom of an 11 year old daughter. She also continues to play a big role in the lives of her two former stepdaughters, who are now young adults. 

This podcast is coming out in May of 2024 and with that, let’s get to the show!

References

Alajmi, B., & Alasousi, H. (2019). Understanding and motivating academic library employees: theoretical implications. Library management, 40(3/4), 203-214. https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-10-2017-0111

Baqutayan, S. M. S. (2015). Stress and Coping Mechanisms: A Historical Overview. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences; Vol 6, No 2 S1 (2015): March 2015. https://www.mcser.org/journal/index.php/mjss/article/view/5927/5699

Berry, G. R., & Hughes, H. (2020). Integrating Work-Life Balance with 24/7 Information and Communication Technologies: The Experience of Adult Students With Online Learning. The American journal of distance education, 34(2), 91-105. https://doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2020.1701301

Botha, E., Gwin, T., & Purpora, C. (2015). The effectiveness of mindfulness based programs in reducing stress experienced by nurses in adult hospital settings: a systematic review of quantitative evidence protocol. JBI database of systematic reviews and implementation reports, 13(10), 21-29. https://doi.org/10.11124/jbisrir-2015-2380

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Poor nutrition. https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/factsheets/nutrition.htm

Columbia University. (2022). How sleep deprivation impacts mental health. https://www.columbiapsychiatry.org/news/how-sleep-deprivation-affects-your-mental-health

Conner, M. (2015). Self-Efficacy, Stress, and Social Support in Retention of Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists [Article]. AANA Journal, 83(2), 133-138. http://ezproxy.library.arizona.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=asn&AN=102321364&site=ehost-live

Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA). (2020, 3/22/21). FAQ’s and statement regarding meeting clinical requirements. https://www.coacrna.org/coa-statement-regarding-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/

Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA). (2022). List of accredited educational programs. https://www.coacrna.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/List-of-Accredited-Educational-Programs-July-18-2022-1.pdf

Day, C. M. F., Lakatos, K. M., Dalley, C. B., Eshkevari, L., & O’Guin, C. (2022). The Experience of Burnout in the SRNA Population and Association With Situational and Demographic Factors. AANA Journal, 90(6), 447-453. 

Desmet, P., & Fokkinga, S. (2020). Beyond maslow’s pyramid: Introducing a typology of thirteen fundamental needs for human-centered design. Multimodal technologies and interaction, 4(3), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.3390/mti4030038

Freitas, F. A., & Leonard, L. J. (2011). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and student academic success. Teaching and learning in nursing, 6(1), 9-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2010.07.004

Griffin, A., Yancey, V., & Dudley, M. (2017). Wellness and thriving in a student registered nurse anesthetist population. AANA Journal, 85(5), 325-330. 

Hale, A. J., Ricotta, D. N., Freed, J., Smith, C. C., & Huang, G. C. (2019). Adapting Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as a Framework for Resident Wellness. Teaching and Learning in Medicine, 31(1), 109-118. https://doi.org/10.1080/10401334.2018.1456928

Harwood, K. J., McDonald, P. L., Butler, J. T., Drago, D., & Schlumpf, K. S. (2018). Comparing student outcomes in traditional vs intensive, online graduate programs in health professional education. BMC medical education, 18(1), 240-240. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-018-1343-7

Hoffman, H. J., & Elmi, A. F. (2020). Comparing Student Performance in a Graduate-Level Introductory Biostatistics Course Using an Online versus a Traditional in-Person Learning Environment. Journal of statistics and data science education, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1080/10691898.2020.1841592

Imus, F. S., & Burns, S. (2015). What to Consider Before Beginning Graduate Education: A Pilot Study. AANA J, 83(5), 345-350. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26638456

Imus, F. S., Burns, S., & Weglarz, D. M. (2017). Self-efficacy and graduate education in a nurse Anesthesia program: A pilot study. AANA Journal, 85(3), 205-216. 

Institute for Healthcare Improvement. (2023). How to improve. https://www.ihi.org/resources/Pages/HowtoImprove/ScienceofImprovementHowtoImprove.aspx

Kondo, M. C., Jacoby, S. F., & South, E. C. (2018). Does spending time outdoors reduce stress? A review of real-time stress response to outdoor environments. Health & place, 51, 136-150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2018.03.001

Lowrance, J. (2023). Anesthesia Guidebook. https://anesthesiaguidebook.com

Malek-Ismail, J. (2021). Thriving in the First Semester of Graduate School: A Process of Rebalancing and Self-Determination. The American journal of occupational therapy, 75(S2), 7512520410-7512520410p7512520411. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2021.75S2-RP410

Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370-396. 

Mesisca, J., & Mainwaring, J. (2021). Stress, Anxiety, and Well-being in Nurse Anesthesia Doctoral Students. AANA J,89(5), 396-402. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34586993

Montag, C., Sindermann, C., Lester, D., & Davis, K. L. (2020). Linking individual differences in satisfaction with each of Maslow’s needs to the Big Five personality traits and Panksepp’s primary emotional systems. Heliyon, 6(7), e04325-e04325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04325

National Center for Education Statistics. (2021). Table 9. Unduplicated headcount enrollment at Title IV institutions, by control of institution, student level, level of institution, and distance education status of student: United States, 2020–21. In: U.S. Department of Education.

Osaili, T. M., Ismail, L. C., ElMehdi, H. M., Al-Nabulsi, A. A., Taybeh, A. O., Saleh, S. T., Kassem, H., Alkhalidy, H., Ali, H. I., Al Dhaheri, A. S., & Stojanovska, L. (2023). Comparison of students’ perceptions of online and hybrid learning modalities during the covid-19 pandemic: The case of the University of Sharjah. PLoS One, 18(3), e0283513. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0283513

Palmer, L., amp, J. M., Ren, D., & Henker, R. (2014). Comparison of Nurse Anesthesia Student 12 Lead EKG Knowledge, Interpretation Skill, Satisfaction and Attitude: Traditional Instruction vs. Asynchronous Online Video Lecture. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 10(3), 420-n/a. https://ezproxy.library.arizona.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/comparison-nurse-anesthesia-student-12-lead-ekg/docview/1650489030/se-2?accountid=8360

Papaleontiou–Louca, E., Esmailnia, S., & Thoma, N. (2022). A Critical Review of Maslow’s Theory of Spirituality. Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health, 24(4), 327-343. https://doi.org/10.1080/19349637.2021.1932694

Pecka, S. L., Kotcherlakota, S., & Berger, A. M. (2014). Community of inquiry model: Advancing distance learning in nurse anesthesia education. AANA Journal, 82(3), 212-218. 

Polit, D., & Beck, C. (2020). Nursing Research. Philadelphia, UNITED STATES Wolters Kluwer Health. 

Pressman, S. D., Gallagher, M. W., & Lopez, S. J. (2013). Is the Emotion-Health Connection a “First-World Problem”? Psychological science, 24(4), 544-549. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797612457382

Wilson, J. T., Gibbons, S. W., & Wofford, K. (2015). Process Improvement: Addressing Attrition from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Nurse Anesthesia Program. AANA J, 83(5), 351-356. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26638457

Worthen, M., & Cash, E. (2022). Stress Management. StatPearls [Internet], Jan. 2022. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513300/

Yaribeygi, H., Panahi, Y., Sahraei, H., Johnston, T. P., & Sahebkar, A. (2017). The impact of stress on body function: A review. Excli j, 16, 1057-1072. https://doi.org/10.17179/excli2017-480

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Anesthesia Education Preparing for Grad School/Residency Wellness

#99 – The Effects of Anesthesia School Didactic Formatting on Resident Wellbeing – Cassie Capps

Cassie Capps, BSN, SRNA joins me to talk about the effects of didactic formatting in anesthesia training on resident wellbeing including stress, anxiety, confidence and academic performance. Her specific focus is on the mix of online versus in-person course work for nurse anesthesia trainees.

Cassie overviews what the literature says about this topic and is looking for YOU to join her efforts by completing a very quick survey about your experience at the end of this podcast.

The survey HAS CLOSED.

Cassie is completing her Doctor of Nursing Practice in anesthesiology at the University of Arizona and this study is part of her doctoral work. Prior to anesthesia training, Cassie was a CVICU Registered Nurse for 8 years and worked in the cath lab for 5 years before that. Prior to nursing school, Cassie completed a Master’s degree in music with a focus on Piano Performance & Pedagogy. She continues to teach piano on the side while completing her doctorate in anesthesiology at the University of Arizona.

Her unique experience with anesthesia school included moving through her program as a single mom of an 11 year old daughter. She also continues to play a big role in the lives of her two former stepdaughters who are now young adults.

This podcast is coming out on December 26, 2023. I hope you’ve had an amazing year and am thrilled to bring this episode to you. Please take a moment and complete the survey and help Cassie get some solid data for her project. Stay tuned because I plan to reconnect with Cassie in a couple of months after she’s crunched the numbers and see what she’s learned.

REFERENCES

Alajmi, B., & Alasousi, H. (2019). Understanding and motivating academic library employees: theoretical implications. Library management, 40(3/4), 203-214. https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-10-2017-0111

Baqutayan, S. M. S. (2015). Stress and Coping Mechanisms: A Historical Overview. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences; Vol 6, No 2 S1 (2015): March 2015. https://www.mcser.org/journal/index.php/mjss/article/view/5927/5699

Berry, G. R., & Hughes, H. (2020). Integrating Work-Life Balance with 24/7 Information and Communication Technologies: The Experience of Adult Students With Online Learning. The American journal of distance education, 34(2), 91-105. https://doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2020.1701301

Botha, E., Gwin, T., & Purpora, C. (2015). The effectiveness of mindfulness based programs in reducing stress experienced by nurses in adult hospital settings: a systematic review of quantitative evidence protocol. JBI database of systematic reviews and implementation reports, 13(10), 21-29. https://doi.org/10.11124/jbisrir-2015-2380

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Poor nutrition. https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/factsheets/nutrition.htm

Columbia University. (2022). How sleep deprivation impacts mental health. https://www.columbiapsychiatry.org/news/how-sleep-deprivation-affects-your-mental-health

Conner, M. (2015). Self-Efficacy, Stress, and Social Support in Retention of Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists [Article]. AANA Journal, 83(2), 133-138. http://ezproxy.library.arizona.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=asn&AN=102321364&site=ehost-live

Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA). (2020, 3/22/21). FAQ’s and statement regarding meeting clinical requirements. https://www.coacrna.org/coa-statement-regarding-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/

Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA). (2022). List of accredited educational programs. https://www.coacrna.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/List-of-Accredited-Educational-Programs-July-18-2022-1.pdf

Day, C. M. F., Lakatos, K. M., Dalley, C. B., Eshkevari, L., & O’Guin, C. (2022). The Experience of Burnout in the SRNA Population and Association With Situational and Demographic Factors. AANA Journal, 90(6), 447-453. 

Desmet, P., & Fokkinga, S. (2020). Beyond maslow’s pyramid: Introducing a typology of thirteen fundamental needs for human-centered design. Multimodal technologies and interaction, 4(3), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.3390/mti4030038

Freitas, F. A., & Leonard, L. J. (2011). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and student academic success. Teaching and learning in nursing, 6(1), 9-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2010.07.004

Griffin, A., Yancey, V., & Dudley, M. (2017). Wellness and thriving in a student registered nurse anesthetist population. AANA Journal, 85(5), 325-330. 

Hale, A. J., Ricotta, D. N., Freed, J., Smith, C. C., & Huang, G. C. (2019). Adapting Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as a Framework for Resident Wellness. Teaching and Learning in Medicine, 31(1), 109-118. https://doi.org/10.1080/10401334.2018.1456928

Harwood, K. J., McDonald, P. L., Butler, J. T., Drago, D., & Schlumpf, K. S. (2018). Comparing student outcomes in traditional vs intensive, online graduate programs in health professional education. BMC medical education, 18(1), 240-240. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-018-1343-7

Hoffman, H. J., & Elmi, A. F. (2020). Comparing Student Performance in a Graduate-Level Introductory Biostatistics Course Using an Online versus a Traditional in-Person Learning Environment. Journal of statistics and data science education, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1080/10691898.2020.1841592

Imus, F. S., & Burns, S. (2015). What to Consider Before Beginning Graduate Education: A Pilot Study. AANA J, 83(5), 345-350. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26638456

Imus, F. S., Burns, S., & Weglarz, D. M. (2017). Self-efficacy and graduate education in a nurse Anesthesia program: A pilot study. AANA Journal, 85(3), 205-216. 

Institute for Healthcare Improvement. (2023). How to improve. https://www.ihi.org/resources/Pages/HowtoImprove/ScienceofImprovementHowtoImprove.aspx

Kondo, M. C., Jacoby, S. F., & South, E. C. (2018). Does spending time outdoors reduce stress? A review of real-time stress response to outdoor environments. Health & place, 51, 136-150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2018.03.001

Lowrance, J. (2023). Anesthesia Guidebook. https://anesthesiaguidebook.com

Malek-Ismail, J. (2021). Thriving in the First Semester of Graduate School: A Process of Rebalancing and Self-Determination. The American journal of occupational therapy, 75(S2), 7512520410-7512520410p7512520411. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2021.75S2-RP410

Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370-396. 

Mesisca, J., & Mainwaring, J. (2021). Stress, Anxiety, and Well-being in Nurse Anesthesia Doctoral Students. AANA J,89(5), 396-402. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34586993

Montag, C., Sindermann, C., Lester, D., & Davis, K. L. (2020). Linking individual differences in satisfaction with each of Maslow’s needs to the Big Five personality traits and Panksepp’s primary emotional systems. Heliyon, 6(7), e04325-e04325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04325

National Center for Education Statistics. (2021). Table 9. Unduplicated headcount enrollment at Title IV institutions, by control of institution, student level, level of institution, and distance education status of student: United States, 2020–21. In: U.S. Department of Education.

Osaili, T. M., Ismail, L. C., ElMehdi, H. M., Al-Nabulsi, A. A., Taybeh, A. O., Saleh, S. T., Kassem, H., Alkhalidy, H., Ali, H. I., Al Dhaheri, A. S., & Stojanovska, L. (2023). Comparison of students’ perceptions of online and hybrid learning modalities during the covid-19 pandemic: The case of the University of Sharjah. PLoS One, 18(3), e0283513. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0283513

Palmer, L., amp, J. M., Ren, D., & Henker, R. (2014). Comparison of Nurse Anesthesia Student 12 Lead EKG Knowledge, Interpretation Skill, Satisfaction and Attitude: Traditional Instruction vs. Asynchronous Online Video Lecture. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 10(3), 420-n/a. https://ezproxy.library.arizona.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/comparison-nurse-anesthesia-student-12-lead-ekg/docview/1650489030/se-2?accountid=8360

Papaleontiou–Louca, E., Esmailnia, S., & Thoma, N. (2022). A Critical Review of Maslow’s Theory of Spirituality. Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health, 24(4), 327-343. https://doi.org/10.1080/19349637.2021.1932694

Pecka, S. L., Kotcherlakota, S., & Berger, A. M. (2014). Community of inquiry model: Advancing distance learning in nurse anesthesia education. AANA Journal, 82(3), 212-218. 

Polit, D., & Beck, C. (2020). Nursing Research. Philadelphia, UNITED STATES Wolters Kluwer Health. 

Pressman, S. D., Gallagher, M. W., & Lopez, S. J. (2013). Is the Emotion-Health Connection a “First-World Problem”? Psychological science, 24(4), 544-549. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797612457382

Wilson, J. T., Gibbons, S. W., & Wofford, K. (2015). Process Improvement: Addressing Attrition from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Nurse Anesthesia Program. AANA J, 83(5), 351-356. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26638457

Worthen, M., & Cash, E. (2022). Stress Management. StatPearls [Internet], Jan. 2022. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513300/

Yaribeygi, H., Panahi, Y., Sahraei, H., Johnston, T. P., & Sahebkar, A. (2017). The impact of stress on body function: A review. Excli j, 16, 1057-1072. https://doi.org/10.17179/excli2017-480

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Categories
Anesthesia Education Anesthesia Equipment and Technology Business/Finances Preparing for Grad School/Residency

#96 – Virtual Reality in Anesthesia Education: SIMVANA with Peter Stallo

What up yall this is Jon Lowrance and this is episode 96 – virtual reality in anesthesia education: SIMVANA with Peter Stallo.  

This show is coming out in early August of 2023.

First up: I want to give a quick heads up that our team from Maine Medical Center where I currently serve as chief CRNA will be at the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology Annual Congress in a couple of weeks in Seattle.  If you’re headed to AANA’s Annual Congress this year, be sure to swing by the exhibit hall and check out the MaineHealth booth.  My friends & colleagues April Bourgoin, Cat Godfrey & Steve Breznyak will be there to tell you all about career opportunities at our level 1 trauma hospital, Maine Medical Center, and other MaineHealth hospitals.  We have everything from independent, CRNA-only practices to a high acuity level 1 trauma center within MaineHealth, so if you’re interested in finding out more about what life looks like in the upper right hand corner pocket of the US, come chat with us!  I believe Peter Stallo with SIMVANA – who we’re talking with today on the show – will also be at Annual Congress, so be sure to swing by and tell him you listened to this episode and see what SIMVANA is about in person!  

This show is very interesting for a couple of reasons:

  1. I’m stoked to talk with Peter Stallo.  Peter created Prodigy Anesthesia back in 2004.  This was probably the very first computer-based anesthesia educational & board preparation study tool.  Kids these days can’t imagine getting through anesthesia training without programs like this.  And Prodigy is what Kristin & I exclusively used to study for boards back in 2015… so I’m personally very grateful for Peter’s development of that program.  (side note… I have no financial ties with Peter, Prodigy or SIMVANA to disclose… this just pure gratitude I’m working with here).
  2. I’m also stoked about what we’re going to chat about.  Virtual reality simulation will likely become a central aspect of anesthesia training in the future.  As the technology becomes more widely available and the user experience further developed and refined, programs like SIMVANA will likely become ubiquitous… just like with Prodigy over the last 20 years.

I’m reminded of something Elon Musk stated in a documentary about SpaceX.  Now, I don’t know how you feel about Twitter becoming X & how Elon is reshaping that organization or many of his other decisions.  But I think we can agree on the fact that the man has created & lead some remarkable organizations built on tenacious visions of what’s possible for the future.  In this documentary on SpaceX, Elon talked about how progress isn’t inevitable.  Some people just assume that the future will be better… that space travel will become routine or that will we become a multi planetary species or that we’ll solve for global warming & climate change.  But these things won’t actually happen unless individuals first imagine that they’re possible and then 2) put the work in to bring them into fruition.  Elon is someone who has devoted himself into putting the work into creating paths to a better future.

Similarly, Peter Stallo is someone who didn’t stop progressing after he passed boards back in 2004.  I always say that boards is an amazing finish line & culmination of years of preparation & hard work.  We’re in that season again right now as anesthesia programs & residencies wrap up between May, June, July & August.  It’s awesome to watch trainees make that transition from graduation into clinical practice.  So while boards is a finish line of sorts, it’s also a starting line.  It’s when the start gun goes off for the rest of your career.  And back in 2004, just after Peter took boards, he got back to work.  With 2 master’s degrees in healthcare behind him, he set about creating Prodigy Anesthesia.  Then in 2014, he completed a Graduate Certificate in Orchestral Composition for Film and Games from Berkley College of Music… I didn’t even know there was just a thing.  And in 2018, he began developing a virtual reality anesthesia training program which would eventually become SIMVANA.  Peter picked up his third Master’s Degree – yes, his THIRD, in 2021 from the University of Alabama in healthcare simulation and is currently working towards completing a PhD in healthcare simulation from Massachusetts General Hospital Institute for Health Professions.  

What’s remarkable, is that Peter’s career has spanned the timeframe from when anesthesia boards was a pen & paper exam, through his development of one of the leading digital board preparation programs and now into the first virtual reality anesthesia simulation program.  Peter has embodied the very idea that Elon Musk talked about:  progress isn’t inevitable.  Having virtual reality as an available tool for anesthesia training – whether you’re in Cincinnati, Canberra or Cape Town – isn’t automatically going to be a thing.  Someone’s got to put the time in.  Or better yet, a team of someones, which Peter will talk about in this show.  

So with that, let’s get to the story… 

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Categories
Anesthesia Education Clinical Tips Preparing for Grad School/Residency

#76 – Thrive in Training: the SEE & NCE exams

This episode covers the NBCRNA’s SEE & NCE exams for SRNAs/RRNAs. Get these on lock down. Thrive in training.

The Self-Evaluation Exam (SEE) is a 240-question computerized adaptive exam that’s designed for three reasons:

  1. help the SRNA gauge their progress in their training program
  2. help program faculty gauge how well they’re preparing students
  3. help SRNAs prepare for the NCE board exam

NBCRNA’s website for the SEE is here: SEE Resources.

The National Certification Exam (NCE) is the board exam required to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA).

The NCE is a 100-170 question computerized adaptive exam that includes 30 random, non-graded questions. All examinees will take at least 100 questions. The exam shuts off between 100 – 170 questions once a minimum passing (or failing) standard is met. The cost of NCE is $995 and is available only to graduates of accredited nurse anesthesiology training programs.

NBCRNA’s website for the NCE is here: NCE Resources.

The NBCRNA also provides an exam tutorial for the SEE/NCE, which is an extremely valuable resources: SEE/NCE Exam Tutorial.

In this podcast, I break down the SEE & NCE in detail and share advice for how to approach both exams. I also go in-depth on preparation for the NCE in episode 14 of Anesthesia Guidebook with expert-exam coach, LTC Peter Strube, DNP, CRNA. Dr Strube has coached nurse anesthesia trainees in passing boards both ahead of their initial try at boards and, most often, after they’ve failed. His insights are invaluable for preparing for boards so I’d definitely recommend checking out that episode.

I will also hit on the NCE in an upcoming show about wrapping up training and preparing for the transition to practice.

You can watch the trailer for SOMM here.

As always, drop me an email, IG/Facebook message or comment here on the website with your questions or comments.

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Anesthesia Education Business/Finances Preparing for Grad School/Residency Wellness

#59 – How to Achieve Your Goals

This is episode 59 – How To Achieve Your Goals.  This is one of my favorite episodes and the content here is something that I come back to again and again.  I’ve listened to it probably 5 or 6 times since I first released it and every time I come back to this, I leave with refreshed clarity around what’s important and a renewed sense of how to move forward.

This episode was first released in January 2020 on From the Head of the Bed – the podcast that was the podcast before Anesthesia Guidebook.  You know, the thing we did before we did this thing.  Cause there’s always a thing before the thing.  Or the thing behind the thing.  There’s evolutions to what we do.  Chapters.  Seasons.  Change and growth and movement.  I talked about that a bit on the last episode about the rhythms in your life…

This episode is a follow up to that.  The last episode was really about how to rest and carve out time to restore your energy and clear you mind.  This one is about how to set a trajectory in your life and do the work to achieve your goals.  

Transcript: #59 How to Achieve Your GoalsDownload

References

Ericsson, A., & Pool, R. (2016). Peak: Secrets from the new science of expertise. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Dweck, C. S. (2008). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House Digital, Inc.. 

Dalio, R. (2018). Principles. Simon and Schuster. 

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Anesthesia Education Preparing for Grad School/Residency Wellness

#24 – Social media leverage & landmines with Jason Bolt, DNP, CRNA

Jason Bolt, DNP, CRNA is a social media influencer in the anesthesia community and can be found @bolt_crna.

Dr. Jason Bolt, DNP, CRNA is a YouTuber and social media influencer in the anesthesia community. He graduated from Union University with his doctorate in anesthesia in 2019 and now practices in a collaborative group in the Bay Area. He offers mentorship through his YouTube channel memberships and enjoys helping others reach their goals in nursing and in anesthesia. He volunteers as a member of the AANA Communications Committee and is active in advocating for CRNAs on a legislative level. He is better known online as Bolt CRNA and you can find him @bolt_CRNA on YouTube, Instagram, Tiktok and Facebook. 

We talk about the pitfalls and leverage points of social media for anesthesia learners and other healthcare learners including nursing & medical students.

10 tips for surviving anesthesia training and your social media life:

  1. Make your posts anonymous relative to your school & clinical sites. (Avoid posting your school or clinical site names… like HIPAA, but for your school & clinical sites.)
  2. Avoid posting protected patient health information. This is obvious… and all about HIPAA.
  3. Keep your posts POSITIVE about healthcare. Rep your career path and the path of others in healthcare in the best light possible. Your posts reflect you as a provider and the profession in general.
  4. Avoid posting anything that may offend someone else. This is a tough one… especially when folks like Joe Rogan score multi-million dollar contracts to speak their mind. But you’re not Joe Rogan. (#yourenotjoerogan) You’re a student/learner… the more you piss people off by your posts & opinions, the harder (not easier) your path may be.
  5. Post & surf on your own time. Social media & any electronic communication is time stamped and discoverable. Practice vigilance at work and your profile pic at home.
  6. Avoid the usual pitfalls of social media… politics, religion, racism, sexism, demeaning posts/tags/likes/shares, etc.
  7. For content producers: be authentic, be honest, be truthful and cite peer-reviewed, professional sources in your posts if you’re talking about medical information. Be legit. What you & others post is not “peer reviewed” or edited by experts, so be extremely careful if you’re producing medical education for the world.
  8. Understand that your preceptors, faculty, professors, attendings, employers, program directors and legal teams at institutions (if necessary) will check you out on social media… post only what you want your employer and your mother to see.
  9. Rep your style. Do you. Tell people who you are & the path you’re on… real life stories gain traction more than fabricated realities. Have fun, find the others, connect with people, network and believe in the open, beautiful, hopeful world that social media is great at promoting.
  10. Be well. Shun the unbelievers, haters, trolls & hateful people. Block ’em. Don’t even engage. Watch the Social Dilemma. And then limit your time on social media with alerts on your phone. Go live your real life and be well.
Jason Bolt, DNP, CRNA making it look easy. Follow him @bolt_CRNA. #boltCRNA

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Anesthesia Education Personal Finances Preparing for Grad School/Residency

#6 – Van life in anesthesia school with Marcus House

Marcus House, BSN, SRNA rocking his 1995 E350 Ford ambulance as his home on wheels while pursuing his doctorate in nurse anesthesia practice.

Today I talk with Marcus House, BSN, SRNA about his decision to live in an ambulance during remote clinical rotations in anesthesia school. Marcus is currently working towards completing his Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice at Missouri State University. He holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Education and Nursing, both from Southeast Missouri State University. Marcus worked for 7 years as a high school science teacher alongside his wife, Casey, also a high school teacher, before returning to nursing school. He spent 3 years working in a CVICU prior to pursuing his doctorate degree in anesthesia. He would like you to know that he “knows when to hold ’em, AND when to fold ’em, [he] once owned a Nintendo Power Glove and [he’s] comfortable being either ‘big spoon’ or ‘little spoon’.”

In all seriousness, choosing to go mobile for your housing arrangements during graduate school or residency, depending on your clinical rotations, may make a lot of sense. As Marcus points out in the podcast, he’s saving money compared to the cost of rent while enjoying a personalized home on wheels that will be his to keep after anesthesia school. With many graduate anesthesia programs sending their SRNAs wide and far for clinical rotations, it can be extremely challenging to find affordable housing on the fly in grad school while still maintaining rent or a mortgage at a home base.

You don’t have to look far on the internet webs to find a virtual plethora of blog sites, Instagram & Pinterest feeds and YouTube channels dedicated to #vanlife for ideas & guides on build outs.

I put a few photos of Marcus’ ambulance, Bernice, below and you’ll find several more at Anesthesia Guidebook’s Instagram page. I’ll also include some photos on Instagram from a Sprinter van build that my wife and I completed after we finished anesthesia school. While we were able to get through our program in traditional housing, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed having a van for weekend to multi-week road trip adventures after grad school.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to Marcus via Facebook or email (Marcus.House1@gmail.com) (that’s Marcus-dot-house, the number one, at gmail.com) or drop a question/comment below, on Instagram or directly to me via email (jon@anesthesiaguidebook.com) if you want to talk about van life in anesthesia school in more detail.

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Anesthesia Education Preparing for Grad School/Residency

#5 – The CRNA Chase with Kiki Mattress, MSNA, CRNA

Kiki Mattress, MSNA, CRNA runs the blog The CRNA Chase.

Kiki Mattress, MSNA, CRNA runs the blog The CRNA Chase which seeks to “empower, inspire, and educate” people who are interested in becoming CRNAs.

In this episode, I talk with Kiki about her journey to become a CRNA and her passion for helping others understand and be successful on that same path.

“Don’t just talk about it, be about it!” Kiki Mattress, MSNA, CRNA on what it takes to become a CRNA.

Kiki’s professional career started after an Associate’s Degree in Engineering from Tri-County Technical College.  After working in engineering and deciding it wasn’t the path she wanted to continue on, Kiki returned to Tri-County for a diploma as a surgical technologist.  While she was working in the OR as a surgical tech she first met a CRNA who became a mentor to her and encouraged her to return to nursing and then anesthesia school.  Kiki took up that path with another Associate’s Degree in Nursing from Tri-County followed by her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of South Carolina Upstate and then her Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia from the University of New England.  Upon graduating from UNE, Kiki moved back to South Carolina where she works as an independently contracting CRNA. 

You don’t want to miss this episode and if you’re already a SRNA or CRNA, forward this show on to the people you know who are thinking about becoming CRNAs!

Resources:

The CRNA Chase Blog

Follow The CRNA Chase on Twitter

Connect with Kiki Mattress on LinkedIn

Itzkoff, D. (2020, September 16). Chris Rock Tried to Warn Us. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com

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Anesthesia Education

#1 – Anesthesia Guidebook Origin Story

the go-to guide for anesthesia providers

Welcome! You made it! This is episode 1: the origin story, the backdrop, the context to who we are, where we’re from and where we are headed. Check out the podcast in your favorite player or right here on the website to hear our story, which is all about YOUR STORY!

You’re on a path to becoming an expert anesthesia provider… we’re here to help guide you.

Everything we do is designed to help you master your craft. 

Anesthesia providers hold their patients’ lives in their hands during every case. You never know when you will face crashing hemodynamics, a lost airway or a life-threatening surgical problem… and each of these emergencies can be complicated by your patients’ pathophysiology, suboptimal systems of care that surround you and/or your individual preparedness for the moment.

Anesthesia Guidebook will help you deepen your practice so that you can come through for your patients when it counts.

If you’re just starting to explore the absolutely fascinating world of anesthesia, maybe as a critical care Registered Nurse, medical student, anesthesia resident or SRNA, we have stories, guides and resources specifically designed with you in mind.

Anesthesia Guidebook is also for those seasoned providers who are looking to level up, dig deeper, stay fresh and develop new skills. We’ll bring you the latest on evidence-based medicine and emerging trends & techniques in the anesthesia community, so you can stay sharp and give your patients and students your best.

Renowned psychologist and best selling author on human performance & expertise, Anders Ericsson, has said:

“Most professionals reach a stable, average level of performance within a relatively short time frame and maintain this mediocre status for the rest of their careers.” (Ericsson, 2004)

Ericsson’s words throw down the gauntlet for anesthesia providers. And the stakes couldn’t be higher. The most vulnerable times in our patients lives often begin when we say “hello.” We have an esteemed responsibility to meet the demand for clinical expertise & assure high functioning systems of care that our patients expect, deserve and entrust their lives to.

Anesthesia Guidebook will bring you compelling stories, e-books and other resources built around pathophysiology, pharmacology, airway management, human performance and team dynamics, all tailored to the high stakes environment you work in.  Your path to becoming an expert anesthesia provider – to mastering your craft – will be the focus of everything we do.

Sources:

Ericsson, K. A. (2004). Deliberate practice and the acquisition and maintenance of expert performance in medicine and related domains. Academic medicine, 79(10), S70-S81.

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