Updated: Jan 29
The Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists’ Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee is chaired by Bimpe “Bebe” Adenusi, PhD, CRNA, APRN, CNE, FAANA, FNAP.
Other members include:
Dr. Dawn Bent, DNP, CRNA, FAANA
Keith Wieland, CRNA, MSN
Jacqueline Johnson, CRNA
Michael Willie, CRNA
Perpetua Auguste, SRNA
Ledys Janett, SRNA
Check out this video where they share their passion for DEI work and its importance to the association and profession!
It's here! The Beyond the Mask podcast taping from PANA's Spring Symposium in Hershey! #ICYMI in person, Jeremy Stanley, CFP, AIF and Sharon Pearce, MSN, CRNA sat down with #CRNAinPA Brett Fadgen back on Saturday, May 6th to hear more about his personal story, which includes a timeline of the innovations and opportunities for CRNAs, once believed to be unattainable.
🍫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.
Here are some of the things you’ll learn on this show:
🔹 Brett’s childhood and growing up with a congenital defect. (3:21)
🔹 The journey from being a paramedic to RN to anesthesia school. (9:05)
🔹 The challenges he faced in anesthesia school. (13:47)
🔹 The contact he has with other people with limitations that are interested in anesthesia. (23:55)
🔹 What questions do patients ask? (26:15)
🔹 The final message Brett has for people. (32:00)
🎧 Listen to this episode below via Spotify or via Soundcloud.
More about Brett: CRNA Inspires by Defying Stereotypes, Exceeding Expectations (panaforqualitycare.com)
Visit us online: http://beyondthemaskpodcast.com.
Get the CE certificate here.
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Posted April 11, 2023 by Penn State Health News
Prolung Ngin, a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, said she was inspired to become a health care practitioner at a young age when she was her mother’s interpreter during her doctor’s visits and hospitalizations. Her family had fled Cambodia as political refugees and settled in the United States, where Ngin said she admired the doctors and nurses who cared for her mother. That motivated her to learn to care for her mother and others as well.
Ngin studied to become a nurse at Villanova University near Philadelphia and planned to become a pediatric critical care nurse practitioner. Part of her pediatric critical care transport training involved performing advanced airway management in the operating room. Her interactions with other CRNAs piqued her interest in pursuing certification in the field, which she said were a natural fit with her experience in pediatric critical care and transport.
A CRNA specialty, Ngin added, “allows a marriage of advanced critical care skills, the technical skills, advanced knowledge and skill sets required to take of care of patients in a variety of settings.”
After graduating from the nurse anesthesia program in 2010, Ngin began working at Hershey Medical Center, where she said she enjoys providing care to its diverse patient population.
Diversity in the nurse anesthetist field was challenging when she was enrolled in the anesthesia program at Villanova, Ngin said. At that time 85% of the students were white, 14% were Asian and there was no Black or Latino representation in the program. She compared those statistics to the current composition of CRNAs at Penn State Health, which is predominantly white, with 6% Asian and 8% Black CRNAs but no Latino representation.
Reflecting on the impact of diversity in her field, Ngin shared that she feels socially isolated from time to time and “invisible” as a minority female. Because English is her second language, she experiences occasional microaggressions, she said.
While there is always room for improvement, “I think it’s been very positive that there is a systemwide push for inclusion and diversity at Penn State Health,” Ngin said. “By doing this, we are meeting the need of our growing diverse patient population. I think we are moving in a good direction.”
One way Penn State Health is helping to meet the needs of its diverse patients is by being flexible with its medical processes, allowing families to be a part of their child’s care in the hospital. She also noted the health system’s effort to address language barrier challenges through certified interpreters, appreciating different cultural beliefs and traditions and providing equitable care to all, no matter their socioeconomic background.
The best approach to addressing diversity issues, Ngin said, is by “leaders and educators continuing to promote a culture of acceptance, understanding and empathy toward diverse individuals, staff and patients.”
After CRNAs earn a bachelor’s degree, become a registered nurse and gain experience in critical care, they must also earn either a doctorate in nursing practice or in nurse anesthesia practice and pass a national board certification exam before obtaining a license to practice in their state.
CRNA patient care responsibilities include:
Administering anesthesia before, during and after surgery
Monitoring a patient’s response to anesthesia
Educate patients before and after they receive anesthesia
The advance practice providers at Penn State Health include certified registered nurse practitioners, physician assistants, certified registered nurse anesthetists, certified nurse midwives and clinical nurse specialists. Rigorously trained and credentialed, APPs work collaboratively with other health care providers to offer patients the highest level of care possible. This is the second feature in our APP Spotlight series. See the March APP Spotlight feature on nurse practitioners.
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