Who’s Who? PANA President Debra Minzola, That’s Who!

Debra Minzola, Ph.D., CRNA, recently was named to the Marquis Who's Who list for her work as program director of the Geisinger/Commonwealth University Nurse Anesthesia Program. The list features professionals doing outstanding work in their professions.

Minzola gained attention after being featured in a university-wide Commonwealth University news article, “A Professional Pipeline: Geisinger/Commonwealth Nurse Anesthesia Program Provides Vital Professionals,” Aug. 1, 2023, that spotlighted the 36-month anesthesia program that attracts students from as far away as California, Oregon, and Arizona. The class only accepts 15 students who graduate with a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree.

Commonwealth University nurse anesthesia graduates have earned a compelling reputation in the industry, with the Class of 2022 earning a 100% pass rate in the National Certification Exam (NCE), while the average pass rate was 82%.

The program – which was affiliated with Bloomsburg University before its merger with two other state-affiliated schools, Lock Haven and Mansfield, to form Commonwealth University – is headquartered at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville.

“Approximately 60% of our graduates are staying with the Geisinger System,” Minzola said. “That says a lot about the good relationship between the university and the clinical site. It makes it a more positive learning experience, and they want to stay here. Our recruitment has been phenomenal for Geisinger.”

Photo courtesy of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine

If Minzola’s name sounds familiar, that is because she recently was installed as president of the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists (PANA), which represents approximately 4,000 CRNAs and students statewide.

She recently helped the statewide association mark national CRNA Week in Pa. in January. You can check out her message to members HERE, where she celebrate all the innovative CRNAs and nurse anesthesia residents who provide exceptional care to their patients during their most vulnerable moments.

Rich History Defines CRNAs, America’s Original Anesthesia Experts

By Laura Wiggins, DNP, CRNA

🔹🔹🔹National CRNA Week debuted as an annual commemoration in 2000 as a way to celebrate our nation’s Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists and nurse anesthesia students. But the history of our profession stretches back generations.

Nurse anesthesiology traces its origins to 1863, when nurses eased the suffering of wounded soldiers in the Civil War. Since then, nurse anesthetists have been the main providers of anesthesia care to U.S. military personnel on the front lines and remain the primary anesthesia providers in austere combat theaters.

Today, there are nearly 66,000 CRNAs and nurse anesthesia students nationwide, including more than 3,700 in Pennsylvania.

🔹In times of transition and strife, people look to nurses—and, more specifically, highly trained CRNAs—to bridge the gaps of care, offer compassion to those who need help, and ensure the safety of patients during their most vulnerable times. You bring the art and science to the practice of anesthesia, and the work you do to serve our profession so honorably and your patients so faithfully ultimately enhances the patient’s experience.

🚧 In today’s environment, with health-care overhauls, organizational mergers and changes, redesigned care systems, and fluctuating payment models and costs, patients can rely on CRNAs who demonstrate as the foundation of their practice these core values—integrity, accountability, trustworthiness, and community service. You should be proud of what you do.

As we transition through a global economic crunch and continue to emerge from the global pandemic, enhancing our personal emotional intelligence and well-being is becoming an increasingly essential component of our practice. Having self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, motivation, and empowerment skills, combined with these other core values, will only strengthen our ability to care more compassionately for our patients.

I am confident in the direction of our association and profession. CRNAs are leaders. We have been there from the beginning, as military necessities on the front lines of our nation’s wars, and we continue to build the teams necessary to serve, because we have the backbone, drive, and fortitude to fight, protect, and defend our patients, our communities, and our nation.

🩺 Looking back at the last 160 years, CRNA history is nursing history. It’s women’s history. It’s our nation’s history. So, let’s celebrate our rich past, but let’s not overlook our promising future. With your passion and commitment to our profession, America’s original anesthesia experts will continue to build trust, show compassion, provide stability, and create hope in the health-care system adjusting, adapting, and overcoming with finesse and grace.

😷 Thank you for all you do—and happy CRNA Week, Pa.! PANA would love to join in YOUR celebration of our profession, so if you're on social media, you can tag @panacrna on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

PRO TIPS:

💙 Don't just like and share our posts - make sure you're a page follower, too!

📷 Update your Profile Pic with our #CRNAWeek Template.

#️⃣ Include hashtags #CRNAinPA and #CRNAWeek in your posts and stories!

PANA PRESIDENT: Enhanced Leadership, Increased Engagement, Mentorship Key to Growing Profession

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE:

Laura Wiggins, DNP, CRNA

Lt. Col. (R), U.S. Air Force

It is a pleasure and honor to be assuming the role of President of the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists (PANA). I am looking forward to serving the membership in the upcoming year. There certainly is no shortage of work to do.

Our Government Relations Team and Government Relations Director, Jessica Poole, are confronting several issues in Harrisburg. I attended a meeting there Oct. 27 with the Department of State and the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs on behalf of PANA and our members. During this meeting, they discussed the antiquated PALS system and license renewals within the state of Pennsylvania. PANA is trying to determine how our new title designation will be processed through this system, or any other system the state develops. We learned several things at this meeting, but the most important thing is not to delay renewing any licenses. Get them done as soon as you receive notification because there will be obvious growing pains in activating a new system and removing the old PALS system.

As your new PANA President, I am setting the following goals for our association:

• Enhance the leadership of the board of directors;

• Increase member engagement; and

• Mentor our future leaders

I think as CRNAs we are experts at patient care and clinical competence. I feel that we are sometimes lacking in the leadership realm. I hope to improve on this within our board by encouraging participation in the AANA Leadership Summit and offering other leadership training throughout the year. Advocacy continues to be one of our main priorities, especially during an election year. We need to be out in front, meeting with our legislators and forming long-lasting relationships with legislative aides, legislators and lobbyists to solidify our position on various health-care issues that will present themselves within the coming year. Leadership in this area is a priority and necessity. We are fully expecting legislation to be re-introduced in the next session, which begins in January 2023, to license anesthesiologist assistants (AAs) for the first time in Pennsylvania. The connections and relationships we form now with lawmakers will be extremely important in helping us maintain our position and will help us with gains in propelling the profession forward.

I also hope to increase member engagement by communicating with members directly on issues that affect our profession. PANA’s Communications Director, Sarah Trau, will help facilitate this huge undertaking. She will be working with the team at Ceisler Media & Issue Advocacy to make sure our members are in the know and kept informed. My hope is that as we increase engagement, more members will participate in district events and other educational activities and political action committee (PAC) events.

Finally, mentoring our future leaders is extremely important in ensuring the ongoing success and trajectory of the profession. Please encourage student involvement at every level of participation! I am motivated and encouraged by the excitement and enthusiasm of the SRNAs we have on the PANA board. Hopefully, their enthusiasm is contagious and will be felt by all of the members in the coming months.

I remain committed to helping this profession succeed in this time of uncertainty. With change there is always room for opportunity. Advancing our profession is worth the fight. If you have any ideas or suggestions for upcoming PANA events or want to know how to contact your legislators, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I am looking forward to working with all of you and serving this association.