PANA President Marks CRNA Week in Pa.

🔹🔹🔹On behalf of the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists, I want to wish everyone a happy National CRNA Week in Pa.! The annual celebration this year runs Jan. 21-27.

With more than 3,700 certified registered nurse anesthetists and student anesthetists across the state, PANA has emerged as a recognized a leader in helping the state address rising health-care costs, protect patient health, and ensure access to quality care.

While CRNA Week is just a snapshot in time, the critical role we play is year-round. More and more people are starting to understand our importance and appreciate the value CRNAs bring to the health-care arena.

Here are a few facts that might be of interest:

• CRNAs were the first professional group to provide anesthesia in the United States, first providing anesthesia to wounded soldiers during the Civil War.

• Today, there are more than 61,000 practicing CRNAs in the United States.

• Pennsylvania ranks among the top nationally for CRNA students, with 14 highly rated nurse anesthetist programs spread out across our commonwealth.

• The average nurse anesthetist completes an average of 9,369 clinical hours of training prior to becoming a CRNA.

• CRNAs have been the main providers of anesthesia care to U.S. military personnel on the front lines since World War I and remain the primary anesthesia providers in austere combat theaters.

• CRNAs are the primary providers of anesthesia care in rural America and underserved communities.

These are just a few of the facts we will share publicly over the next few days.

Visit our CRNA Week website at https://www.panaforqualitycare.com/2024-crna-week to learn more. To stay up to date with everything that’s happening, join our new TikTok account, follow us on Facebook, talk to us on Twitter, and see us on Instagram.

This is the second time I have served as PANA president. I could not be prouder to be a CRNA, and I could not be more honored to partner with such an outstanding group of professionals who will do anything to keep their patients healthy and safe.

I know the time you have invested to be the best you can be, and I know the care and commitment you have devoted to the science and art of anesthesia. Thank you for all you do, and …

Happy National CRNA Week in Pa.! 

by Angelarosa DiDonato, DNP, CRNA 

President, Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists 

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Lawmakers, staff experience “day in the life” of nurse anesthesia residents

Seeing is believing --- and several northeastern Pennsylvania lawmakers and staff got a firsthand look at just a few of the intensive education and training programs that students must master to become certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs).

Aaron J. Crowell, BSN, RN, SRNA, a nurse anesthesia resident at the University of Scranton School of Nurse Anesthesia, initially reached out to invite state Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski (D-Luzerne) to visit and check out the university’s simulation labs.

🏫 But, as the senior student leader on the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists’ (PANA) Government Relations Committee, Crowell realized he had a golden opportunity to help inform key decision-makers in Harrisburg. So, he expanded the invitation to cover all lawmakers in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties.

🩺On Sept. 5, a contingent of legislators and staff visited the campus for a “day in the life” tour of the university’s anesthesia simulation lab and advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) labs.

Besides Pashinksi, other attending lawmakers included state Reps. Jim Haddock (D-Luzerne) and Kyle J. Mullins (D-Lackawanna) and state Sen. Marty Flynn (D-Luzerne & Lackawanna), and staffers from the offices of state Reps. Bridget M. Kosierowski (D-Lackawanna) and Kyle Donahue (D-Lackawanna) and state Sen. Lisa Baker (R-Luzerne, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne & Wyoming).

As sought-after anesthesia care providers, CRNAs are highly educated and expertly trained with years of education and experience before entering into practice. Nurse anesthetists obtain an average of 9,369 clinical hours of training prior to becoming a CRNA. They are required to be nationally certified and must be recertified every four years. Recertification includes meeting advanced practice requirements and obtaining a minimum of 100 continuing education credits.

Of course, it’s one thing to talk about education and training. It’s another thing altogether to see it and experience it firsthand.

Crowell and other nurse anesthesia residents, including Brandon Perrotte, Nelson Ramos, and Meghan Visalli, used the simulation lab as a tool to demonstrate how extensive CRNA training is and what skills nurse anesthetists demonstrate so expertly in the operating room.

Shadowing these nurse anesthesia residents ensured lawmakers saw up close and personal the skills that CRNAs possess to keep patients safe --- an invaluable experience they will take back to the state capital in Harrisburg to help inform their decisions about important health-care initiatives, especially those related to CRNAs.

Jefferson DNP Nurse Anesthesia students get hands-on practice

The Impact of Simulation-Based Education Utilizing 3D-Printed Task Trainers to Improve Surgical Airway Preparedness

Students in the DNP-Nurse Anesthesia Program (jefferson.edu) at the Jefferson School of Nursing are practicing various difficult airway scenarios using the Emergency Cricothyrotomy (EC) procedure on 3D-printed tracheas.

BACKGROUND: Anesthesia providers are highly skilled at performing basic airway management but also must remain proficient in difficult airway scenarios requiring emergency cricothyrotomy (EC). Patients are at risk for adverse outcomes, which escalate over time if not managed effectively and efficiently by the provider (Kaiser, 2018).

However, the low incidence of emergency airway events, coupled with the high skill level requirement of an emergency cricothyrotomy, has resulted in decreased skill proficiency and self-confidence across anesthesia providers. EC also needs more presence in medical and nursing curricula, as demonstrated in a survey of anesthesia providers with less than five years of experience (Fayed et al., 2020).

As a result, it is essential to incorporate education and skills development into the anesthesia resident and nurse anesthesia curriculum. A literature review yielding 95 articles identified simulation-based education (SBE) as a valuable medium to increase provider knowledge, skills, and self-confidence related to EC (Alanazi et al., 2017).

Despite the literature, there currently needs to be more consensus on the best format of simulation education and data directly related to student nurse anesthetists (SRNAs). The project team utilized a pretest-posttest research design to evaluate the impact of education on the knowledge and confidence level of SRNAs to perform an EC.

The survey consisted of a 5-point Likert Scale and multiple-choice questions to assess knowledge and evaluate self-confidence. The intervention consisted of a live demonstration and an independent simulation using 3D-printed tracheas.

The Wilcoxon sign rank test and paired t-test were the primary statistical tests for data analysis. Limitations of the study involved using a small sample size and lack of generalizability.

Pictured Above: The "dragon skin" was made in different shades to be more inclusive.

Pictured Above: Jefferson DNP Nurse Anesthesia students (Hannah Sanders, Mina Youm, and Christine Goldman) receive hands-on practice performing the Emergency Cricothyrotomy (EC) procedure on 3D-printed tracheas at the Jefferson College of Nursing. Skin representing patients of different races ("dragon skin") was also made at Jefferson. Melker Emergency Cricothyrotomy Catheter kits were used to familiarize students with real equipment.

Pictured Above: Jefferson DNP Nurse Anesthesia Class of 2023 students practice the Emergency Cricothyrotomy (EC) procedure on 3D-printed tracheas after viewing an educational video on the procedure, indications, contraindications, and related information.

PROJECT GROUP (FULL LIST):

STUDENTS:

🔹Monica Sucharski, RN, BSN, SRNA

🔹Hannah Sanders, RN, BSN, SRNA

🔹Stefanie Yuen, RN, BSN, SRNA

FACULTY LEADS:

🔹Kristen Simmons, DNP, CRNA, CHSE

🔹Jacqueline Mainwaring, PhD, DNP, MS, CRNA, CNE

SIM LAB COORDINATOR:

🔹Maryanne Halligan, DNP, RN,CCRN-K, CHSE, CNML

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WATCH THESE JEFFERSON CRNAS IN ACTION!

Learn more about the Jefferson DNP Nurse Anesthesia Program here.