Interview with Jason Bauer, Candidate for AANA Region 6 Director

Our very own Jason Bauer is running for AANA Region 6 Director, representing Pennsylvania, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Ohio. He has been a tireless advocate for CRNAs and is truly an inspiration for those of us looking to get more involved in the association. We sat down with Jason to learn more about his career and what makes him a good candidate for a position on the AANA board.

Where are you originally from?

Jason: I was born and raised in the Pittsburgh-area. I have built my career here and I live just outside of the city in Murrysville with my wife Alison and my two daughters Brynn and Claire.

How long have you been involved with the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists (PANA)?

Jason: I have been serving on the PANA board since 2009. I was a trustee for four years before serving as President. I have also been the Chairman of the Government Relations Committee and I am currently the Treasurer.

What has been one of your biggest accomplishments as a PANA board member?

Jason: I was very proud to be part of a group that elevated PANA’s reputation in the state legislature. People know who we are, what we’re about, and that we have a very active membership.

Have you had other experiences that have prepared you to run for AANA Region 6 Director?

Jason: I am currently in my third year as a member of the AANA Government Relations Committee. I have also given a number of presentations on topics such as Professional Relations and Teambuilding, Structuring Your Governance Committee, Member Engagement, Malignant Hyperthermia, Obstetrics, Cardiac, and Pre-Operative Assessment.

What kind of work did you do before you became a nurse anesthetist?

Jason: I got my BSN from the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing. I was very passionate about emergency medical care and I had an EMT license, which I substituted for the majority of my elective credits. This experience also lead me to challenge the Prehospital RN (PHRN) certification in Pennsylvania.

After I graduated from college, I ended up working with a regional ambulance company and serving as the Medical Director for 5 years. While I was there, I offered medical expertise and acted as a conduit between the medical command physicians and staff.

Where did you go to school to get your advanced degree?

Jason: I earned my MSN from the University of Pittsburgh’s Nurse Anesthesia Program in 2004. I am still very connected to the program because I teach for the UPMC Department of Surgery Office of Advanced Practice Fellowship Program. Each term, I speak to the incoming Acute Care Fellows on Pre-Operative Assessment and Evaluation. I also maintain a position at the School of Nurse Anesthesia as an adjunct faculty member teaching about obstetrics, professional roles, and cardiac operations.

In addition to teaching, where are you currently working?

Jason: I am currently a full-time CRNA at the University of Pittsburgh Physicians Group within UPMC. I am usually based in Shadyside, but I also travel around to other UPMC locations. I also started my own business, Bauer Anesthesia Services, which caters to ASC and office-based practices. I also work with KEPRO as an independent contractor doing tertiary case review and reviewing anesthesia related closed claims for Tricare.

You can vote in the AANA board elections beginning on May 15th. Make sure you have your AANA username and password so you can vote!

When seconds count, CRNAs are there

National CRNA Week kicked off Jan. 21 as a way to remind patients, families, medical professionals and others: “Every Breath. Every Beat. Every Second. WE ARE THERE!”

As usual, PANA is taking it a step further, stretching National CRNA Week into a month-long campaign to introduce Pennsylvanians to the highly skilled professionals behind the mask --- the men and women who are by their side during surgical procedures, from open-heart surgery to routine outpatient procedures.

CRNAs are the face of anesthesia care in Pennsylvania. There are more than 3,000 CRNAs and CRNAs-in-training in the commonwealth, providing hands-on anesthesia care in every setting: hospital operating and delivery rooms; ambulatory surgical centers; the offices of dentists, podiatrists, ophthalmologists, and plastic surgeons; and pain management centers.

It’s time to take off that mask and help our patients know who we are and what we do. The role of a CRNA requires intensive training and education and nurse anesthesia is a high-responsibility career. CRNAs provide anesthesia care for millions of patients each year. Nurse Anesthetists are most frequently the first responders to intraoperative emergencies, acting quickly with expert knowledge and skill in the care of our patients.

The average nurse anesthetist completes 9,000 clinical hours of training when you combine the clinical ICU experience as a RN required to enter CRNA training, the clinical experience obtained in an undergraduate nursing curriculum and the clinical anesthesia training in a nurse anesthetist program. That’s impressive. Our high level of education and clinical experience contributes to our capable, vigilant care of each patient.

CRNAs are the primary providers of anesthesia care in rural America, enabling health-care facilities in these medically underserved areas to offer obstetrical, surgical, pain management and trauma stabilization services. We’re battle tested, too, serving as the main providers of anesthesia care to U.S. military personnel on the front lines since World War I. CRNAs remain the primary anesthesia providers in austere combat theaters.

CRNAs are proud of their safety record and career. And that’s why this month, we are encouraging patients, families, medical professionals and others to learn more about the professionals behind the mask and appreciate the work we do. Because when it matters, nurse anesthetists are by your side for every breath, every heartbeat, every second. WE ARE THERE!

Jodie Szlachta, CRNA, Ph.D., is the President of the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists (PANA).

Thank you for supporting the VHA Initiative!

Pennsylvania’s CRNAs and SRNAs made sure their voices were heard during a 60-day comment period for the U.S. Veterans Health Administration (VHA) rulemaking to authorize Full Practice Authority for CRNAs and APRNs working within the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) health-care system.

VHA received 167,000 comments nationally, which was 25 times more than any the agency had received since it instituted online comment submission in 2006. Beyond a doubt, this is a topic of keen interest to veterans, their families, and the American public.

We would also like to thank everyone who took the time to write a letter to their local paper about this issue. Anesthesiologists were also active letter writers in opposition to this rule and we were able to respond to many of their letters while also publishing letters proactively to push out our messages. Together we were able to have letters published in the following areas of the state:

• Allentown Morning Call

• Easton Express Times (Lehigh Valley Live)

• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

• Scranton Times Tribune (two letters: July 19th, July 20th)

• West Chester Daily Local

• Wilkes-Barre Times Leader

All of us at PANA are so proud of the work so many of you put into advocating so strongly for this initiative. It could be months before the U.S. Veterans Health Administration announces its final rulemaking. You can be sure we’ll keep you posted. Thank you again.

Ann Culp, CRNA, DNP

PANA President

Derek A. Reckard, CRNA, MSN, PHRN

PANA Federal Political Director