BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Tita’s long & winding road makes him a compass for others to follow

Tita Pale Ndognjem, DNAP, CRNA, says he never knew about Black History Month until he came to the United States. Yet, he’s the perfect example for why Americans pause every February to pay tribute to individuals like him.

Tita’s career began in his native country of Cameroon, and it took him through France, England, and now the United States. There were many challenges along the way. Learning the cultures, health-care systems, and specific attributes of each country has been a herculean task. Licensure procedures, socio-cultural and legal implications, and adapting to the environment of care are all very different as well.

However, Tita says, none of those compared to the challenges of anesthesia school, especially for a minority male in a majority white female profession, where he always has to earn the trust of his colleagues, patients, and mentors. The emergence of COVID-19 with the ensuing social and economic disruptions right at the beginning of anesthesia school made matters worse.

Still, Tita persevered. Among his achievements was graduating from the Excela Health School of Anesthesia in 2022 and then passing the NBCRNA certification exam at first trial. He is currently employed at the University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center in Largo, Md.

From the very beginning, Tita chose the profession because of his passion and desire to provide service to others in need. He views his career as vocation and as a call to compassionate and dedicated service to his patients.

For that guidance, he has a number of mentors to thank: Nkam Mongwa; Dr. Edwin Aroke; Dr. Mike DeBroeck; Dr. Danielle Gray; Dr. Kelly Mallone; Dr. Sue Tranchine; Dr. Jessica Pool; Dr. Laura Wiggins; and Joe Herman, just to name a few.

“This list is endless because it truly takes a village to raise a child,” Tita said (African Proverb).

Beyond providing compassionate, quality, and evidenced-based anesthesia services to his patients, Tita also plans to continue his involvement with the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA), the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists (PANA), and the Association of Cameroonian Nurse Anesthetists in America (ACNAA) to give back to the profession by contributing financially, mentoring other nurses seeking admission in nurse anesthesia programs, and learning more knowledge and skills.

In other words, watch for him to help shape the future of the profession, which, in a way, is exactly what Black History Month is all about, as Tita now knows.

“It is a time to celebrate the contribution of people of African descent to the great American story, as well as the continuous search for equity, diversity, and representation of all the demographic strata of the American family,” Tita said. “It is a time to ponder on the specific issues that disproportionately affect people of African descent in America and make strides toward a more just and fair union.”

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BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Jacqueline Sergon is reaching new heights – literally!

Jacqueline Sergon, MSN, BA, CRNP, CCRN, SRNA, has had to overcome immense personal self-doubt, financial challenges, institutional racial micro-aggression, and discrimination to get to where she is today.

That’s why the SRNA at the University of Pittsburgh has made it among her personal and professional goals to correct the current narrative of who comes to mind when people think of a CRNA. She reflected on her journey during Black History Month.

“These challenges remain ever present in many SRNA’s lives,” said Sergon, who added that another reason she chose this profession is because it gives her the opportunity to impact positive, indelible change in her patients’ lives.

“I do recognize these challenges for what they are, though, and the unique role they play in shaping not only my personal outlook, but a collective outlook as well,” she said.

Sergon is already making a huge impact and leaving a mark for herself. She won the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists’ 2022 student-essay award as a first-year SRNA, making her the first in Pitt’s history to do so. That was meaningful, she said.

She continues to pay homage to legacy pioneers like Esther McCready, the first Black student at her alma mater, The University of Maryland, whom she had the honor of meeting; Goldie Bragman, the first Black AANA president; and, most of all, her personal mentor, Dr. Wallena Gould, CEO & Founder of Diversity CRNA and Chair of The American Academy of Nursing’s Diversity & Inclusivity Committee.

But Sergon isn’t stopping there. Her drive is to scale new heights and slay old barriers in terms of further scholarship, further advocacy, further mentorship, and further diversity and inclusivity --- doing the work she says she needs to do and that needs to be done.

“Black History Month to me is about the solemnity with which we honor our forebears’ sacrifices, the profound gratitude for our opportunities, and not least of all, the sobriety with which we realize there is still much, much more work to do,” Sergon said.

We can expect her to continue to reach new heights --- literally. She already has her pilot’s license!

“It’s important to nourish our personal passions that keep us going,” she said.

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Longtime CRNA Champion Sen. Gordner Retires

Pennsylvania Sen. John Gordner, R-Columbia County, is resigning his Senate seat on Wednesday to become counsel to interim President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, R-Westmoreland County. 📷 File/Mark Pynes

State Sen. John Gordner, a Republican who has represented parts of northcentral Pennsylvania for the past three decades, will vacate his 27th Senatorial District seat on Nov. 30 to take a new role among the Senate leadership. He announced his decision Monday.

Gordner has been a longtime champion of nurse anesthetists, sponsoring the Senate measure (S.B. 416) that became law (Act 60 of 2021) last legislative session, granting formal title recognition to the state’s CRNAs.

Because of his work—and after more than a decade of legislative advocacy by CRNAs around the state—nurse anesthetists finally got the recognition they deserve. Until then, Pennsylvania had been one of just two states that failed to recognize “certified registered nurse anesthetist” in some form, meaning CRNAs were recognized only as registered nurses.

Besides title recognition, Act 60 also expanded the providers that CRNAs are permitted to work with to include podiatrists, and it clarified regulatory language as it pertains to physician involvement with anesthesia services, formalizing the status quo.

The push to formally recognize CRNAs was a family affair for Gordner.

His mother, Shirley (Kishbaugh) Gordner, was among just three student nurse anesthetists who comprised the first class at Williamsport Hospital and, in 1954, successfully completed examinations for membership in the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA).

Gordner isn’t leaving the legislature entirely. He will become counsel to interim Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, R-Westmoreland County, whose own daughter is a CRNA in another state.

💙On behalf of PANA, we extend a heartfelt thank you to John Gordner for all he did and congratulated him and wish him the best of luck in his new role.