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.
Episode Description
š«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 havenāt heard Brettās story, itās a remarkable one about perseverance and never giving up in the face of lifeās 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 youāll learn on this show:
š¹ Brettās childhood and growing up with a congenital defect. (3:21)
š¹ The journey from being a paramedic to RN to anesthesia school. (9:05)
š¹ The challenges he faced in anesthesia school. (13:47)
š¹ The contact he has with other people with limitations that are interested in anesthesia. (23:55)
š¹ What questions do patients ask? (26:15)
š¹ The final message Brett has for people. (32:00)
š§ Listen to this episode below via Spotify or via Soundcloud.
The AANA Mid-Year Assembly is nurse anesthetistsā largest advocacy event of the year, and this year the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists (PANA) sent a small army to the nationās capital to inform federal lawmakers and advocate for our shared profession.
šPANA had 76 registrants for the annual event in Washington, D.C. Over the course of the assembly, which ran April 29 to May 3, Pennsylvania-based certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) and students (SRNAs), advocating in groups, convened 19 in-person meetings with lawmakers or their key staff members.
šļøWhere we couldnāt meet with lawmakers or staff, our team dropped off packets of information and promised to follow up to secure in-district meetings, something any of us can do whenever our schedules allow. Advocacy is key to promoting our issues and strengthening our profession.
The Mid-Year Assembly happened a bit later than usual this year, bumping up against PANAās own Spring Symposium in Hershey, so the time crunch was a real challenge for many of our CRNAs and SRNAs, but the number of attendees proves our devotion to the cause.
PANA Members Pack the Halls of Capitol in D.C.
Whatās more, for some of our SRNAs, the Mid-Year Assembly came during finals week, too. In fact, a few students from the University of Scranton School of Nurse Anesthesia went above and beyond --- not only in their advocacy but in their assigned schoolwork. They took finals remotely, either in the middle of the day or at the start of a long day running between office buildings to attend meetings. That commitment is impressive.
The Mid-Year Assembly offers five days of educational sessions, live speakers, legislative lobbying, and networking, all of which is important for attendees to gain the knowledge and tools to drive change in our profession, enhance their careers, and promote CRNAs at both the national and state levels.
Advanced Practice Provider Spotlight: Certified registered nurse anesthetist shares perspective on caring for diverse patients
Advanced practice providers (APPs) play an integral role in meeting the needs of Penn State Healthās increasingly diverse patient populations. With their advanced training and credentials, these professionals expand access to high-quality care, build trust with patients and are a valuable aspect of patientsā overall experience.
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 motherās interpreter during her doctorās 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, āallows 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.ā
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.
ADDRESSING DIVERSITY CHALLENGES IN THE FIELD
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 āinvisibleā as a minority female. Because English is her second language, she experiences occasional microaggressions, she said.
While there is always room for improvement, āI think itās been very positive that there is a systemwide push for inclusion and diversity at Penn State Health,ā Ngin said. āBy doing this, we are meeting the need of our growing diverse patient population. I think we are moving in a good direction.ā
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 childās care in the hospital. She also noted the health systemās 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 āleaders and educators continuing to promote a culture of acceptance, understanding and empathy toward diverse individuals, staff and patients.ā
HOW TO BECOME A CRNA
After CRNAs earn a bachelorās 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.
Administering anesthesia before, during and after surgery
Monitoring a patientās 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.
