NURSE ANESTHESIA

Graduated in 1978
Retired Chief Executive Officer
National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists

Q: Why did you choose Wayne State University?

A: I chose WSU Nurse Anesthesia because of its reputation, recommendations from colleagues, affordable tuition and location. As the fourth oldest in a family of 13 children, I needed to stay close to home. During my WSU CRNA program interview, I was impressed with the faculty, curriculum and clinical opportunities. Following graduation with my bachelor’s, I successfully pursued my master’s and doctoral studies at WSU.

Q: What inspired you to pursue this career?

A: My father was my initial inspiration to become a nurse anesthetist. While in my senior year in nursing school, he suggested continuing my education and looking into nurse anesthesia.

Q: Who was your most memorable insructor?

A: As a student in the WSU CRNA program, there were a multitude of memorable professors who taught our classes, served as clinical faculty, nurtured our passion for excellence in anesthesia care and professional involvement. These included John Garde, Celestine Harrigan, Jim Claffey, Susan Caulk, Nancy Wittstock, Prudentia Worth, John Nagelhout and Roy Aston.

One highlight to mention is the tremendous influence of John Garde on students and graduates. Through his leadership and guidance, students, graduates, and faculty were afforded opportunities to become involved in the community and nurse anesthesia profession. The passion for giving back to the profession was nurtured beginning with his student welcome to the program. This legacy has been cultivated throughout the history of the program.

Q: Share some reflections about your college years.

A: Thank you to WSU for the educational excellence, experiences, and the many fond memories! My time at Wayne State spanned 15 years (1976-93). We had fun, worked hard to provide quality education, and embraced the program vision for professional excellence.

The WSU experiences as a student and faculty were instrumental in my career accomplishments. My passion for teaching, professional involvement and leadership were nurtured by the faculty including John Garde and Susan Smith Caulk. The previous College of Pharmacy and Allied Health leadership (Drs. Mammen and Skinner) and faculty provided a supportive environment for the faculty, program, and professional involvement.

Q: In your opinion, what is one of the biggest changes that has occurred in your profession since graduating?

A: Since 1978, one of the biggest changes has been the advancement of the CRNA scope of clinical practice and recognition as advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). CRNAs can practice independently, provide anesthesia services across the lifespan and in a variety of rural and urban settings. One example is the CRNA APRN role in acute and chronic pain management.

Q: Tell us more about your career.

A: In reflection on my career, I am thankful to all the individuals who played a role in my many accomplishments and advancement of the nurse anesthesia profession. As a visionary leader, I embraced the philosophy of teamwork. Working together, believing it will happen and putting forth your best effort, makes anything possible. From 1978-2006, I served as program faculty for three nurse anesthesia programs in Michigan. During this time, I taught and mentored many students and graduates, lectured extensively, published a textbook, and served as a volunteer for our professional association.

As an author, I published numerous articles, several book chapters, a textbook and handbooks. In collaboration with one of my WSU colleagues, John Nagelhout, we co-edited the first edition of the textbook, Nurse Anesthesia written for and by nurse anesthetists in 1997. Two decades later, the book is in its 7th edition.

My credentialing accomplishments as a volunteer included overseeing the transition of our national certification examination (NCE) from paper and pencil to computerized adaptive testing (CAT) in 1996.

From 2006-21, my career journey took me to national credentialing leadership positions (Director, CEO, President) for the nurse anesthesia profession and external organizations. In 2007, the CRNA credentialing councils incorporated to create the National Board for Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA). As CEO, my accomplishments included launching Nonsurgical Pain Management (NSPM-C) in 2014, the transformation of our 40-year-old recertification program to the Continued Professional Certification (CPC) Program in 2016 and implementation of an evidenced based research plan to guide the credentialing work.

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WSU Applebaum’s Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice program is led by exceptional faculty and clinical instructors dedicated to the profession and the teaching of students using state-of-the-art teaching facility and anesthesia classrooms. The DNAP degree is 36 months, designed to offer registered nurses an advanced education and full scope of practice as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). Graduates will also meet the requirements for the National Certification Examination. Learn more about the application process and make plans to attend a college information meeting, held for prospective students at 6 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month.

An anchor in urban health care

The Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is built on more than 100 years of tradition and innovation in the heart of Detroit. We have grown deep roots in our city, harnessing its powerhouse hospital systems and community service organizations as vibrant, real-world training grounds for students, with an ongoing focus on social justice in health care. And our research at all levels – from undergraduates to veteran faculty members – translates into creative solutions for healthier communities.

Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution offering approximately 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 24,000 students.