DIRECTOR S MESSAGE. KU Nurse Anesthesia Alumni Newsletter. Spring 2015

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1 Greetings from the KU Nurse Anesthesia Program! The program has completely transitioned to the clinical doctorate degree and the first DNP class will graduate on May 17th. Our 21 seniors are busier than ever with individual Capstone Projects, Oral Competency Exams, and studying for boards. Many of the seniors have accepted jobs at KU Hospital and in the Kansas City area, while others will be moving as far away as Texas, Iowa, Oregon, Washington state, Oklahoma, and Nebraska. Congratulations to this very special group of future CRNAs! The program has established a clinical rotation at Ransom Memorial Hospital in Ottawa, Ks. This will provide a rural, all CRNA practice opportunity within driving distance of Kansas City. Curt Bittner serves as the clinical affiliate faculty member and the students work with three CRNAs, including one of our graduates from the 2012 class, Conor Mulcahy. The primary clinical site continues to be KU Hospital and KU Medwest Surgery Center. The program currently has 12 affiliate sites: Ransom Memorial Hospital, Ottawa, Ks Golden Valley Memorial Hospital, Clinton, Mo Community Medical Center, Falls City, Ne William Newton Hospital, Winfield, Ks Cherokee Nation WW Hastings Hospital, Tahlequah, Ok Irwin Army Community Hospital, Ft Riley, Ks Overland Park Regional Medical Center, Overland Park, Ks Centerpoint Medical Center, Independence, Mo Menorah Medical Center, Overland Park, Ks Shawnee Mission Medical Center, Merriam, Ks Children s Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Mo Students from the 2016 class have started working on leadership projects, including T- shirt and clothing sales with the department logo and planning for the next fundraiser. Please plan to attend the second annual KU Nurse Anesthesia Department Fundraiser on October 10, Proceeds directly benefit students in a variety of ways. Students attending national AANA meetings and participating in the Medical Missions Foundation trip to Antigua, Guatemala, are receiving grants of $500 each thanks to the successful fundraising efforts of the past few years. Your donations to the program s endowment funds support an alumni scholarship and the travel grants. We would like to help more students and with larger amounts, so your generosity is very much appreciated! Donna Nyght, CRNA, DNP DIRECTOR S MESSAGE Inside this issue: Director s Message 1 Staff Spotlight 2 Alumni Fundraiser 3 Lobby Day News from Graduates 5 Affiliate Spotlight 5 Upcoming Events 6 Contact Information 6 1

2 Staff in the Spotlight Mandy Smith-Thompson Mandy graduated from KU Nurse Anesthesia program in She currently works at KU Hospital and as a locum at Girard Medical Center. She is very involved at KU as a member of the Clinical Practice Committee as well as the Orientation Committee. In addition, she works with first year anesthesia students in the operating room during their novice phase. Outside of work, she volunteers for the Dream Factory of Greater Kansas City and for Children s Church K-1 grade at Heartland Community Church. Mandy will complete her Doctor of Anesthesia Practice degree in 2016 from the University of Michigan-Flint. She and her husband, Jason, live in Overland Park and enjoy traveling, especially to the Caribbean. She and Jason value time with family and even help out with her parent s cattle ranch, Lightning Creek Cattle Company. Ryan Covault Ryan is new to the Nurse Anesthesia department, holding the position of Academic Affairs Coordinator. He is a former Sergeant in the Marine Corps Infantry. Ryan attended the University of Kansas where he received a degree in History. He also attended Ohio State and received a degree in International Studies. He worked in the engineering department at a project management company in the telecom industry before joining the Nurse Anesthesia department. Welcome, Ryan! Update your information: As we lead our busy lives, some may forget to pass along changes in mailing addresses or addresses. Many of our newsletters and s are returned. If you are receiving this newsletter, then we have your current address. However, many never get this newsletter. Please pass along the following web site to update information to any alumni who you keep in touch with: Click Membership then click Update Your Info. You may update addresses, current occupation, family information, etc., at this site as well. Keep in touch! 2

3 For the Second Annual Nurse Anesthesia Fundraiser When: October 10, :00-11:00pm Where: Club Broadway St Kansas City, MO Dress: Cocktail Attire Preferred Activities: Games and Prizes, Silent Auction Tickets: $65.00 per person Included in the price of the ticket is Heavy Hors D oeuvres, Desserts, and Open Bar To Purchase Tickets please visit: To make a tax deductible donation to the Nurse Anesthesia Department please visit: Click on alumni info & events Click on KU endowment 3

4 Kansas Nurse Anesthesia Lobby Day On January 28 th, 2015, KANA hosted its 7 th annual Lobby Day at the State Capitol Building in Topeka, Kansas. There was a record turnout this year with a total of 47 SRNAs from the University of Kansas, Newman University, and Texas Wesleyan University and 5 CRNAs. Thanks to the high turnout there were also a record number of appointments with legislators. In all, a total of 23 meetings with legislators took place throughout the day. Overall, a great way to celebrate the 75 th anniversary of KANA! Leading up to Lobby Day, participants were asked to contact their representatives to schedule appointments to meet with them. Upon arrival at the Capital Building participants were briefed and packets were dispersed which included articles about nurse anesthesia practice, a map of the state of Kansas that shows where CRNAs practice as well as CRNA week info graphics from the AA- NA. Due to the large number of participants at this year s Lobby Day, the traditional photo that is usually taken in the Governor s office had to be moved to the hallway under the John Brown mural. Following the photo with Gov. Brownback, SRNAs and CRNAs divided into groups to meet with their legislators. Lunch this year was at the Celtic Fox restaurant across the lawn from the state capitol building. We were honored to have Chip Wheelen, the executive director of the Health Care Stabilization Fund, speak to those in attendance. We also heard from current president of the Kansas Association of Nurse Anesthetists, Christel Burke. Immediately following lunch, participants returned to the state capitol building and continued meeting with legislators. Speaking points for the meetings included who we were as nurse anesthetists, the background of our profession, where we practice, and how vitally-important the services we provide are, particularly in the rural areas of Kansas. Meetings were kept cordial and brief, always making sure to thank our representatives for their time as well as their service to the residents of the state of Kansas. We received positive feedback from the SRNAs, CRNAs and from legislators. Thank you to everyone who attended this year and made Lobby Day such a great success! -Isaac Russell, SRNA and Bryce Uhl, SRNA 4

5 Ransom Memorial Hospital Ransom Memorial Hospital is located in Ottawa, KS. It is a rotation site for seniors and provides a high-acuity, small group, CRNA only clinical experience within driving distance from Kansas City. Students have the opportunity to work closely with 3 CRNAs, including Conor Mulcahy, a recent KU graduate. The Case load provides a good variety, including general surgery, orthopedics (including spine), pediatrics, obstetrics, ultrasound guided regional anesthesia and a unique opportunity to do epidural steroid injections for pain management. What the Students Have Been Up To. This Winter, Jamin Tenbrink, Junior SRNA and Health and Wellness liaison, organized Bubble Soccer for the students. It was a great stressrelieving activity and contributed to team building! Overall, the students made it out with only a few bruises and two popped bubbles! Alumni News: We want to have a regular column in the newsletter featuring alumni accomplishments, but we need your help in collecting those accomplishments. Please send us any professional achievements such as articles published, awards received, new degrees earned, involvement in professional organizations, job promotions such as chief CRNA, participation on mission trips, etc. We also welcome personal news, such as weddings and babies! Please send your information to [email protected] or post it on Facebook on the KU Nurse Anesthesia page. 5

6 64th Annual KU Postgraduate Symposium on Anesthesiology KU Nurse Anesthesia Program sponsors a lunch on Saturday at the Symposium each year for Program alumni April 10-12, 2015, Kansas City, Missouri Alumni/Program Tailgate: KU vs. Memphis Tigers September 12th, 2015 on the hill in Lawrence, Kansas Tailgate/Game Time TBA Second Annual Nurse Anesthesia Fundraiser October 10, 2015 UPCOMING EVENTS Club 1000 Kansas City, MO Alumni Scholarship Visit us at OR Find us on Facebook on the KU Nurse Anesthesia page Thank you for all of your support to get the Alumni Scholarship endowed. We have reached the required $30,000! A scholarship committee will decide the specifics of the award. Your continued donations are crucial to student and program success, so please donate to the endowed scholarship fund or the general program endowment fund to support student travel and other expenses. You can donate on our alumni page, Click on Make a Gift and indicate that the donation is for the scholarship fund or the general fund. Or you can contact Peggy Person with KU Endowment at or [email protected]. Thank you for your donations! KU Nurse Anesthesia Education Mail Stop Rainbow Boulevard Kansas City, KS