VCU Nurse Anesthesia - College of Health Professions

Please join us celebrating Dr. Gary Hu’s induction as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing! No one is more deserving of this prestigious award. Congratulations Dr. Hu!!!

Ultrasound-Guided Vascular Access Workshop — NAFA

Ultrasound-Guided Vascular Access Workshop — NAFA This one-day workshop is dedicated to ultrasound-guided vascular access. This workshop is open to all providers, such as RNs, CRNAs, physicians, or other interested providers. Held at our Center for Research in Human Simulation, the event is intended to increase practitioners’ confidence in perfor...

Ultrasound-Guided Vascular Access Workshop — NAFA

Need CE? Opportunities aplenty are coming up for our fellow CRNAs. We hope you can join us at a fall or spring NAFA event!

> This Saturday, October 15, at the VCU College of Health Professions: Our one-day, hands-on Vascular Access Workshop: https://www.nafava.org/events/ultrasoundvascular

> November 4/5: Peripheral Nerve Block Workshop (also at the College): https://www.nafava.org/events/ultrasound-peripheral

> Check out the speaker lineup at our 41st Annual Anesthesia Meeting, Nov. 28-Dec. 1 at Walt Disney World: https://www.nafava.org/speakers-disney-fall

> ...and book your room now (save $400 off resort prices with our group rate!) for our Spring Disney meeting! https://www.nafava.org/events/disneyspring

Virginia Association of Nurse Anesthetists (VANA) AANA / American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology

Ultrasound-Guided Vascular Access Workshop — NAFA This one-day workshop is dedicated to ultrasound-guided vascular access. This workshop is open to all providers, such as RNs, CRNAs, physicians, or other interested providers. Held at our Center for Research in Human Simulation, the event is intended to increase practitioners’ confidence in perfor...

REPLAY! The AANA / American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology will do a replay webinar with our own Dr. Barnwell on Tuesday, Sept. 27 at 2 EST. Register for it here:

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/9116613460395/WN_Sz9PjW40SB-9oig7y9m7Ww

Virginia Association of Nurse Anesthetists (VANA)

Free webinar 🧠 Perioperative Brain Health:
Assessing and Promoting Neurocognitive Health in Older Surgical Patients

Join us tomorrow: https://bit.ly/3L8FtWc

Free webinar 🧠 Perioperative Brain Health:
Assessing and Promoting Neurocognitive Health in Older Surgical Patients

Join us tomorrow: https://bit.ly/3L8FtWc

Join our own L. Harold Barnwell, PhD, DNAP, CRNA, CHSE, POCUS this week for a Clinical Rounds webinar.

Dr. Barnwell will review the state of the science of perioperative brain health, discuss evidence-based perioperative neurocognitive health assessment, and talk promotion strategies for older surgical patients. The event airs this Tuesday, Sept. 20th at 8 p.m. EST/7 Central.

Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/8016613458707/WN_XM5lIGe4TR-YBKRZNxuLWw

...the program is designed to meet the requirements for Class A CE credit and is done in partnership with Medtronic and the AANA / American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology.

cc: Virginia Association of Nurse Anesthetists (VANA)

During our inaugural NAFA RVA conference this week, third-year Doctoral students (on track to graduate in December) answered a call for poster abstracts.

Their work covered a wide range of topics, from increasing provider awareness of op**te use to removing language barriers to treating hypertensive pain to utilizing lung ultrasound to detect pneumothorax. We are proud of our students for disseminating current evidence-based topics to increase awareness and improve patient outcomes in the perianesthesia setting. Thanks to all for helping make our first NAFA RVA a success!

Virginia Association of Nurse Anesthetists (VANA) American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Foundation CRNAs and SRNAs Nurse Anesthesia Diversity CRNA Mentees Diversity in Nurse Anesthesia Mentorship Program

Day 3 of our NAFA RVA meeting featured some crowd favorites from our faculty, Dr. Gary Hu and Dr. Jodi Carlsen…VCU Pharmacology & Toxicology, Dr. Keith Shelton and Dr. Kate Nicholson….and a fascinating presentation by Dr. Kimberly Sanford on the impact of the pandemic on our blood bank supplies.

Amber Coleman '18 will be back in the house again today signing copies of her book, "Amber Dreams of Anesthesia."

Read Amber's story: https://nrsa.chp.vcu.edu/about-us/featured-news/dreaming-big-amber-coleman-18-building-a-brand-beyond-the-or.html

Come meet Amber and other CRNAs and SRNAs at Richmond's historic Jefferson Hotel for our inaugural NAFA RVA continuing education event. One-day passes are still available (in person or virtual). And VCU Nurse Anesthesia alumni can also join us Thursday evening at the Jefferson for a reception. All details and registration here: https://www.nafava.org/events/inaugural-nafa-richmond-event

Virginia Association of Nurse Anesthetists (VANA) American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Foundation Diversity in Nurse Anesthesia Mentorship Program CRNAs and SRNAs

It was a fantastic day at our NAFA RVA meeting! We started with Early Bird presentations from four of our phenomenal DNAP candidates. Our speaker lineup included VCU Health CRNA/VCU alum Dr. Christopher Simons, VCU Pharmacology & Toxicology Professor Dr. Jill Bettinger, and VCU MSNA alum Matthew Zinder. Our own Dr. Harold Barnwell led US scanning for PNBs in our Center for Research in Human Simulation - which also featured our Class of 2023 & 2024 SRNAs. There is still plenty of time to join us this week at the Jefferson Hotel, for afternoon US scanning sessions, or online, if you can't be here in person!! Up to 9 CEs per day. https://www.nafava.org/events/inaugural-nafa-richmond-event

VCU Alumna/author/businesswoman Dr. Amber Coleman will be with us the rest of this week, signing her book, Amber Dreams of Anesthesia!

Calling all VCU Nurse Anesthesia Alumni! There's still time to RSVP for our Thursday evening reception at the Jefferson Hotel! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSco8Vpe090Sbgi4hx4mmTqlhrvKPO7A_rCbyb8h9s8_VwJChw/viewformVCU

What a day! We started with presentations by our AANA President Dr. Angela Mund….followed by our VCU DNAP alums, Dr. Michelle Jump and Dr. Jodi Carlsen! And tomorrow we host the first of two Early Bird sessions with Class of 2022 doctoral candidates!!

One-day passes available - up to 8 Class A CE Credits

One-day passes available - up to 8 Class A CE Credits Programming will include world-class faculty for four days of continuing education on diverse and clinically-relevant anesthesia topics, opportunities to engage with SRNAs, and time to celebrate with other attendees and VCU alumni in a closing reception.

We couldn't be more excited to get our NAFA RVA meeting started! If you're local and have a day off Monday - Thursday of this week - we have 1-day registration options (8 - 9 CEs!!), which include afternoon US scanning sessions each day. If you're not local - we are also offering a virtual attendance option. It's going to be fun and informative - hope you can join us!! https://www.nafava.org/events/inaugural-nafa-richmond-event

All CRNAs will earn 15 AANA Class A Credits at the Diversity CRNA Information Session & Airway Simulation Lab Workshop at the Virginia Commonwealth University (Sept. 16th - 18th)!

Let’s go, mask up & let’s make a difference!

"You can't be, what you can't see" ~ Marian Wright Edelman

This is the Immersion Model for Diversifying Nurse Anesthesia Program at it’s very best!

One-day passes available - up to 8 Class A CE Credits

One-day passes available - up to 8 Class A CE Credits Programming will include world-class faculty for four days of continuing education on diverse and clinically-relevant anesthesia topics, opportunities to engage with SRNAs, and time to celebrate with other attendees and VCU alumni in a closing reception.

Step into the Sim Lab at VCU Nurse Anesthesia

What's it like in the Center for Research in Human Simulation at VCU Nurse Anesthesia? Meet Mike Kammerman, our Director of Simulation, and see how fake scenarios train you for real situations in our state-of-the-art lab.

Step into the Sim Lab at VCU Nurse Anesthesia Virginia Commonwealth University's Department of Nurse Anesthesia offers a 3,000 square-foot Center for Research in Human Simulation. Visitors often mistake ...

One-day passes available - up to 8 Class A CE Credits

One-day passes available - up to 8 Class A CE Credits Programming will include world-class faculty for four days of continuing education on diverse and clinically-relevant anesthesia topics, opportunities to engage with SRNAs, and time to celebrate with other attendees and VCU alumni in a closing reception.

One-day passes available - up to 8 Class A CE Credits

One-day passes available - up to 8 Class A CE Credits Programming will include world-class faculty for four days of continuing education on diverse and clinically-relevant anesthesia topics, opportunities to engage with SRNAs, and time to celebrate with other attendees and VCU alumni in a closing reception.

What is the DNAP entry-to-practice at VCU Nurse Anesthesia?

We took some time this summer to bring in a film crew to produce a new video introducing critical care nurses and RNs to the entry-to-practice DNAP program. Take a look!

What is the DNAP entry-to-practice at VCU Nurse Anesthesia? Amanda Alley, MS is our main point of contact for prospective and current students interested in applying for our Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (DNAP) ...

Four faculty at VCU selected as American Academy of Nursing fellows

Congratulations to Dr. Gary Hu for earning one of the most prestigious honors in nursing! He joins Dr. Stephan Davis of Health Administration in this remarkable achievement. https://news.vcu.edu/article/2022/08/four-faculty-at-vcu-selected-as-american-academy-of-nursing-fellows

Four faculty at VCU selected as American Academy of Nursing fellows The selected faculty members were among 250 nurse leaders chosen to join the AAN’s 2022 class of fellows.

Heather Parr, MSN, APRN-CRNA is our second post-master's DNAP graduate (see our other proud grad in a previous post). Heather tells us why she decided to pursue this professional practice degree:

"I strongly believe in obtaining the highest level of education with a DNAP.

Not only did I want to grow and achieve a personal goal, but as an anesthesia provider, I owe it to my patients and their family members to educate myself as much as possible. The experience, though challenging, has been extremely rewarding.

I truly enjoyed all of my classes, and cannot thank each of my professors enough. Dr. Wands and Dr. Hu were particularly contributive to my education, and I genuinely appreciate the kindness and compassion they demonstrated.

As a Cleveland, Ohio resident, I specifically liked having the opportunity to visit the campus and collaborate with not only others in my class, but also the entry-to-practice CRNA students.

My doctoral project, 'Music To Your Ears: Music Intervention to Decrease Preoperative Anxiety,' helped educate nurses and anesthesia providers about the benefits of music therapy during the preoperative period.

My plans for the future include continuing to perfect my practice, assisting the future generation of CRNAs as an educator…and taking a well-deserved vacation!"

You can also view Heather's doctoral project in a video, here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TiAgxF-ldTz4e1dHqRHO2f-_bNtyPGi3/view

Virginia Association of Nurse Anesthetists (VANA)
AANA / American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology
VCU College of Health Professions
Virginia Commonwealth University

Big congratulations to our two August post-master's DNAP graduates. Today, we're introducing you to Meghan Deal, a CRNA at Virginia Urology. She says:

"After practicing as a nurse anesthetist for 15 years, I chose to pursue my DNAP at VCU for professional growth and personal advancement. My practice has developed through the program, and I am using my new skills each day, both inside and outside of the operating room.

The topics covered in the program that have been most useful to me include: human factors and patient safety, ethics in healthcare, adult learning theories, the policy-making process, and change implementation.

The curriculum is robust and applicable to everyday practice. My interactions with the VCU doctoral faculty have been rewarding and supportive. The opportunities to engage with the entry-to-practice DNAP students have been energizing, and I am confident that the future of nurse anesthesia is bright.

My doctoral project is titled 'Compassionate Care of the Transgender Patient in the Ambulatory Care Setting.' I truly enjoyed exploring the topics of transgender healthcare, compassionate care, and conscientious objection through my research. One of the goals of my project was to encourage staff at my facility to provide care more willingly to the transgender population.

I was able to provide educational in-services at my workplace to bring more understanding of the challenges that transgender individuals face in the healthcare environment. Through my work, I improved my presentation and public-speaking skills and came to truly appreciate this population of patients.

My advisors, Drs. Brenda Wands and Christine Dietz, were instrumental in completing this project successfully. Their feedback was invaluable.

I cannot recommend pursuing a doctoral degree to my colleagues enough. Knowledge is one of those benefits that can never be taken from you."

Virginia Association of Nurse Anesthetists (VANA)
AANA / American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology
VCU College of Health Professions
Virginia Commonwealth University

Featured News — VCU College of Health Professions

“Like I tell our kids: ‘Dream big.’"

Our 2018 alum Amber Coleman tells us what she's been up to since graduating (and it's a bit more than administering anesthesia). Virginia Association of Nurse Anesthetists (VANA) Diversity CRNA Mentees

Featured News — VCU College of Health Professions Dreaming Big: Amber Coleman ’18 Building a Brand Beyond the ORGraduate, pass the National Certification Exam, get certified, practice as a CRNA. It’s a path to success and personal and professional advancement for many VCU Nurse Anesthesia graduates. Yet Amber Coleman, a 2018 alumna, simply had ...

Our junior students from the class of 2023 recently attended anatomy camp in Tennesse at ETSU. It was a great experiencefor them to learn from some of our senior students, and learning about regional anesthesia in the cadaver lab!

We are so thrilled to be able to see our Nurse Anesthesiology Faculty Associates (NAFA) family at our in-person meetings again! This week we are hosting the inaugural Spring Disney meeting at the Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World and our crowd-favorite meeting at the Marriott at Hilton Head Island. There is a virtual option at Disney, so there is still time to join us and earn CEs from our outstanding faculty https://web.cvent.com/event/69e8fc41-7ce9-43cb-ae98-5a3d4f1c9604/regProcessStep1. And, we've got a phenomenal lineup of meetings planned for this Fall. www.nafava.org

Today was commencement at VCU.
There were no May 2022 DNAP graduates but we still had so much to celebrate. Dr. Meena Verma (MSNA 17/DNAP 18) was awarded the inaugural VCU College of Health Professions Dean’s Service Award!! We are so proud! Thank you, Dr. Verma, for all that you do to serve others in our community. You are an inspiration to so many!!

HURRY! Limited rooms are available for Nurse Anesthesiology Faculty Associates' spring CE events in Hilton Head and Walt Disney World (our first-ever spring Disney meeting!).

View schedules, see the speakers, and most importantly BOOK ROOMS NOW to reserve your spot. Both events offer additional Class A CE Credits at no added cost.

🩺 VCU ALUM? Get 10% off your registration with the code VCUALUM at checkout!

🌴 Hilton Head (June 1-4): https://www.nafava.org/events/hiltonhead

🐭 Disney (May 31-June 3): https://www.nafava.org/events/disney-spring-22

Supported by our continuing-education arm, Nurse Anesthesiology Faculty Associates, new handheld Butterfly Network, Inc Butterfly iQ+ ultrasounds were distributed to our third-year (NA-3) graduate nurse anesthesia students. They are excited to put the portable ultrasound devices (which connect to an iPhone, iPad, or Android device) to use as they develop Point-of-Care Ultrasound () skills aimed at enhancing patient safety, patient satisfaction, and efficiency in the peri-operative setting.

This month at the Virginia Association of Nurse Anesthetists Winter Workshop, VCU Nurse Anesthesia SRNA Caruso presented "A Novel Approach to PONV” to attendees. He tells us:

"There are certain gold standards, Ondansetron and Dexamethasone, that are routinely utilized in the anesthesia community for the prevention of post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV). I choose to investigate four novel approaches to the management of PONV that were non-inferior or superior to the gold standard antiemetics regularly used in practice. I explored four medications, not regularly utilized as antiemetics, Aprepitant/Fosaprepitant, Gabapentin, Midazolam, and Dimenhydrinate; excluding Scopolamine, Droperidol, Propofol, Promethazine and Prochlorperazine for their regular and proven use in practice already. I found that that through various randomized controlled trials (RCTs), meta-analysis, and systematic reviews that these four medications were either non-inferior or superior to the gold standard medications that are apart of the anesthetist’s armamentarium."

Proud of Caruso and all our SRNAs!

Jean Snyder column: Remembering Goldie Brangman, the nurse anesthetist who helped save Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

VCU alum and immediate past-president of the Virginia Association of Nurse Anesthetists (VANA) Jean Snyder, DNAP, CRNA, shares the story of Goldie D. Brangman, a nurse anesthetist who saved Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life after he was stabbed in 1958. Brangman went on to become the only African American CRNA to serve as president of the AANA / American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology.

Jean Snyder column: Remembering Goldie Brangman, the nurse anesthetist who helped save Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was at a Harlem event for the launch of his first book, “Stride Toward Freedom,” when he was stabbed in the chest with a

Well that didn't take long: Several of our December '21 VCU Nurse Anesthesia alums returned last week to give back to the department and their profession mere weeks after graduating and passing their NCE Board Exam. They shared their knowledge and expertise with second-year (NA-2) graduate nurse anesthesia students who are preparing to enter their first clinical rotations.

Congratulations to VCU post-master's DNAP program graduate student, Meghan Deal, CRNA, who presented her doctoral project "Compassionate Care of the Transgender Patient in the Perioperative Setting" to approximately 50 attendees at Virginia Urology Surgery Center this week. Meghan's doctoral project committee included Dr. Brenda Wands (chair) and VCU alumna Christine Dietz, DNAP, CRNA, who also practices at the Virginia Urology Surgery Center. Way to go, Meghan!

Congratulations to the class of 2021, who graduated this weekend. It was an incredible ceremony as always, and we appreciate all the families and friends who came from near and far.

During the ceremony we recognized students who earned a 4.0 GPA. We unfortunately did not call the names of three additional students who also earned a 4.0. For that, we sincerely apologize to the students and their families, and I personally take responsibility for the omission.

So today, we are honoring those three students here on Facebook. They are: Esther Park, Brittany Pierce, and Rebecca Popeck Spiller. In coming days, we will deliver their framed certificates to them.

Each one worked so hard to achieve a 4.0 GPA and we wish these new Doctors of Nurse Anesthesia Practice all the best in their careers.

Sincerely,

Nicole Damico, PhD, CRNA, FAANA, CHSE
Chair, VCU Nurse Anesthesia

Class of 2021: Growing up in a refugee camp fueled in Khada Dulal a desire to help others

Graduation is two days away! Today we're sharing the incredible story of one of our graduates, Khada Dulal. He and his family resettled in the U.S. after living in a refugee camp in Bhutan.

“I was just determined to go the longest with the opportunity that was provided to me," he says. "In the states, I could finally go to school with all these amenities. I came to a realization that if I wanted to learn something, there were resources available."

Khada will graduate Saturday with a Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice degree. And after passing his boards, he will care for patients at VCU Health.

Class of 2021: Growing up in a refugee camp fueled in Khada Dulal a desire to help others Dulal, who will graduate with a doctor of nurse anesthesia practice degree, is ready to start his career at VCU Health.

This week we are celebrating Dr. Harold Barnwell's successful defense of his dissertation, "Evaluating the Clinical Utility of a Novel Electroencephalography System for Assessing Perioperative Neurocognition in Older Surgical Patients”, submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the PhD in Health Related Sciences. Dr. Barnwell's work is an important contribution to advancing knowledge in our field and we couldn't be more proud!! Way to go, Dr. Barnwell!

Fantastic news!! The VCU Department of Nurse Anesthesia has received a renewed accreditation for a period of 10 years by the COA! Thanks to all who helped through the accreditation process, and to all of you who continue to support the program! 🌟🌟🌟https://nrsa.chp.vcu.edu/

Calling all alumni! The VCU Nurse Anesthesia Alumni Advisory Council is accepting nominations for the 2021 VCU Nurse Anesthesia Most Outstanding Alumnus/a Award. Deadline for nominations has been extended to Wednesday, November 10, 2021 at https://forms.gle/KBmp9aaFoTMyPzoSA

Also, the VCU Nurse Anesthesia online apparel store closes this Friday! Get your orders in today! https://secure.idamerica.com/vcunurse

Please join us in welcoming our newest faculty member, Rebekah L. Carmel, Ph.D., CRNA! Dr. Carmel joins the Department full-time as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Carmel earned her BS in Nursing from York College of PA, MS in Critical Care Nursing from the University of Virginia, MS in Nurse Anesthesia from VCU, and Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing from the University of Virginia. Dr. Carmel is a practicing anesthetist with the VCU Health System. Her research interests include ERAS, non-operating room anesthesia, and POCUS. She seeks to enhance diversity in the nurse anesthesia workforce and modernize educational teaching and evaluation
methods. In her spare time, Dr. Carmel enjoys being outdoors with her Labrador Retrievers or creating craft BBQ.