Surgeries require a lot of moving parts, with as many as eight people working together in the operating room.
In the past few years, however, one crucial role has been in short supply—nurse anesthetists.
In rural areas, certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAS) administer 80 percent of all anesthesia, according to the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA).
In response to a nationwide shortage of CRNAS, Susan Emery, a professor of the practice and director of the nurse anesthesia program in the Connell School of Nursing (CSON), launched the nursing anesthesia program at Boston College to train the next generation in the vital—but often overlooked—task of keeping patients safe while under anesthesia.
“I think the goal is for everyone in healthcare to be able to work to the top of their license, at the top of their education so we will all benefit,” Emery said. “It will be much more cost-effective if we all do what we do well, and if we work collaboratively with each other.”
Emery launched the program—one of just two in Massachusetts—in 2002. Since then, the three-year, full-time program has graduated 279 CRNAS as of last year, according to the CSON website.
“I think there were people who were farsighted enough that could realize the benefit if they collaborated in this way, they would have more graduates,” Emery said. “They would potentially have more hires that would take care of staffing issues.”
During the early stages of developing the program, Emery emphasized the important role that nurse anesthesia plays in medical care—something she learned firsthand while becoming a CRNA.
“I think what drew me to anesthesia in particular is that to be a nurse anesthetist, you have to be a nurse first,” Emery said. “I was a nurse, and I wanted to go into advanced practice in some form. I always enjoyed caring for patients that were undergoing surgery.”
Emery discovered that surgeons aren’t always trained to provide the personalized attention patients need before and during surgeries.
“I found that oftentimes caring for surgical patients on the floor, if the patient was having a medical problem, the surgeons weren’t always the best people to manage that—it was more a medical issue,” Emery said.
Her experience as a nurse, however, gave her a unique perspective.
“I found that the role for the nurse in bridging that gap was really important, and so it seemed a logical next step,” Emery said.
When Emery approached BC about creating a CRNA program, it took some convincing, but her background as a nurse and CRNA helped her gain the trust of the CSON faculty.
“It took a little bit of persuasion, but by repeated interactions with the other faculty, they realized that I was a nurse, that I had a very strong nursing identity, that we weren’t trying to be something else, and that we really thought that this was an important role for nurses,” Emery said.
As Emery began garnering support for the program, her next challenge was stepping back from the operating room and patient care to transition into an academic setting. She built the program from the ground up, which posed a unique set of challenges.
“In order to develop the program, I had to be out of the operating room, writing course syllabi, developing the overall curriculum, and getting the accreditation,” Emery said.
Caitlyn Vitale, BC ’04 and assistant director of the CRNA program, enrolled in the program in 2009 before returning as a faculty member last year.
“I was actually an undergrad student in the nursing program here and found out about [the CRNA program] then,” Vitale said. “I went and did ICU nursing, and then naturally wanted to come back here for the anesthesia program,” Vitale said.
Vitale said she applies what she learned from the program to her work today, especially Emery’s emphasis on providing personalized care for patients.
“She always teaches from the perspective that the patients come first. So, while we are so caring about our own students, we ultimately want them to be serving our patients,” Vitale said.
For Emery, teaching students to stay curious and continue learning as CRNAs is important.
“The important thing as a leader is just to continue to be a learner, Emery said. “I think the best teachers are people that want to learn themselves. I’m always learning from my other faculty, from the students.”
Emery’s leadership qualities have extended to those who work with her. Catherine Reilly, a clinical faculty instructor in the CRNA program, praised Emery’s commitment to training responsible CRNAs.
“I think seeing that evolution of a student learning in the classroom and then applying that knowledge to clinical is one of the most fulfilling parts of being an educator in the CRNA program,” Reilly said.
Reilly said that the program is dedicated to see students learn and grow, aiming to create generations of nurse anesthetists who serve their patients well.
“Susan has been a great mentor to me, giving me advice about how to teach, how to grow as an educator, and also she gives us a lot of grace while we’re going through and learning new steps,” Reilly said.
As the program celebrated the graduation of its 20th class last May and looked ahead, Emery emphasized that collaboration between students and faculty is key to its success.
“Every time we set a bar for our students they just jump over it, and so we raise it up a little higher,” Emery said. “It’s really a collaboration.”
