Twenty students from the South Bronx Academy for Applied Media got a hands-on introduction to the certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) profession on April 4, in an event organized and presented by Doctor of Nursing Practice in Nurse Anesthesia Program residents.
CRNA doctoral student Kadesha Bryan spearheaded the students' visit, inspired by a similar event her classmate Andrew Fernandez organized last year with his alma mater, a private high school in Queens.
"We thought this year would be a unique opportunity for us to reach out to an underserved school within the community," Bryan explains.
Teachers and administrators at the Bronx school "were excited at the initiative, to have their students immersed in finding out what is an RN and what is a CRNA," continues Bryan.
She and her fellow residents began the event by introducing their guests to a day in the life of an RN and a CRNA, explaining the education and experience required for each. CRNAs don't just provide medication to put patients to sleep before surgery and help them wake afterwards, they explained; they also treat anxiety and pain and ensure patients have no memory of the surgery.
Next, the CRNA doctoral students demonstrated nursing skills, including performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), using a stethoscope to listen to the heart and lungs, and taking a pulse on specialized mannequins. Students could also practice administering intravenous medication and placing an endotracheal tube in a simulated surgical patient.
The day concluded with lunch and the presentation of special certificates to each student and the two teachers who accompanied them.
"It was really fun, very interesting," said sixth-grader Ainara Rodriguez, who especially enjoyed learning CPR and practicing intubation. Her classmate, Bella Beltran, said she hadn't known that nurses could become anesthetists, and was very interested in exploring the profession further.
