What does it take to be an advanced practice provider? How is the field changing? Here's what they told me

Derek Schmack didn’t know what a certified registered nurse anesthetist was when he started nursing school. He had followed a cousin into nursing, mostly driven by a desire for a job that didn’t require sitting behind a desk all day.

But in his senior year, he met an older fraternity brother who invited him to shadow him in the operating room. And it would change his career trajectory.

“I really had no clue what was going on,” Schmack recalled, “but I knew I admired the way he cared for patients, and I was shocked by the amount of care and autonomy he had in taking care of patients.”

CRNA Founds the Dream Big Wellness Support Group Amidst COVID-19

The last two years have become the Era of Covid-19. My four months on the frontline, day after day, face-to-face with patients suffering from signs and symptoms of Covid-19 was the longest and most devastating and traumatic experience of my 20-year nursing career.

After spending 3,750+ hours working in the hospital in 2020, equivalent to an average of 72 hours per week, my mind and body collapsed upon itself, and I knew it was time for me to step away to focus on my own well-being. The patient load, coupled with the endless debates surrounding masks, vaccines, mandates, and science took its toll on me. I decided it was time to seclude away for some much-needed respite. In the midst of all the attention being given to healthcare workers and frontline workers, I still felt isolated, unseen, and unheard.

A Conversation on Mental Health and Wellness

The COVID-19 pandemic has driven stress and burnout among healthcare workers, some to crisis levels. The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) cares about the well-being of CRNAs and SRNAs. AANA’s Wellness program offers a multitude of resources and educational opportunities, so that CRNAs and SRNAs can live a balanced personal and professional life.

AANA President Dina Velocci, DNP, CRNA, APRN, was recently joined by Donté Flanagan, DNP, CRNA, co-chair of AANA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, to discuss health and wellness. In 2020, Flanagan worked over 3,750 hours in a hospital – equivalent to an average of 72 hours per week. His patient load, coupled with the demands of COVID-19 and the changes in delivery of care, had taken its toll. He described the past two years as the most “devastating and traumatic experience” of his 20-year career in nurse anesthesiology.

Meet Donté Flanagan DNP, CRNA

Dr. Donté  Flanagan, DNP, CRNA and founder of the Bigger Dreams, Better Tomorrows foundation, says his career as a nurse anesthetist was an unplanned turn that helped him find a profession he loves.

In recognition of this week’s Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists Week (CRNA Week), Minority Nurse spoke with Flanagan about his career path and what it takes to succeed in this field.

Flanagan says his original plan included nursing school as a stepping stone to medical school. He wanted a secure career that gave him options as he moved toward that goal. But during his first year in nursing school, he heard about anesthesia as a nursing path and was intrigued. Once he saw it in action, he decided it was the choice for him.