CRNAs and SRNAs take center stage in this new section of the TANA website. Do you have an interesting story to share? TANA wants to help you tell it! Please click here to submit inquiries and ideas today.
Sheila McCarley, DNP, CRNA, has never spent much time thinking about what her life would be like if she had become a schoolteacher or flight attendant, two career options she weighed at one time or another. Instead, she joined the U.S. Army Reserves, eventually rising to the rank of Colonel, and became a CRNA and […]
If member engagement in professional associations is truly in decline as the ASAE* suggests, then somebody forgot to let TANA’s Jordan Hollinshead, DNAP, CRNA, APN, in on the secret. Just four and a half years after graduating with her doctorate from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, the 32-year-old cardiac anesthesia specialist recently […]
TANA member Christhian De Ochoa, DNP, CRNA, APRN, is a proud Mexican American with deep roots in Memphis. “I was raised in Memphis and earned my Doctor of Nursing Practice in Nurse Anesthesiology from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in 2023,” she says. “I currently work for North American Partners of Anesthesia at […]
The Tennessee Association of Nurse Anesthetists congratulates Patricia Juoza-Clark, EdD, CRNA, and Jim Alberding, DNP, CRNA, on being inducted as Fellows of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists during the AANA Annual Congress in San Diego. AANA Fellows are recognized in their field for being outstanding practitioners, educators, researchers, and advocates. Acceptance […]
TANA congratulates Maisen Conley, BSN, CCRN, RN, SRNA, for being chosen as the 2024 recipient of the Patty Cornwell Stewardship and Advocacy Scholarship! Maisen is in her second year at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) College of Nursing Nurse Anesthesia Option and expects to graduate in 2026. The fourth recipient of the […]
Dr. Lisa Lucas, the Chief Certified Registered Nurse Anesthesiologist (CRNA) at the Memphis Veterans Affairs Medical Center (MVAMC), has devoted her career to providing compassionate, high-quality anesthesia care to military veterans. On Aug. 3, during the Annual Congress of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiologists (AANA), Lisa’s exceptional dedication, leadership, and caregiving earned her the […]
During her inaugural medical mission this past April, Crystal Aycocke learned first-hand that there’s nothing comfortable, routine, or easy about providing healthcare in austere conditions like those found in the mountainous, jungle terrain of Chiriquí Province, Panama. She also knew it was one of the most amazing experiences […]
When the youth leaders at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Knoxville asked if anyone in the congregation would be willing to share information about their jobs at a career day for boys and girls ages 11-18, Mick Ellis, SRNA, seized upon the opportunity. “The youths had about 10 minutes at […]
Malasy Vichathep, DNP, CRNA, works at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, a long way from her parents’ homeland of Laos, a landlocked country in Southwest Asia bordered by China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Burma. “My parents immigrated from Laos and stayed in refugee camps on their way to America,” Malasy explains. “Their journey to this […]
Giving anesthesia is described as both an art and a science. The best CRNAs embrace both aspects fully and equally; but truth be told, it doesn’t always occur simultaneously. John Shields, DNP, CRNA, who became a CRNA nearly 40 years ago and currently specializes in cardiovascular anesthesia, understands the concept well. Reflecting on his long […]
Leilani Herbert, a CRNA who works for U.S. Anesthesia Partners (USAP) at Williamson Medical Center in Franklin, Tennessee, says she gets ribbed for the Hawaiian pattern on the radiation safety gear she wears at work. “But everyone knows whose lead it is, so they better not be caught wearing it!” she laughs. The current chair […]
Meet Kristina Heering, CRNA (TANA Wellness Committee member), and her family, who have found the perfect recipe for wellness—time spent together in the great outdoors! At their cabin retreat, they embrace the beauty of nature to unplug, reset, and reconnect with what truly matters. We asked Kristina how she makes wellness a priority, and she […]
Starting up an anesthesia business can be equal parts daunting and rewarding. Just ask Ashley Davis, DNAP, NP, CRNA, her husband Nate Davis, DNAP, CRNA, and Steve Harbin, MSN, CRNA, partners in the rapidly growing anesthesia practice Advanced Anesthesia Solutions, Inc. (AAS) headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee. With AAS now in its 12th year, the three […]
Celebrating Black History Month 2024 My name is Fred Reed, III, DNP, MBA(c), CRNA, APRN. I was inspired to go into nurse anesthesiology after being introduced to a CRNA at Louisiana State University – E.A. Conway Medical Center during the “A-HEC of a Summer” Program* in 2004. I was 13 years old. Rosalind Loyd-Chisley, the […]
Melissa Hayden, MSN, CRNA, Executive Director of Surgical Services at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital in Jackson, Tennessee, has a unique perspective on moving from her previous role as Director of Nurse Anesthesia/Chief CRNA to Executive Director this past June. “I chose to practice anesthesia as it is truly an honor and a privilege to care […]
As the saying goes, “Variety is the spice of life.” For some it means traveling to exotic locations, for others it’s the adrenaline rush of extreme sports…the list goes on. But for Jacob Geldrich, MS, CRNA, the newest partner in a thriving all-CRNA group in East Tennessee, it’s the lure of entrepreneurship that has led […]
From finding her calling as a nurse anesthetist more than 50 years ago, to guiding a lifetime of SRNAs on their own journeys to becoming CRNAs, long-time nurse anesthesia educator and TANA member Mary Elizabeth “Ikey” DeVasher credits everything she’s accomplished to one thing: her faith in God. Recollecting her days as a student at […]
TANA congratulates Anna McCleskey, DNP, CRNA, for being chosen as the 2023 recipient of the Patty Cornwell Stewardship and Advocacy Scholarship! A May 2023 graduate from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) College of Nursing Nurse Anesthesia Option, Anna is the third recipient of the scholarship. She will be honored on August 21 […]
What do you call a person who works full time in a complex healthcare specialty, pursues their doctorate degree, raises small children, and volunteers to serve on a board or committee for their professional association…all at the same time? A CRNA, of course! Or you could call them Rachel and Bethany, two good friends and […]
Being the “first” is always an honor, but there are times when being the first is simply more important than at other times. This October, Lieutenant Commander Hope Ferguson, DNP, MBA, CRNA, president-elect of TANA, will become TANA’s first African American president. It is a significant moment in TANA history and a reason to celebrate! […]