What is your current position on the BOD?
President-elect
Have you served on any other committees (CANA or AANA) or another BOD position?
I was a trustee prior to becoming president-elect and have also served on the engagement committee as well.
What/Where is your full-time job?
I work as a clinical faculty nurse anesthetist at USC Keck Medical Center. I am also an adjunct professor for the University of Southern California and University of San Diego Departments of Nursing.
How do you balance and manage the stress of your full-time job, BOD position, and family life?
One thing at a time! I try and focus on working hard when it’s time to work and then taking my evenings and at least most of my weekend days to enjoy family and friends. I think it is important to “turn off” work at a certain hour in the evening; allowing for me to turn my attention to family. One piece of advice I try to keep in mind is to schedule blocks of time for my obligations to CANA. If I can sit down to read and respond to a group of emails for a set amount of time I am able to keep a better handle on what is happening, what needs to happen next, and where our association is heading. This is opposed to doing things on the fly; it’s much harder to track progress. All of this being said, sometimes we just need to fit EVERYTHING in whenever we can. Thank goodness for smart phones!
What is your favorite anesthesia specialty?
I really enjoy all aspects of anesthesia. I like the possibility of changing specialties each day, it keeps me on my toes and constantly learning.
Is there any research, thesis, practice projects, missions, or other anesthesia related work you would like to share with our community?
I believe better peri-operative fluid and multi-modal pain management are necessary to adopt for the forward movement of anesthesia practice. There is overwhelming evidence supporting the use of protocols already in use; in my opinion a nation-wide shift needs to take place. Additionally, I am always in support of further research on the safe and highly effective care nurse anesthetist provide. With the politics of anesthesia rising in California, the more evidence we can provide regarding our practice of exceptional care the better.
