Reflections on my AANA Mid-Year Assembly experience

I recently had the opportunity to attend the 2022 AANA Mid-Year Assembly conference in Washington, D.C. My goals were to meet with SRNAs and CRNAs who have a passion for advancing the profession, to learn about ways to advocate for the profession, and to develop myself as a future leader in the profession. I’d like to share and reflect on my experience.

At the conference, I learned things such as: the importance of nurse anesthesiology resident involvement; information on the fight for reimbursement parity; barriers to CRNAs practicing at their full level of training; and also the importance of joining non-anesthesia related committees/boards and how that may also assist in advancing the profession.

To say the least, this experience increased my knowledge about important issues related to the profession, but it also further motivated me, letting me become more aware of how I can make positive contributions. I strongly recommend SRNAs take advantage of these types of learning opportunities. To become a successful member of and leader in the profession, one must learn more than the techniques and theories that undergird successful practice. There must also be knowledge of how the profession is viewed by the external environment to take positive advantage of the strengths and to mitigate potential threats. Participating in and being exposed to these sorts of experiences benefits the students and assists in further advancing the profession.

Attending this conference also provided me the opportunity to meet and network with leaders in the profession. The exposure to and interaction with these leaders and practitioners was invaluable. I now have a new cadre of mentors who can lead and advise me as I continue in my program and beyond. Mentoring is important. The mentoring process helps proteges/mentees to acquire new information, receive guidance, feel seen and heard, and gain support. Although it is possible to just ask someone to be your mentor, most successful mentoring occurs when a relationship has been established between the mentor and the protege/mentee. This conference has allowed me to strengthen my existing mentoring relationships and build relationships with new mentors.

To talk about a life-changing experience may sound cliche. However, my attendance at the 2022 AANA Mid-Year Assembly conference was truly life-changing. It was an experience that I highly recommend to my fellow SRNAs. Thank you again to those who made this experience possible.

So many people have mentored and poured into me to help me reach where I am now. It’s not possible to mention all of them, but this list includes: Robert Beyerlein; Jeff Molter; Brian Garrett; Juan Quintana; Lena Gould; Jan Setnor; Jill Mason; John Bing; Heather Rankin; Mike MacKinnon; Kristie Hoch; Dina Velocci; Jennifer Banek; Sonya Moore; Yana Krmic; Joe Rodriguez; Michael Anderson; Sharon Pearce; Dru Riddle; Michael Greco; Jackie Rowles; Lorraine Jordan; Jenny Schmitt; Tracy Young; Bebe Adenusi; Erin Foley; Dawn AuBuchon; Lisa Osborne; Lois Stewart; Deborah Greer; Mark Giles; Danny Sledge; Jean Gadson; James Farmer; Angela Mund; and Jose Castillo. Being an Army vet, I am reminded of the motto E. Pluribus Unim – One From Many. I hope to be the one, from many CRNA mentors!