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February 2010
Awake Intubation & LMA Fastrach
Edible Anesthesia Machine
From http://include.nurse.com/article/20081208/DC02/112080174
The University of Maryland School of Nursing's 2008 nurse anesthetist graduates enjoyed a sweet feast Dec. 5. While celebrating the completion of their master's program, the 25 students were surprised with a cake made by Baltimore's Charm City Cakes, the business owned by well-known chef Duff Goldman.
Goldman and his crew at Charm City Cakes are featured in the Food Network TV series "Ace of Cakes."
The cake, which was from four of the group's fellow graduates, was shaped like an anesthesia gas machine and included impressive details.
Jeremiah Loch's Thoughts on Pain Management
2010 CRNA Job Market outlook
I recently contacted David Pierpont, President and CEO of Stonebridge & Company 
and he agreed to share his perspective on the CRNA job market and offer suggestions on how best to approach employment transitions.
David,
In recent years anesthesia providers have been in relatively short supply, making jobs opportunities plentiful, sign on bonuses and attractive salaries "normal" and a person could choose to live in almost any part of the country. Although healthcare has been spared the massive downturn that other industries are experiencing, there has been a definite softening of the anesthesia market. Could you provide an overview of the current job market for CRNAs ?
A non-traditional CRNA
Those of you familiar with the various CRNA listservers have been exposed to the opinions of Barry Cranfill, CRNA,MBA. His opinions, though not always popular, certainly invoke many responses, which makes Barry the perfect candidate for a CRNAbiz profile...
Barry, I know from reading your posts that you are a CRNA, a business owner, a pilot with a military background and that you have an MBA. Would you take a few moments and elaborate on your background and education ?
Clinical Day as a student nurse anesthetist
Well hello everyone! My name is Mike MacKinnon. Many may wonder what a clinical day is like in anesthesia school. I will take you through an average day for me so you have an idea what to expect. Enjoy!
I wake up at about 4:30. Clinical is only 25 minutes away if I leave by 5 am but if I leave much later it can take up to 45 minutes to get there. Typical traffic issues! After I get ready and make sure my “anesthesia bag” is good to go I head out the door and drive to clinical!
Billing & Compliance recommendations
Are you billing correctly ? 
A recent memo from a billing company asks, "Are You Billing Correctly ?" Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs), Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs), Program Safeguard Contractors and other agencies including theDepartment of Justice are becoming more aggressive in their auditing activities. To help you stay out of their viewfinders, we offer an updated list of some top compliance risks.
Anesthesia time. The venerable ASA and Medicare definition states that“Anesthesia time begins when the anesthesiologist begins to prepare the patient for anesthesia care in the operating room or in an equivalent area, and ends when the anesthesiologist is no longer in personal attendance, that is, when the patient is safely placed under post-anesthesia supervision.”
Should nurse anesthetists have the ability to administer anesthesia to Medicare patients without physician supervision?
Yes, certified registered nurse anesthetists perform the service with equal safety, or even more safely, than anesthesiologists
Doctors Sue To Stop Unsupervised Nurse Anesthetists from Administering Anesthesia
Surgical patients are being put at risk because a new California regulation allows nurse anesthetists to administer anesthesia without the supervision of a physician, claims a lawsuit filed against California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger by two large physician groups Tuesday. Continue to HealthLeaders Media Article.
Wanda Wilson, CRNA, PhD, Executive Director, AANA (2/3/2010 at 11:42 PM) The inaccuracies in the article, "Doctors Sue to Stop Unsupervised Nurse Anesthetists from Administering Anesthesia" are simply staggering
That the reporter didn't fact-check readily confirmable information and relied on a clearly uninformed and possibly biased source should be embarrassing to this e-publication. The following facts can be easily confirmed through any number of reliable sources:
