We finish National CRNA Week with Barbara Mako Douglas, DNP, MBA, APRN-CRNA, an Ohio-based CRNA independent contractor with 30 years of experience in the field.
For the last 29 years I have had the incredible fortune to practice as a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA). Early in my career, I honed my craft expanding my skill set at large academic institutions and now practice independently with three other CRNAs providing comprehensive anesthesia services including perioperative pain management, general anesthesia, labor and delivery, and ancillary support for our critical access hospital.
What most people do not know about CRNAs is that we are among the first anesthesia providers dating back 150 years. Northeast Ohio has a rich history for CRNAs where Agatha Hodgins, an early pioneer in the art and science of nurse anesthesia, started Lakeside Hospital School of Nurse Anesthesia in 1915. This tradition coupled with my love and appreciation for our profession has led me to advocacy work promoting nurse anesthesia. I am a past president for the Ohio State Association of Nurse Anesthetist (OSANA) and currently am serving on the Ohio Board of Nursing. Ohio continues to be one of the most restrictive states for CRNA scope of practice.
My passion and my desire are to elevate all of nursing so that we may contribute fully to benefit the patients we serve in the most economical manner. CRNAs, like other nursing specialties, need to apply our expertise in patient care and contribute to healthcare policy reform. We must have the courage to expand our roles, seek positions of leadership, engage strategically in local and national nursing initiatives, and realize the value and potential of every nurse.
Barbara Mako Douglas, DNP, MBA, APRN-CRNA, received her BSN and DNP degrees from the Breen School of Nursing at Ursuline College. She is an independent contractor working at Aultman Orrville Hospital. Her personal entity is BMD Anesthesia LLC.