#112 – How to Transition from Clinician to Chief CRNA

What’s up y’all! This is Jon Lowrance and this is episode 112 – How to Transition from Clinician to Chief CRNA. Y’all are going to love this conversation. So… I almost don’t know where to begin cause there’s so much to talk about… This is an episode about chief CRNAs but so much more. It’s like when you watch one of those food documentaries about the best pizza kitchens in the world and you’re like: oh, a documentary about pizza, but then it’s really about the experience of chefs, small business owners, friendship and passion. This episode is like that. It’s about chief CRNAs. And we have a couple of guests that are going to talk with us about an article they published on the research they did into the professional experience of chief CRNAs. But this story is really about the transition that most healthcare providers take when they take the step from expert provider to clinician-leader, practice manager or owner. You’re going to see this through the lens of what these 2 researchers saw when they did a qualitative analysis of chief CRNAs across the state of North Carolina. But you might take something away from this about the physician who leads your team or the CMO or health system president that runs the show where you’re at. If you work in healthcare, cause you probably do – again, unless you’re my mom, who listens to all these podcasts – hey Gail! But for the rest of you, if you’re in healthcare, this episode will likely help you understand your clinical leaders better. I never set out to be a chief CRNA or practice manager. I wanted to be the best clinician I could. I wanted to stand in the gap between the chaos and the outcome. I wanted to master my craft as an anesthesia provider and take the best care of patients possible. Literally, like 6 months before our chief CRNA announced that he was going to step down after 8 years in his role, I had the opportunity to become a daily shift supervisor – like a board runner in the OR. I was like: I’m never going to do that. It seems way too hard. Then our chief stepped down and his role opened up and I was like… wellllllllll… This episode hopefully will be relevant to any clinician who, like me, has stepped into a role or is thinking about taking on a clinical practice leadership role that maybe they’re not totally ready for. You’re not alone. So we’re going to talk with Austin Cole and Robert Whitehurst, co-authors of an article about the competencies & professional development needs of chief CRNAs that was published in April 2024 in the AANA Journal. Austin framed his doctoral project at Duke University around this study. Austin Cole, DNP, CRNA began his career after graduating from the school of nursing at UNC-Chapel Hill. Following graduation, he spent two years as a Registered Nurse in a cardiothoracic critical care unit. He received his DNP and nurse anesthesiology training at Duke University and currently practices as a CRNA at Duke Regional Hospital in Durham, NC. Robert Whitehurst is the President of Advanced Anesthesia Solutions, a CRNA practice providing anesthesia services to a variety of outpatient practices. He graduated in 1997 from East Carolina University School of Nursing with his Bachelor of Science in Nursing and in 2004 from Duke University School of Nursing with his Master of Science in Nursing. Bob Whitehurst is also the Chairperson for the North Carolina Association of Nurse Anesthetist’s Political Action Committee and he’s passionate about patient access to high quality anesthesia care. He’s happily married to Amy Whitehurst; they have 4 children and in his spare time he enjoys hanging out with his family and playing tennis with frie...