Nine student registered nurse anesthetists were awarded Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice degrees from Bryan College of Health Sciences in May.
Bryan’s 36-month DNAP program features clinical experience throughout the program. Students rotate through multiple community hospitals but have a designated “home hospital” in Lincoln, Kearney or Omaha.
“UNMC and Nebraska Medicine provide a strong clinical experience due to the knowledge of our amazing anesthesia providers, wide variety of cases and diverse spectrum of patient medical complexity,” said Nicholas Denich, CRNA, director of clinical education. “Our anesthesia students are well prepared to take on whatever they encounter as they begin their careers.”
Two of the eight students who completed their program’s clinical requirements at Nebraska Medicine will soon join the UNMC Department of Anesthesiology as CRNAs.
Kayleigh Lewandowski said her decision to stay at the med center was not the result of one thing, but rather a constellation of factors that made the job a great fit.
“I spent thousands of hours training at Nebraska Medicine and feel that there’s an excellent balance of autonomy, support from experienced colleagues, case variety and opportunities to practice different skills,” she said. “I learned something new every single day of my training and anticipate that I will continue learning. I have an immense amount of respect for the anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists at Nebraska Medicine and look forward to calling them my colleagues.”
Lindsey Romero, who will join the department in July alongside Lewandowski, said she knew there was no better place for her after she completed training.
“I love the complexity of the patient population, that no two days are ever the same. I leave the hospital knowing that I made a difference that day,” she said. “I’m excited to use all the skills I learned during my training at UNMC and that I’ll get the opportunity to learn new things every day.”
The graduates and their immediate plans are:
Abbie Eggleston, Methodist Fremont Health
Danielle Felici, OrthoNebraska
Lacie Havlena (Gooch), Children’s Nebraska
Kaylee Krotter Hoadley, Columbus, Nebraska
Kayleigh Lewandowski, Nebraska Medicine
Okechukwu Okeke, undetermined
Amanda Raber, Kearney Regional Medical Center
Paige Rearick (Tenski), CHI Health Lakeside
Lindsey Romero, Nebraska Medicine