For Ann Donnelly-Haasch, CRNA, the path to nurse anesthesia began with a simple conversation and a father who saw potential before she did.
“My dad gets most of the credit,” Donnelly-Haasch said. “He told me about CRNAs and what they did. At the time, I knew about other advanced practice nursing roles, but I didn’t know about nurse anesthetists.”
That idea, planted early, stayed with her. Encouraged by her father and supported wholeheartedly by her husband, Donnelly-Haasch pursued a career that would shape nearly three decades of patient care, teaching and leadership.
Donnelly-Haasch began her nursing career as a critical care nurse at the University of Missouri in Columbia, where she trained and worked after college. The ICU laid a strong foundation, but nurse anesthesia ultimately felt like the right next step.
She graduated from Mount Marty College in 1995 and became a CRNA during a very different era of certification.
“This was the time of paper exams,” she said. “You took your boards at scheduled times during the year, then waited — sometimes for quite a while — to get your results.”
Jobs were scarce in the Omaha area at the time. Donnelly-Haasch worked PRN at St. Joseph Hospital at Creighton before joining a new anesthesia group at Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs in early 1996.
In 1999, Donnelly-Haasch joined what is now UNMC, thanks to a tip from colleague Judy Lane, CRNA. With a young child at home, she needed the stability of a larger group.
“Call every other night just wasn’t feasible,” she said.
On May 1, she will mark 27 years at the med center.
“It’s been incredible to watch so many brilliant learners come through our operating rooms,” she said. “We don’t just teach anesthesia students. We teach anesthesiology residents, ER physicians and paramedics how to manage airways so they can save lives.”
One of Donnelly-Haasch’s favorite parts of being a CRNA is caring for patients from Nebraska and neighboring states and earning their trust during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.
“I’m humbled by that trust,” she said. “Our reward is seeing our patients do well during surgery and afterward.”
Her impact at Nebraska Medicine extends well beyond the OR. Over the years, Donnelly-Haasch has served as a clinical coordinator for students from Mount Marty College and the first three Clarkson College cohorts. She has also contributed to Six Sigma initiatives, quality assurance, interview and leadership committees and departmental culture work.
“All of it helped me get to know my colleagues better and work toward improving our department,” she said.
Donnelly-Haasch is especially passionate about supporting students and early-career CRNAs.
“I hope our students know how much we value them,” she said. “Learning a new profession is hard. Don’t be afraid to tell someone if you’re struggling.”
She admits that early in her career, she believed asking for help was a weakness.
“It’s not,” she said. “We all have times when we need someone to lean on.”
For Donnelly-Haasch, CRNA Week is both a celebration and a reflection.
“It’s a time to celebrate our accomplishments, our support for one another, and our past and future as health care providers,” she said. “We make a difference in so many lives.”
She’s grateful for the years she’s spent working alongside physician and nursing colleagues.
“This work is always a team effort,” she said. “Providing the safest care possible in the OR requires trust, collaboration and respect.”
A quote she copied years ago from the wall of a colleague, Dianne Roth, still guides her practice:
“To the world you might be one person, but to one person you just might be the world.”