Why are nurse anesthetists so controversial?
A. Because the perceived mission of this department has been to train residents, faculty feel they’re dividing their loyalties when they supervise these nurses. But we have to keep operating rooms open and prepare for the growth of the institution. I’m not certain the current workforce shortage will be resolved. So I’ve recruited C.R.N.A.’s in greater numbers, partnered with schools of nurse anesthetists, and even just recently created a subdivision of nurse anesthesia within the department, which I hope will contribute to academia. Q. You were in negotiations forever. Why did ‘getting to yes’ take so long? A. People think it was the longest ever, but it wasn’t as long as one might think. Within about a month or so of beginning negotiations, I turned in my summary of the department. In my mind I had accepted the job no matter what. People wanted me to do this job and said they would do everything they could to make sure I would be successful. So over 10 months or so, we went about the
