Student-registered nurse anesthetists (SRNAs) and faculty participated in a series of legislative phone calls on April 21 and 22 regarding current anesthesia-related advocacy issues. 

Each year, second-year nurse anesthesia students take N935 Professional Aspects and learn about nurse anesthesia-specific history, ethics, billing, business, wellness and global work with a special focus on CRNA state and federal advocacy. In previous years during April, the participating class would travel to Washington D.C., to train in advocacy, lobbying and relationship-building and to learn more about the current events in health care. This training would then be followed up with the CRNA/SRNA group visiting federal representatives and senators.

This year, for the first time, the event was held in a virtual environment. Prior to the calls, the N935 SRNAs researched his or her own representatives, practiced a personal introduction via Voice Thread in Sakai, researched and presented on six current anesthesia-related advocacy issues, and helped voice this perspective to the offices of U.S. Sens. Richard Burr and Thom Tillis and U.S. Reps. George Holding, David Price, David Rouzer, and G. K. Butterfield. 

The calls were co-led by Emily Funk, assistant professor. Other faculty included Chris Muckler, associate professor, and assistant professors Denise Tola and Christian Falyar. The students were:

• Mikaela Siemens

• Alyssa Davy

• David Rider

• Forrest Dunnahoo

• Robynn Choy

• Tirzah Johnson 

• Gaige Flewelling

• Haiyun Niemzyk

• Becky Dzenis

• Laura Parkins

• Gaige Flewelling

• Gaby Urbina

• Bailey Augustine

• Jodi Matthews

• Margo Kandrack

• Katelyn Morris

• Anna Fraifeld

• Sara Brzozowski

• Kylie Weston

• Hannah Akbarzadeh 

• Felicia Hogan

• Abby Stewart

• Katie Sutton 

• Brooke Nelson

As nurse anesthetists across the country advocate for eliminating surprise billing, providing financial stability, and increasing PPE supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic as well gaining full-practice authority for all advanced-practice nurses including in the VA health care system, the Duke SRNAs stood educated, prepared and engaged despite the challenges of a distance-based learning environment.