52nd MDG celebrates nurse anesthetist week

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Eydie Sakura
  • 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, GERMANY --  Envision a Civil War-era movie scene with a doctor in a medical tent performing an amputation on a wounded soldier. The pain killer of choice in the scene is a bottle of whiskey and a stick to bite down on when the pain becomes too intense. Now fast forward to the present. Anesthesia has come a long way in 150 years, and nurse anesthetists have led the charge in balancing the art and science of creating the perfect "cocktail," which is administering the proper mix and the amount of anesthesia needed for the patients' needs. National Nurse Anesthetist Week kicks off Sunday and goes through Jan. 27. The week honors Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists and educates people on the importance of their jobs and their skills. They work with surgeons, dentists and podiatrists to provide safe anesthetic care to their patients on a daily basis. "The number one thing I like about my career is the satisfaction and the 'thank you' I receive from my patients," said Lt. Col. Kevin Scharff, 52nd Medical Operations Squadron anesthesia services chief. "I have to build a bond of trust and professional respect in about five minutes before I perform the patients' anesthesia, so the relationships we build in a small timeframe cement the patients' hospital stay experience." Apprehension and anxiety are normal feelings a patient experiences prior to a major surgery. Often times, the nurse anesthetist is with the patient during the whole stay. "In our short pre-op time we have to explain our vigilance; we will be with them the entire time; and they will not be left alone," the colonel said. "We are with the patients from the time the first drugs are injected until we give report to the Family Care Center nursing staff when the surgical procedure and recovery are completed." Time intensive and professional care is all in a days work for the three nurse anesthetists on staff. Each performs anesthesia care and rotates on-call duties one third of the month. Maj. Stephanie Gardner and Capt. Michelle Gauthier, 52nd MDOS nurse anesthetists, are part of the anesthesia team at the hospital. They help provide care to about 900 Sabers each year. Occasionally, the team takes turns augmenting Landstuhl Army Regional Medical Center in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, as well as supplementing the Army and Navy on OIF deployments downrange. Captain Gauthier said deploying to the USS Trenton in support of operations in Lebanon, and seeing first-hand what life aboard a Navy ship is all about, was amazing. "We have some incredibly hard working people in our sister services," she said. No matter the situation or environment, providing care to the patient is the number one goal of a nurse anesthetist. Captain Gauthier said each patient is unique and requires customized anesthetic care. "This is the most challenging and most satisfying part of my job," she said. "A happy and healthy customer is the best outcome." Maj. (Dr.) Andie Myrtue, 52nd MDOS orthopedic services chief, has been at the hospital for nearly three years, and said the nurse anesthetists on staff are extremely talented and completely competent. "(As a surgeon), I couldn't be happier with the nurse anesthetists here," Doctor Myrtue said. "They use the most up-to-date techniques and we're very fortunate to have them on our team." In July, the team at the Bitburg Annex Hospital will go through changes, as the 52nd Medical Group transitions from a hospital to a clinic. The emergency room, operating suites and inpatient wards will close, and the clinic will no longer offer in-house obstetrical surgical services. Local hospitals ready to provide inpatient and specialty services currently offered by the 52nd MDG's hospital include the Celemsen August Krankenhaus in Bitburg, St. Elisabeth Krankenhaus in Wittlich and several Trier University-sponsored hospitals. The long-term goal is to completely close the Bitburg Annex by 2015, making this National Nurse Anesthetist Week the last celebrated at the Bitburg Annex Hospital.