Beyond The Mask: Innovation & Opportunities For CRNAs

Ultrasound has changed the way anesthesia providers assess patients, perform regional techniques, and make decisions at the bedside. But for CRNAs who trained before these tools became commonplace, adding those skills can feel intimidating.
In this episode of Beyond the Mask, recorded at the IFNA Congress in Australia, Christian Falyar, DNAP, CRNA, FAANA joins us to talk about how point-of-care ultrasound and regional anesthesia are becoming increasingly important parts of full-scope CRNA practice.
Here’s some of what you’ll hear in this episode:
🔍 Start With POCUS: Build ultrasound comfort before advanced procedures
🧠 Understand the Anatomy: Technique follows strong foundational knowledge
💉 Practice the Needling: Hands-on repetition builds procedural confidence
🤝 Find a Mentor: Workshops alone cannot replace guided practice
📈 Don’t Settle: Full-scope practice requires continued growth
 
Visit us online: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/
The 1099 CRNA Institute: https://aana.com/1099
Want to get CE Credit for listening? Go here: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/special-announcement-ce-credt/
Now you can watch the show on YouTube! Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCknrmkRxiwtYk7LUjSV6wmw?sub_confirmation=1

AI is already changing healthcare, but that does not mean every answer it gives should be trusted. For CRNAs, the challenge is learning how to use these tools without compromising patient privacy, critical thinking, or clinical judgment.
In this episode, Kirsten Meister, DNP, CRNA offers a practical framework for using AI with healthy skepticism and purpose. With the rise of AI, it’s important that CRNAs become informed users of the technology so they can help shape how it enters anesthesia practice rather than simply reacting to it later.
Here’s some of what you’ll hear in this episode:
🤖 Use AI With Skepticism: Helpful does not always mean accurate
🧠 Clinical Judgment Wins: The machine should never replace the clinician
📝 Prompt With Precision: Better instructions produce better results
⚖️ Watch for Bias: Bad data can create bad recommendations
🛫 Use the AIRWAY Framework: Evaluate AI before relying on it
 
Visit us online: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/
The 1099 CRNA Institute: https://aana.com/1099
Want to get CE Credit for listening? Go here: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/special-announcement-ce-credt/
Now you can watch the show on YouTube! Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCknrmkRxiwtYk7LUjSV6wmw?sub_confirmation=1

In this episode recorded at AANA Congress in Boston, Levi and Mackenzie explore the military CRNA careers of Jan Setnor, MSN, CRNA, Col. (Ret), USAFR, NC, and Greg Collins, DNP, CRNA. Both guests have experience providing anesthesia in deployed environments, and they open up about what military service taught them about practicing under pressure and serving as part of a larger mission. For any future CRNAs considering a military path, this conversation will help provide you with a clearer picture of the opportunities, responsibilities, and personal growth that can come with that choice.
Here’s some of what we discuss in this episode:
🎖️ Service Shapes Leadership: Military training builds confidence and discipline
🩺 Autonomy Becomes Essential: Downrange CRNAs may be the only anesthesia provider
🧰 Adaptability Matters: Limited resources force creative clinical thinking
📚 Training Goes Beyond Anesthesia: Military education develops broader skills
🧭 Know Your Path: Understand commitments before signing anything
 
Visit us online: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/grade-1-view/
Visit the AANA Resident Hub: https://www.aana.com/resident-hub/ 
Help us grow by leaving a review: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-the-mask-innovation-opportunities-for-crnas/id1440309246

Experienced clinicians often develop techniques that work and that can make change difficult. But “we’ve always done it this way” can also keep better tools and safer workflows from getting a fair look. In this episode, Scott Imus, EdD, MSN, CRNA and Wendy Monrad, MSN, CRNA discuss deep sedation, airway management, ETCO₂ monitoring, and how the Aeris Airway helped replace years of improvised workarounds with a more consistent approach.
Here’s some of what you’ll hear in this episode:
🛠️ Stop MacGyvering: Better tools can replace improvised setups
📈 Better Monitoring: Reliable ETCO₂ can improve sedation management
💨 Lower Flow: Oxygen can be delivered more efficiently
🧠 Challenge Habits: Familiar techniques aren’t always the best
🎓 Teach It Early: New clinicians can build better habits from day one
 
Join Sharon at the Nurse Anesthesia Update in the Bahamas: https://www.nurseanesthetist.com/events/nurse+anesthesia+update+2026/
Visit us online: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/
The 1099 CRNA Institute: https://aana.com/1099
Want to get CE Credit for listening? Go here: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/special-announcement-ce-credt/
Now you can watch the show on YouTube! Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCknrmkRxiwtYk7LUjSV6wmw?sub_confirmation=1

Scholarship can feel like one more impossible responsibility for busy nurse anesthesia educators, but it often begins with something much simpler: a question. Why are we doing it this way? Is there a better approach? What are we seeing that the literature has not explained yet?
In this episode, hosts Louisa and Nickie welcome on Jenni Ross Majumdar, PhD, CRNA to make scholarship feel more approachable by showing how curiosity can grow into meaningful work. The larger goal is to help CRNA educators see research not as an extra burden, but as a practical way to strengthen education, improve practice, and expand their impact beyond the classroom or operating room.
Here’s some of what you’ll hear in this episode:
🔬 Start With Questions: Everyday observations can become meaningful research
⏰ Protect the Time: Scholarship cannot live at the bottom of the list
📝 Publish Before Grants: Build evidence that you can finish and disseminate
🤝 Research Is Collaborative: Strong teams make scholarship more sustainable
📚 Share What You Learn: Dissemination expands impact beyond your own practice
 
Follow @AirwayExchangePodcast on Instagram
Submit a Topic: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/airway-exchange-podcast-request
 
About our guest: https://jennimajumdar.com/scholarship 
Visit the Nurse Anesthesia Research Collective: https://nurseanesthesiaresearch.org/ 
Visit us online: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/
Get the CE Certificate here (and directly submit to the NBCRNA): https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Beyond-the-Mask-CE-Cert-FILLABLE.pdf
Help us grow by leaving a review: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-the-mask-innovation-opportunities-for-crnas/id1440309246

What does the nurse anesthesia profession look like outside the United States? At the IFNA Congress in Australia, Sharon and guest co-host Kevin Chem sit down with Toñi Ballesteros Barrado for a firsthand look at practice in Spain. Their conversation reveals a model of care that keeps nurse anesthetists closely connected to patients throughout the surgical experience.
Here’s some of what you’ll hear in this episode:
🇪🇸 Spanish Practice: Roles span perioperative care
🎓 Training Path: Education lacks national standardization
🩺 Patient Continuum: Care extends before and after surgery
🤝 Team Model: Nurses and physicians collaborate closely
📣 Professional Recognition: Greater formal recognition remains needed
 
Join Sharon at the Nurse Anesthesia Update in the Bahamas: https://www.nurseanesthetist.com/events/nurse+anesthesia+update+2026/
About our guest: https://wcna2026.com/speakers/antonia-ballesteros-barrado/
Visit us online: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/
The 1099 CRNA Institute: https://aana.com/1099
Want to get CE Credit for listening? Go here: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/special-announcement-ce-credt/
Now you can watch the show on YouTube! Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCknrmkRxiwtYk7LUjSV6wmw?sub_confirmation=1

Beyond the Ether is the new clinical series from Beyond the Mask, bringing together four experienced CRNAs to talk about the science, judgment, technology, and real-world decision-making behind anesthesia practice.
In this first episode, Laura Ardizzone, MS, MBA, DNP, CRNA, Jeff Molter, MSN, MBA, CRNA, Tracy Castleman, DNP, CRNA, APN-A, and Daniel King, DNP, MNA, APRN, CRNA, CPPS, CNE, introduce themselves, share the mentors and experiences that shaped their careers, and look ahead to AI, pharmacogenomics, ultrasound, perioperative optimization, and the constantly evolving future of anesthesia.
Here’s some of what you’ll hear in this episode:
🩺 Meet the Hosts: Four CRNAs bring decades of clinical and leadership experience
🧠 Experience Matters: Mentors and lived practice shape clinical judgment
🤖 Technology Is Changing Fast: AI and big data may transform individualized care
🔬 Practice Keeps Evolving: Ultrasound, EMRs, and new systems have already rewritten anesthesia
🚀 Stay Adaptable: What works today may be obsolete sooner than expected
 
Visit us online: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/
The 1099 CRNA Institute: https://aana.com/1099
Want to get CE Credit for listening? Go here: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/special-announcement-ce-credt/
Now you can watch the show on YouTube! Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCknrmkRxiwtYk7LUjSV6wmw?sub_confirmation=1

Nurse anesthesia school can be demanding, isolating, and humbling, but it does not have to be experienced alone. The Nurse Anesthesiology Resident Association (NARA) is an organization run by residents for residents, and we had the opportunity to sit down with President Dazjia Green and Vice President Omar Durand at the Annual Congress in Boston.
We’ll hear how ​NARA ​serves ​the ​resident ​community and ​what ​our guests ​have ​learned ​from ​balancing ​school, ​leadership,​and ​life. They also share what resident life really feels like, how quickly confidence can swing in clinical, and why building a national community matters for the future of the profession.
Here’s some of what we discuss in this episode:
🤝 Find Your Community: Residents need people who understand the experience
🎓 Build Leadership Early: NARA offers roles beyond simple membership
🌎 Expand the Network: The organization wants to grow nationwide
💰 Support Residents: Scholarships, giveaways, and events create tangible value
🩺 Normalize the Struggle: Clinical highs and lows happen to everyone
 
Learn more about the NARA: https://www.naraanesthesia.org/home
Visit us online: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/grade-1-view/
Visit the AANA Resident Hub: https://www.aana.com/resident-hub/ 
Help us grow by leaving a review: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-the-mask-innovation-opportunities-for-crnas/id1440309246