The 618 Series Presents…
Aisha Allen, RN, SRNA
Specialty: Student Registered Nurse Anesthetist, soon to be Air Force CRNA
The 618 Series is a series of interviews with Registered Nurses designed to give you an inside, uncensored look into real nurse life.
AISHA, WHAT ARE THE 6 MOST INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT YOUR SPECIALTY?
- Art- Anesthesia is an art. There are 100s of ways to put a patient to sleep, keep them comfortable, and make sure they don’t remember their procedure. As a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) you can practice how you want, based on evidence based practice.
- Work Places- CRNAs don’t just work in the operating room. They can work in outpatient settings like GI clinics, plastic surgery and even the dentist office. CRNAs can also do trauma and Obstetric anesthesia (epidurals, etc).
- Scheduling- You can keep the beloved nursing schedule!
- Autonomy- Not just in your daily work life, but in general! You can have your own anesthesia group/practice and work for yourself!
- International- You can work as a CRNA in other countries!
- Opioid Free Anesthesia- While this isn’t always the best solution for everyone, CRNAs are at the forefront of reducing opioids during surgery by using regional anesthesia techniques. Which means, local anesthetics are injected near the nerves to block pain signals from being transmitted!
WHAT IS THE NUMBER 1 THING YOU WISH YOU HAD BEEN TOLD AS A CRNA STUDENT BEFORE YOU STARTED THE PROGRM?
How much I would be driving. My school has 20+ clinical sites throughout the state. And while it is great experience, I put a lot of miles on my car.
IF YOU HAD 8 MINUTES TO SPEAK TO THE ENTIRE WORLD ON ONE ISSUE IN HEALTHCARE, WHAT WOULD YOU SPEAK ABOUT?
I would speak about my DNP project: the affects of racial implicit bias on minority populations. Implicit bias has been implicated as a contributor to the healthcare disparities of minorities; specifically African Americans. Healthcare provider implicit bias impacts healthcare outcomes and even pain management. I am working to develop an implicit bias training that can be given as a mandatory class for all healthcare providers.
BONUS: LASTLY, AISHA, WHAT ARE YOU UP TO NOW?
I recently started a foundation that serves to reduce the financial burden of CRNA school by providing scholarships; The Ohanu and Allen Foundation.(@oafoundation on Instagram; website: http://ohanuallenfoundation.org/). I am also launching a few companies near the end of this year, the first being an anti-blue light glasses company called Uvea (@shopuvea on Instagram). Follow for giveaways and the launch!
Omg!!!! This is my dream. I plan to become a CRNA and also attain my DNP! I know I have a long way to go lol but I’ve been doing my research. I’ve been following her foundation page as well. I hope to find a mentor one day that has completed this path and is willing to guide me and deliver advice. Best of luck to her in her career!!