CHALLENGE, RESPONSIBILITY, AUTONOMY
C.R.N.A. program grows as its first cohort nears graduation
Associate director Rossana Bizzio (far right) helps S.R.N.A.s (student registered nurse anesthetists) including (from left) Andy Sahadeo, Bonnie Bailey, and Annette Peraza build crucial clinical skills.
Annette Peraza, a surgical intensive care nurse at Jackson Memorial Hospital,
was inspired to become a certified registered nurse anesthetist (C.R.N.A.)
by colleagues who were already functioning in the role. "I was impressed by
their ability to make a direct impact on patients' lives," she recalls.
Andy Sahadeo, who cared for patients with complex conditions as a critical care
nurse at Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, was motivated by the field's intellectual challenge and career
opportunities.
As for Jennifer Rezendes, a pediatric intensive care nurse who most recently worked at Mt. Sinai Hospital in
New York City, "When I learned that as a C.R.N.A. I could gain the advanced skills to care for a patient throughout
surgery, I knew it was the perfect fit."
Peraza, Sahadeo, and Rezendes are among some 36 students currently pursuing their M.S.N. in nursing anesthesia
at the School of Nursing and Health Studies. Since its August 2005 launch, the program has doubled in size. Its clinical
sites have also multiplied; students now can do rotations at Mercy Hospital and Cedars Medical Center as well as Cleveland Clinic in Weston and Westside Regional Medical Center in Broward.
"The program exposes students to a multicultural health environment," says Rossana Bizzio, M.S., C.R.N.A., who
helped expand the clinical sites while serving as acting director prior to the arrival of new director Nathaniel
Apatov, C.R.N.A., Ph.D., and now serves as the program's associate director. "We have a diverse faculty and
a varied group of students in terms of ethnicity, age, and life experience."
That was a draw for Sahadeo, who will graduate in December 2008. "I was attracted to UM by its reputation
and the chance to interact with different cultures," he says. "It's been an eye-opening experience."
"When I joined the program, it was brand new-but I figured I couldn't go wrong with UM," says student Bonnie Bailey, who joined the program from Shands Hospital in Gainesville and graduates this December. "I'm looking forward to being part of the University's first graduating class of C.R.N.A.s."
