Ep. 124: AANA Foundation Leading CRNAs Into the Future

The AANA provides a wide range of resources, tools, and support for CRNAs across the country, but their role in the advocacy of our profession doesn’t get as much attention.

On this episode of Beyond the Mask, we want to spotlight this side of the organization along with the role the AANA Foundation plays. To do that, we invited Lorraine Jordan, PhD, CRNA, CAE, FAAN, onto the show. She’s the Chief Advocacy Officer for the AANA and the CEO of the AANA Foundation, and devotes her life to growing and elevating nurse anesthetists.

The majority of our conversation will deal with the AANA Foundation, which focuses on funding education and research to support nurse anesthesia, but we’ll also learn more about her day-to-day role as the Chief Advocacy Officer.

We stress the importance of advocacy quite often on this show, and today’s episode should help give CRNAs a better perspective on the reasons why this is critical. Without this work, it’s impossible to substantiate the nurse anesthetists practice nor can we move ourselves forward in the health policy world. That’s why donating to the AANA Foundation is an investment in your future.

So as you get started on the episode, keep an ear out for these topics:

• Everything that her role includes in this role with the AANA.

• What the purpose of the AANA Foundation is and how it’s funded.

• The importance of the research and some of the studies they’ve done.

• CRNA and SRNA contributions are a critical piece of funding.

• What they have planned for the 40th

• The Friends for Life program and ways to donate.

• How they’re trying to align the organization with the new administration in DC.

• What they’re focused on from a state advocacy level.

• The opportunities that exist for CRNAs to help at a grassroots level.

Check it out the interview at the top of the page and use the timestamps to help you navigate through the many topics we discussed.

[2:46] – Welcome in Lorraine

[3:03] – Everything she does with the AANA

[6:09] – What is the Foundation’s purpose?

[9:48] – The research

[14:44] – How expensive these studies are

[16:50] – Spending  

[18:33] – Other methods for funding  

[19:53] – 40th Anniversary  

[21:42] – Friends for Life program

[25:22] – Her role as Chief Advocacy Officer  

[29:21] – State advocacy issues  

[30:33] – Opportunities for CRNAs to help  

[33:19] – What drives Lorraine

[36:05] – Lightning Round

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