{"id":1406,"date":"2020-04-21T20:18:52","date_gmt":"2020-04-21T20:18:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/?p=1406"},"modified":"2025-02-07T16:03:30","modified_gmt":"2025-02-07T21:03:30","slug":"bringing-new-faces-and-diversity-to-nurse-anesthesia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/2020\/04\/21\/bringing-new-faces-and-diversity-to-nurse-anesthesia\/","title":{"rendered":"Bringing New Faces and Diversity to Nurse Anesthesia"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1406_928472-f4, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1406_928472-f4[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading1406_928472-f4\"]{font-size:1.5rem;line-height:30px;font-weight:500;font-style:italic;font-family:proxima-nova;color:#808080;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1406_928472-f4 mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1406_928472-f4[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading1406_928472-f4\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1406_928472-f4 img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1406_928472-f4[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading1406_928472-f4\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<p class=\"kt-adv-heading1406_928472-f4 p1 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading1406_928472-f4\"><span class=\"s1\">Wallena Gould<\/span> found her calling in a class <span class=\"s2\">assignment. While<\/span> studying toward a master\u2019s degree in Nurse Anesthesia, she put together a poster presentation that demonstrated the lack of diversity in the field.<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.kadence-column1406_027e55-d4 > .kt-inside-inner-col{padding-right:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);padding-left:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);}.kadence-column1406_027e55-d4 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column1406_027e55-d4 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column1406_027e55-d4 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column1406_027e55-d4 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column1406_027e55-d4 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column1406_027e55-d4 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column1406_027e55-d4{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column1406_027e55-d4 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 991px){.kadence-column1406_027e55-d4 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column1406_027e55-d4 dynamic-main-col\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.kb-image1406_11199f-ce .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image1406_11199f-ce\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"351\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.test.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Dr_Lena_Gould_2_6_20_02-360x492-1-351x480.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"kb-img wp-image-15248\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Dr_Lena_Gould_2_6_20_02-360x492-1-351x480.jpg 351w, https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Dr_Lena_Gould_2_6_20_02-360x492-1-183x250.jpg 183w, https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Dr_Lena_Gould_2_6_20_02-360x492-1.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 351px) 100vw, 351px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p1\">The findings were hardly surprising: she\u2019d worked her way up from OR nurse to certified registered nurse anesthetist without meeting any other CRNAs of color. The fact that no one else was addressing the low rate of minority representation among nurses trained to administer anesthesia \u2014 her poster reported six percent nationwide \u2014 compelled her to take on the cause herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p1\">Her efforts to increase diversity in her chosen profession gained the attention of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists last year. Its annual Agatha Hodgins Award for Outstanding Accomplishment recognizes \u201cindividuals whose dedication to excellence has furthered the art and science of nurse anesthesia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p1\">To Dr. Gould, a 2013 graduate of Wilmington University\u2019s Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership program, it honors even more. \u201cWe\u2019re changing the face of anesthesia, and we\u2019re changing the culture,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s a necessary change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p1\">Based in Mickleton, New Jersey, the Diversity in Nurse Anesthesia Mentorship Program that Dr. Gould founded in 2007 educates and empowers nursing students from underrepresented populations who have an interest in the clinical specialty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\">Through college lectures, information sessions, hands-on practice <\/span>workshops, and visits to high school career days, the program has mentored more than 400 minority <span class=\"s4\">nursing students and encouraged their <\/span>entry into nurse anesthesia careers in healthcare and academia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p1\">While the program originated in the Philadelphia area \u2014 to be specific, with word-of-mouth events held at Dr. Gould\u2019s house \u2014 solid attendance led to the reservation of classrooms at local universities. \u201cTo my surprise, it was no longer just Delaware, Philadelphia and Jersey,\u201d she recalls. \u201cIt was New York, Washington, D.C. and Maryland, too. Then I knew I was onto something.\u201d She now schedules events nationwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cBefore all of this, there was no network where minority students could get primary information,\u201d says Dr. Gould. \u201cWhen I say we\u2019re changing the culture, I mean that there are people of color who came through our program, who are chief CRNAs and clinical coordinators, who can be role models to nursing students.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p1\">That\u2019s an important development <span class=\"s3\">for the students, as well as the patients they may one day treat. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide wu-blockquote-row is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-ad2f72ca wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote wu-blockquote-simple is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><span class=\"s3\">A healthcare workforce<\/span> should reflect the community it serves,\u201d she notes. \u201cI\u2019m not just talking about <span class=\"s3\">the language that patients speak, but also the culture they\u2019re coming from. There are many sensitivities surrounding healthcare treatment, and we should acknowledge that. A diverse workforce can bring that to the table.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s4\"> Dr. Gould\u2019s path to nurse anesthesia and mentorship is itself a case study in diversity. Thirty years ago, she earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in accounting. As a single mother on welfare, it secured her a job as an auditor for Ernst &amp; Young in New York City. But her goal was a nursing career.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p1\">Working as a surgical nurse&nbsp;<span class=\"s4\">introduced her to nurse-administered <\/span><span class=\"s3\">anesthesia, and she earned her master\u2019s degree in that field in 2004. The former chief nurse anesthetist and clinical coordinator for Vineland, New Jersey-based Inspira Health Network and the Main Line Endoscopy Centers in the Philadelphia suburbs, Dr. Gould has also taught at the Rutgers University School of Nursing\u2019s Camden campus. And the assignment that led her to reach out to future nurses directly influenced her doctoral dissertation on amending the lack of diversity among CRNAs.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s3\"> \u201cI\u2019m blessed and I\u2019m thrilled,\u201d she says, \u201cthat I\u2019ve been able to fulfill the recommendations that I made<br>in there.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wallena Gould found her calling in a class assignment. While studying toward a master\u2019s degree in Nurse Anesthesia, she put together a poster presentation that&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[135],"tags":[632],"class_list":["post-1406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-magazine","tag-magazine-spring-2020"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":135,"label":"MAGAZINE"}],"post_tag":[{"value":632,"label":"Magazine Spring 2020"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":{"display_name":"Rebecca Slinger","author_link":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/author\/rebecca\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":135,"name":"MAGAZINE","slug":"magazine","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":692,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":431,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":135,"category_count":431,"category_description":"","cat_name":"MAGAZINE","category_nicename":"magazine","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":632,"name":"Magazine Spring 2020","slug":"magazine-spring-2020","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1189,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":17,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1406"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1406\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15252,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1406\/revisions\/15252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}