USF Nursing Anesthesia Holds 7th Annual “Meet and Greet” Event at CAMLS

University of South Florida College of Nursing Nurse Anesthesia Program held its 7^th Meet and Greet event at Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS) on September 1, 2012. The annual event, sponsored by SRNA@USF and co-sponsored by USF Health, USF College of Nursing of Nursing Alumni Association, Karl Storz, U.S. Navy, Cadence Pharmaceuticals, Belmont Rapid Infusers, and Raymond James Financial, welcomed the newest cohort to the USF Nurse Anesthesia family. More than 130 people including faculty, staff, current students, alumni, clinical coordinators, preceptors and their families came together to “meet and greet” the new class, cohort  2012.

“It brought me great pride and pleasure to see this event come into reality,” said Jodi DeVries, RN, BSN, CCRN, SRNA, Nurse Anesthesia graduate student and coordinator of the event. “Every year this event grows in attendance and community recognition. It was an honor to chair a committee with four other Nurse Anesthesia students; this was a 6 month project with many hours of planning and preparing. We all enjoyed this event and look forward to next year’s Meet & Greet.”

DeVries also said the event allowed the Nurse Anesthesia program “family” to come together as a family, celebrate accomplishments, and look forward to exciting endeavors to come.

“Every year, the event brings together all aspects of our program and helps create a connection between students, alumni, clinical personnel, faculty, staff, and family,” DeVries said. “The USF Nurse Anesthesia Program is a rigorous 28-month program that requires a solid support system for success. This event helps to bring all the key players in a student’s support system together in one place. It is also a wonderful opportunity to create long-term professional relationships, to rekindle friendships with old classmates, and to allow for networking among current/future anesthesia providers and vendors in our community.”

During the event, USF Nurse Anesthesia alumni, faculty, staff, clinical coordinators, and preceptors were honored for their hard work and continued support. The SRNA@USF held a raffle and raised $900. They also gave away prizes including one-night stay at the Grand Plaza Hotel in St. Petersburg Beach, Fla., a Tampa bay Rays baseball autographed by Sam Fuld, a $25 Ocean Prime restaurant gift card, a homemade USF corn hole board set made by one of the CRNA students, and an assorted gift basket.

At the event, Communications and Event Manager for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, Wendy Borland, accepted a donation from SRNA@USF in honor of one of the USF Nurse Anesthesia faculty, Jason Trudell, who is a Captain in the U.S. Army and serving overseas as a CRNA in Afghanistan. USF College of Nursing recently wrote and published a story about his service overseas on the USF College of Nursing Dean’s Spotlight. Read the full story here.

 “The 7^th Annual USF Nurse Anesthesia Meet and Greet Event was just another example of how the Tampa Bay Area has embraced this program as we strive for national prominence,” said Eric S. Rauch, DNP, CRNA, Assistant Professor and Concentration Director of Nurse Anesthesia (CRNA) at USF College of Nursing. “Everyone from students, alumni, faculty, preceptors, and clinical partners as well as their family members came together in our new program home at the Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS) to celebrate our recent accomplishments and give appreciation to all who are a part of our continued success.”