Dr. Carol Daniel M’04, academic director and associate professor of Saint Mary’s doctorate of nursing practice nurse anesthesiology program, recently published a research article in the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) Journal, stemming from a project she began while pursuing her doctorate degree at Missouri State University.
The article highlights the changing ways we provide anesthesia and ways to make it safer with various airway techniques. Daniel hoped to address a common problem in same-day surgery and airway management: the devices had not been changed or adapted for 100 years. A fellow certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) – and Saint Mary’s alum – Dr. Roxanne McMurray ’93 designed a new airway device (MEA, McMurray Medical mcmurraymed.com) that offers a new solution to a long term problem.
“I wanted to test this airway device and see if it would alleviate a potential airway issue in same-day surgery,” said Daniel. “It was exciting to be involved and test this groundbreaking invention.”
Daniel has been teaching in Saint Mary’s nurse anesthesiology program since 2014. In addition to the classroom, she is also a clinical coordinator training student nurse anesthetists – including many from Saint Mary’s – in a clinical setting at Saint Cloud Surgical Center. She has a passion for educating future CRNAs, incorporating various teaching methodologies, and keeping up with the learning needs of the next generation.
“I love my profession and aim to share my knowledge as well as facilitate education to create the best CRNAs for our future,” Daniel shared. “I want these future CRNAs to know that they CAN and WILL succeed. It is such an exciting time in education, as there are many ways to immerse the students into anesthesia education creatively. Saint Mary’s allows me to create these educational experiences and convey this message.”