Celebrating CRNAs as Team of the Year at Akron Children’s
Brooke Uehlein
Anesthesia team members speak with a patient before a cardiac ablation procedure.
Congratulations to the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) team, who was honored during the annual medical staff meeting for winning Team of the Year by the Advanced Practice Center. This recognition reflects their clinical expertise and unwavering dedication to collaborative practice, patient safety and compassionate care.
The CRNA team plays a vital role across the entire experience of a patient’s surgical journey. They care for one of the most diverse patient populations with their work spanning from the tiniest premature infants in the NICU to adult burn patients requiring complex surgical interventions. CRNAs support highly specialized services including cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, spine surgery, craniofacial reconstruction and burn care.
Their presence is especially critical during emergencies. CRNAs are often the first responders for airway crises and high-stakes events, providing rapid, expert intervention during trauma activations, Code Blue events, and emergency responses throughout the NICU, PICU, ED and burn unit. Their calm leadership in these moments ensures that patients receive timely, safe and life preserving care.
“I was incredibly proud and grateful when I learned of this honor,” said Trevor Clark, MSN, APRN, CRNA, co-chief nurse anesthetist, a role shared with Linda Shaw. “This recognition validates the extraordinary commitment our CRNA team gives every day.”
Dedicated to quality improvement
Beyond their clinical responsibilities, CRNAs demonstrate a strong commitment to continuous improvement that is embedded in every aspect of their practice. Many team members have completed the hospital’s Intelligence for Quality Improvement (IQI) program, developing capstone projects that directly improve patient safety.
One recent CRNA led initiative significantly improved documentation for difficult airway procedures. This advancement allows for clearer communication among anesthesia, ICU, emergency department and inpatient teams caring for complex patients.
“Over the past year, we’ve faced significant staffing challenges while supporting a growing surgical program,” said Trevor. He believes that the passion from every team member carries over into how they adapt to workflows and has enabled CRNAs to overcome such obstacles.
Collaboration and mentorship
CRNAs also collaborate across care teams by assisting with difficult IV access when the Vascular Access Team is unavailable. Their work includes supporting perioperative planning and guiding postoperative pain management. The expertise, teamwork and adaptability CRNAs bring to every stage of care is essential to Akron Children’s delivering safe, high-quality outcomes.
CRNAs serve as primary clinical educators for student nurse anesthetists. This is done by providing hands-on training in anesthesia delivery, patient assessment, airway management and professional practice. They also support interdisciplinary education for respiratory therapists, residents, fellows, transport teams and nursing staff. In these instances, CNRAs are teaching hospital-wide readiness for airway emergencies and complex perioperative care.
To celebrate their achievement, the CRNA team will gather this summer for a cookout.
Richard Mahon, DO, chair of the Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, nominated the CRNA team for the award.
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