Advanced Practice Provider Update | September 2021

Advanced Practice Provider Update We would like to welcome you to the first edition of Excela Health Medical Group’s Advanced Practice Provider Newsletter. The newsletter will aim to provider quarterly updates regarding current developments and updates within EHMG, our local community and nationally, upcoming events, community outreach, announcements, and recognition for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA), Certified Registered Nurse Practitioners (CRNP) and Physician Assistants (PA).

The APP council currently has 12 members. The mentor of the group is Helen Burns and the facilitator is Brian Berry.

The council meets monthly to discuss issues that affect our practice within the health system. Multidisciplary providers sit on the board to allow from broad perspective of needs within Excela. Providers include inpatient and outpatient CRNP, ambulatory CRNP and neonatal CRNP. Also, CRNAs and PAs that work both inpatient and outpatient as well.

Finally, the past year marked the first time APPs were appointed to an Executive Leadership Committee with voting capabilities.

Janeen Stepinsky RN, PA-C, Co-Chair of APP

Lauren Cowen, CRNP, Co-Chair of APP

September | 2021

Advanced Practice Provider Update

APP Update

Be on the lookout for an APP-centered survey that will be sent via email soon. The survey is geared to help assist the APP Council in strengthening our profession, within EHMG and our community. Please take part and be honest. The plan is for the results of the survey to be discussed at the “Open Meeting” currently being planned for October 20th.

Marketing is working on updating APP photos for the new Excela Health website. The first round of scheduling has been completed. Additional dates will be on October 12 and 20. If you still need your photo, talk to your manager to schedule.

The APP Council is working closely with Helen Burns, CNP and Brian Berry, CRNA on advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) specific Magnet Recertification criteria for October 2023, including developing a mentoring and succession plan for APRN.

Did You Know...

There are 247 advance practice providers employed in the entire Excela Health system.

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CRNA Update

We are proud to have more than 50 CRNAs currently employed in the Excela Health System, all of whom work tirelessly to better the lives of our patients, both inside and outside of the health system doors. We persevered over the last 2 years throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, served as change agents in the ERAS protocol adaptation across multiple service lines, and traversed our Joint Commission inspection with zero findings!

Most importantly, our leadership and community enrichment extend past the confines of the health system. CRNAs are constantly finding opportunities to enhance our community through cultural enrichment and charitable acts. Here are just a few examples of efforts made by our very own CRNA team who put their time, knowledge, and caring spirit into our community • PurpleStride Pittsburgh Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, Amy’s Army, Uniontown • Christina Farinella Memorial Annual Excela SRNA Scholarship Fund • Woman’s Committee, Westmoreland Museum of American Art • Boy Scouts of America, Committee Chair Troop 461 • Crabtree Fire Department, Volunteer • St. Bartholomew Church Board Member

We also would like to make mention of several CRNA-owned local businesses!

• Four Season Brewing Company & Pub, Latrobe • Wooden Loft, Greensburg • Summit Anesthesia Seminars, LLC

Advanced Practice Provider Update

Free COVID-19 CME

American College of Emergency Physicians is offering free COVID CME to provide education around the urgent need to manage patients of COVID-19.

Click Here to Access

Lisa Haslet, CRNP

Courses include:

Virginia Hewitt, PA-C

• Telemedicine Crash Course Judd Hollander, MD, FACEP • Ventilator Management: Where's the Easy Button?

Peter M. Deblieux, MD, FACEP • The ICU is Not Ready for Your Critical Patient, Are You? Michael E. Winters, MD, FACEP • Acute Decompensated Heart Failure: Time Critical Interventions Amal Mattu, MD, FACEP • Respiratory Failure Made Ridiculously Simple Haney Mallemat, MD

Advance Practice Provider Open Meeting

The APP council meets the third Wednesday of each month. October has traditionally been dedicated as an “open meeting” for all mid-levels to join meeting to be part of the process. The council planned for this year to have an open meeting off campus to relax and have a “meet and greet” with other practitioners in our system. We are almost 250 strong. With the influx of the current surge, the decision was to post-pone until Spring. Please stay tuned...

Brooke Williams, CRNP Danielle Pavlik, CRNP Amanda Dalla Betta, CRNP Abigail Sekulich, PA-C Emily Tercek, PA-C Lynne Roberts, DNP, CRNP Emily Caldwell, PA-C Alisha Nowakowski, CRNP Hope Umbel, CRNP Natalie Boehm, CRNA Katie Weir, CRNA

Interested in becoming a member of the APP Council?

There are currently three open positions on the Council.

Please email Janeen Stepinsky at jstepinsky@excelahealth.org or Lauren Cowen at lcowan@excelahealth.org for information.

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Advanced Practice Provider Update

Advance Practice Provider Spotlight: Chad Toth, CRNP, AG-ACNP Chad attended Grove City College where he earned a a Bachelor's in Biology and minor in Psychology. After he attended the University of Pittsburgh and earned a Bachelors in Nursing.

After he attended Drexel University to earn his Masters in Nursing with specialty certification in Acute Care.

He currently works in Critical Care Medicine at Excela Health. “I enjoy taking care of pretty much any type of critically ill patient - it is an incredible feeling, and very empowering as an APP to have that level of autonomy and responsibility. Our APPs are responsible for the sickest patients in the hospital, and we also perform high risk procedures such as intubations, bronchoscopy, central and arterial access under ultrasound guidance, paracentesis, thoracentesis, etc. It’s a good feeling when you have the level of training to be able to take care of anyone. It’s also a great opportunity to help educate your colleagues and work together to better care for patients. Critical Care offers you a nice balance between the cerebral and the technical or hands on. I also enjoy shift work, which affords you a nice amount of unbroken time outside of work.”

When asked what it is like to face another COVID-19 surge he said “the pandemic surge has been very difficult for all ICU providers. We were working long and grueling hours, sweating in PPE. Caring for far more patients than we were accustomed to having, who were also incredibly sick. Plus, we just don't have any reliable treatments for these people (aside from the preventative treatment of the vaccine). Also, educating patients, their families and the public has been extremely challenging, given the excessive dissemination of misinformation regarding treatment and prevention of the virus. There is also a shortage of critical care providers across the country. COVID showed us this as in many places that were hard hit had clinicians who are not ICU trained caring, the best they could, for patients who were incredibly ill.

To help decompress from a work day Chad said ”I think it's important to leave work at work. I tend to struggle with that. But work is stressful enough without taking it home and perseverating on it.”

Outsided of work Chad has a 3-year-old who keeps him busy during his days off. “We enjoy going to the park and swinging and right now we are in the initial stages of learning to read. I also like reading critical care journals and listening to podcasts.”

“I just want to commend all my colleagues - physicians, APPs, RNs, RTs, techs, dietary, pharmacy, social work, environmental services, etc. - for all the hard and exhaustive work they do each day for our patients!” Chad said.

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Advanced Practice Provider Update

Chad Toth, CRNP, AG-ACNP

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