September 6, 2024 • 46 mins
Join me for my first LIVE podcast interview featuring our 2024 AAAA President, Danny Mesaros. This episode was recorded in April 2024 in front of an intimate audience at the American Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants (AAAA) conference in Orlando, FL. During this candid conversation Danny discusses the demands of his presidency and what he envisions for the future of our profession. He also addresses the haters. A must-listen for any aspiring or practicing CAA!
Season 4 of Awakened Anesthetist Podcast is launching on Friday, September 13th, and I’m thrilled to share the episodes I’ve been working on this summer. This season, we’ll dive into what it means to be a healthy and thriving Certified Anesthesiologist Assistant, and for those of you curious about the profession, I’ll be giving you an insider’s look each month. Of course, I’ll continue the fan-favorite PROCESS episodes, expanding our vision of what’s possible for CAAs. I’m excited to see what we can build together this season. Talk soon!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
As we lead up to the season premiere of Awakened
Anestis podcast season four onSeptember 13th, I'm releasing
this exclusive replay of thelive interview I did at Quad A
2024 of the current Quad Apresident, danny Massaros.
In this really intimateconversation before a live
audience, you're going to hearDanny talking about where he
(00:23):
sees the profession going overthe next 10 years, his thoughts
on whether we will havelicensure in all 50 states and a
whole bunch ofbehind-the-scenes discussion on
what the Quad A presidencyactually entails, whether or not
he gets any money for hisposition and how the Quad A
(00:44):
spends your dues and itsdonations.
We got into so much real talkin this conversation.
Danny is such a genuine andinspiring leader and CAA.
I know you're going to enjoymeeting him just as much as I
did, so enjoy this replayepisode if you didn't have a
chance to be there live at theQuad A, or if you're a
(01:06):
prospective AA student and arethinking maybe one day this
profession is meant for you.
I think this is going to be areally inspiring conversation.
So I will see everyone backhere on September 13th for the
season three premiere and untilthen, be sure you're following
AwakendAnesthetist on whateverpodcast platform you currently
(01:27):
listen.
You can also subscribe to mynewsletter there is a link for
that down in the show notes andfollow me on Instagram at
AwakendAnesthetist for even morebehind the scenes.
All right, here we go.
Welcome to the AwakenedAnesthetist podcast, the first
podcast to highlight the CAAexperience.
(01:49):
I'm your host, mary Jean, andI've been a certified
anesthesiologist assistant forclose to two decades.
Throughout my journey andstruggles, I've searched for
guidance that includes my uniqueperspective as a CAA.
At one of my lowest points, Idecided to turn my passion for
storytelling and my belief thatthe CAA profession is uniquely
(02:12):
able to create a life by designinto a podcast.
If you are a practicing CAA,current AA student or someone
who hopes to be one, I encourageyou to stick around and
experience the power of being ina community filled with voices
who sound like yours, sharingexperiences you never believed
(02:32):
possible.
I know you will find yourselfhere at the Awakened Anesthetist
Podcast.
Welcome in.
Welcome to the first liverecording of Awaken Ness's
podcast.
I'm just going to give you alittle bit of.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Yay.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Thanks guys.
I'm just going to give you alittle bit of background on me.
We'll maybe give some peoplesome time to walk in.
But I started podcasting in2021, not because of anesthesia,
but because I needed an excuseto talk to my husband more
during the pandemic.
We really needed an opportunityto work on us, and so I was
(03:12):
like, let's start a podcast andlet's have it be about our
marriage.
And, lo and behold, I fell intopodcasting, into this medium
that I really love.
I have always been a closetedstoryteller, and just one of the
things I hold so dear is beingtold a good story, and I really
wanted to do that for otherpeople.
And then, as I got going, Irealized that the people I
really want to speak to are myprofession, and I looked for
(03:37):
resources.
I looked for people online,people who are talking about
things that I want to talk aboutas a CAA, and I just didn't
find any, and so I thought, well, I guess this means that I will
start a podcast for myprofession.
And so Awaken Anestis wasreally born in 2021.
I didn't release anything tilllate 2022, I believe, and since
then it's really been anopportunity for me to meet so
(04:00):
many of you and an opportunityto do things like this and to
talk about the things I reallycare about, which is how to use
the CAA profession to live yourbest life, how to discover who
you are outside of anesthesiaand come on in, and how to find
a community that really canconnect in a way that I think
(04:22):
CAAs are uniquely able toconnect.
So thank you all for being hereand supporting this live
episode.
I start everything with a littletimeout, as I call them, just
to get us sort of familiar withour guest, and so Dani Massaros
is my guest today.
I will be doing one of theprocess episodes and I'm really
(04:44):
interested in understanding whoDanny is as a human behind the
Quad A presidency.
So Danny graduated from thethird class ever out of South
Savannah in 2008.
We would have been classmatesbecause I actually almost
interviewed there.
So Danny and I were almostclassmates and worked in Georgia
and then DC and then found hisway to Grand Rapids, michigan,
(05:06):
where he works full time.
He does a mix of like eight,10s and 12s to kind of have some
days off during every otherweek, and among a full time CA
career you're many other things,like a dad to four boys and a
husband and a leader and amentor and a colleague and a
(05:27):
husband and a leader and amentor and a colleague.
And so I really welcome Dannyto Awaken Anesthetist and I'm
excited to have thisconversation.
Yeah, I'm excited to be here,thanks, yeah, I like starting it
off with a rapid fire round,actually because I think it sort
of gets us comfortable, andalso I have found that I am a
little bit interested in yourbehind the scenes.
I have found that I am a littlebit interested in your behind
the scenes and so I asked on myInstagram for what rapid fire
(05:49):
questions CAAs wanted to know,and we struggled to understand
what a rapid fire question was.
I got a lot of long windedquestions, which is kind of my
out, but the number one questionI got was Danny, who is your
favorite co-worker.
A lot of people are vying forthe position.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
Oh, so this has to be a current co-worker.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
I got it several times from many former
co-workers.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Oh, I'm definitely not going to say anyone I'm
working with now, because thatwould just cause trouble, but I
have to say Lainey DiLoretto.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
It's a very easy answer for me.
Awesome, wonderful.
I have spoke to her about youactually when she found out, I
was interviewing you.
What time do you get up in themorning and go to bed?
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Oh for like work.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Just on a general basis.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
I like to stay up late and watch TV.
That's sort of my time afterthe kids are asleep or do
whatever or work on quiet daystuff.
I don't know.
I probably go to bed 10, 30, 11and wake up at 5.45.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
And do you get to work early?
Then, if you get up at 5.45, orare you scooting in last minute
with a bad excuse like that?
Speaker 2 (07:01):
I do not like to scoot in last minute.
I like to be ready and be ableto sit and have a cup of coffee.
I'm not saying I don't do that,but I don't feel good about it.
I often find when I scoot inlate, the patient has something
extra that I need to take careof, and I don't want to be the
thing holding everybody back.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Yes, yes, that is really good, danny.
I could learn from that Lastquestion.
What did you want to be whenyou were a kid?
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Oh, what did I want to be man?
That's a tough one.
I wanted to be the president ofthe United States.
I think when I was little, mydad used to call me Zarvij.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Say more.
I don't exactly understandZarvage.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
It's like this Romanian leader or something
like that.
I don't know, I just always.
I think when I was inkindergarten I was like the
president of the kindergartenclass and I was the reason
kindergartners got to go to thesalad bar.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Oh.
Because we weren't allowed togo to the salad bar.
What a claim to fame.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Yeah right, Apparently it was a thing I
don't remember.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Awesome, awesome.
I'd love to have my guestsanswer this first question,
because I think it's reallyinteresting to look back on who
we were, especially as children,and kind of see what molded and
shaped us.
So take us back to little Danny, sort of what was your
upbringing?
What culture were you broughtup in?
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Sure, born and raised in Savannah, georgia.
My family is Irish Catholic.
I am number four of four boys,so I was a late addition to the
family, so my brothers are alittle bit older than I am, so I
got picked on a lot by them ina good way though, right, but
(08:48):
they wouldn't let anybody elsepick on me.
But I do remember gettingdropped in the trash can and all
those kinds of things thatbrothers do.
But yeah, so, born and raisedIrish Catholic, my mom taught in
an all-girls school.
My dad was actually a coindealer or, as I did a book
report on when I was little, anumismatist, so we had to define
(09:08):
that.
So it was a really goodupbringing as a child.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
And where along your path did you realize you maybe
were going into medicine or youfound the CA career kind of
early or late?
Tell us about that journey.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
Oh yeah, I was always interested in biology or
sciences.
I didn't really know.
Everybody in my family was sortof that business path, sort of
going to the University ofGeorgia is like a thing with our
family.
Both my parents went there, allmy brothers went there.
I graduated from UGA.
My nieces are there now.
So when I went to Georgia I waspre-med but I also didn't
(09:46):
really know if I could do it.
To be honest, there wasn't likethis individual that's like, oh
you're I never, I guess.
I like self-doubt a lot and Istill do that today.
But I was like I don't knowthat I can get through medical
school or I was really nervousabout it.
So halfway through I sort ofjoined a physician assistant
club at UGA and a AA from Emorycame and spoke at the PA club
(10:10):
and that's how I found out aboutthe profession.
And you were hooked right away,and thought, oh man, I was like,
look at this, it's like itlooks really challenging, really
rewarding, and if it's not whatI want to do, but I would get
this huge headstart on, like theknowledge base and then I could
go back to medical school if Iwanted, but I was definitely
hooked, yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
I'm interested.
When in your career did yourealize oh, this is the thing
I'm doing, as opposed to this isthe thing that's going to lead
me to medical school?
Did you find that out when youwere in AA school or further
along your path?
Speaker 2 (10:43):
That's a really good point.
I don't know.
I mean, I always had that thingin the back of your mind, like
I now, I think, in this point inmy career, because I self-doubt
a little bit less and Irecognize that maybe some of
that self-doubt has sort ofpushed me to higher levels and
maybe it's like a good thing.
I've still thought about itLike man I could go to medical
(11:03):
school, but I'm like I've stillthought about it Like man I
could go to medical school, butI'm like man that would be
financially irresponsible and inaddition I have four kids and I
want to spend time with themand I recognize that my wife
would disown me if I-.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
It would be a hard journey.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
Yeah, to be honest, too, is this profession and part
of your podcast too, is itopens a lot of doors for us to
do other things.
And if I went to med school andI know I could pass the MCAT
and I know I could get into medschool and I know I could be a
good physician, but then I havethe feeling that that would be
all I was going to be right.
I remember in AA school,traveling, and I think I was in
(11:42):
St Louis where we trained withthe residents there and a lot of
them were divorced in residencyalready and I was.
It was like a huge percentage,like eight out of 20 or
something, and it just sort ofstuck with me Like I want to
have a family and I want to, youknow, be engaged, and if I
maybe go that route, maybethat's the only thing I'm going
(12:03):
to be able to do and I just feellike there's so much other
stuff out there that we can doand be a part of that this job
affords.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
Yes, yeah, I totally see that in my own life and that
had to be revealed to me in myown life as well, like I didn't
see it, maybe as early as yousaw it.
So that's really interesting.
I'm curious, when you wereworking, what you knew about the
Quad A and the Quad Apresidency and getting involved
politically.
Was it on the top of your mindwhen you graduated Like, okay, I
want to be president of theUnited States or the president
of the Quad A presidency andgetting involved politically?
Was it on the top of your mindwhen you graduated Like, ok, I
want to be president of theUnited States or the president
(12:38):
of the Quad A?
Speaker 2 (12:41):
No, I was always involved.
I came as like a student.
I came to Quad A and you meetall these people and back then
there was probably like 300people at the meeting.
Yeah.
And it was much more intimateand there was, we had a lot of
fun.
It was just fun coming to theQuad A, hanging out with your
classmates and seeing preceptorsout of the OR, and so I liked
that environment and I knew Iwanted to be involved.
(13:03):
But I did not think I wouldever be president of the Quad A
no chance.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
And what was your journey?
I want to ask you a veryspecific question about saying
yes to the presidency, but whatwas your journey leading up to
that?
Had you done some other things?
Leadership wise.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
Yeah, I really got more involved when I went to DC.
Okay, the president of the QuadA, sarah Patel, worked for our
group and she, carrie Twitchell,was actually stepping into the
role as president and she neededsomebody to run the annual
meeting committee.
And I have no clue how to run ameeting right, but my wife was
(13:38):
an event planner in Savannahvery successful event planner
and they were like get him to doit, his wife can help, right.
So, I went from just being aQuad, a member to the chair of
the annual meeting committee,and I remember talking to
someone on the committee saying,hey, I'm going to be involved
with this.
They're like, oh yeah, you'renot the chair.
I was like, no, I think I am.
(14:00):
So I didn't realize how big ofa job it was going to be until
it was sort of thrust upon me.
But I think that's the way ourorganization was in the past is
we only have so many people thatdo these volunteer roles.
And now when I'm in that role Isee people that have something
inside.
I'm like I know this person cando that role and like you just
make them do it, make them sayyes, and then they're successful
(14:24):
at it.
And so.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
Yeah, yes, I see that playing out in our profession
in real time, that people arestepping into roles they never
thought they could have or take,and I think one of the missions
of my podcast and speaking toyou right now is to see that
like, okay, well, danny is ahuman being right here doing a
whole bunch of other things aswell as being the Quad A
president what is possible forme in my life?
(14:49):
I just think that's a reallyinteresting narrative to see
play out in front of you thatthe CAA profession hasn't had
before.
So I totally agree.
I want to hear about the momentthat you said yes to the Quad A
presidency, because I believethere were a couple of moments
preceding the yes, if I'mcorrect.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Yeah, I can go into those.
I don't really necessarilythink it was a moment when I
said yes.
I mean I remember texting sortof some of the leaders and
saying yes, but it was really atime when we talked.
I talked about it a lot Like we.
It wasn't just a decision madeLike we have.
We have four kids and I knewhow much time it was going to be
(15:28):
, and when I commit to somethinglike that I'm all in.
So I needed to make sure thatmy wife and my kids were on
board with this.
That's actually part of it.
I think it's the best thing Idid because it's made it easy.
All these meetings, we do notone time since I started has my
wife ever rolled her eyes that Ihad a Quade meeting, and it
happens a lot.
We have a lot of pop-up Quademeetings or this or that, and
(15:51):
the fact that I don't have tofeel more guilt about taking
time away from our familybecause she doesn't she doesn't
do that Like that means a lot tome.
I think that sort of falls intothe like the planning of it.
I think the bigger moment itwould be, the more that when I
said no, I was asked to be aQuade president before and I
immediately said no.
(16:12):
And then that night I was likehey, hon, guess what happened
for me today?
I got asked to be a quiet daypresident.
She's like well, what did yousay?
I said well, yeah.
I said no.
And she my, when I said no, itwas easy to me because we were
so busy at home.
I knew it wasn't right, like wejust didn't weren't going to be
able to make it happen, and soI knew that I should say no.
(16:33):
But then her response to thatwas what do you mean?
You said no.
It was like the completeopposite of what I was thinking.
She's like that's such a bigdeal.
You have to go back to them andtell them you'll consider it
and figure out more informationabout it.
So it was just interesting thather support from that side to
me to keep doing these things,even though you know the
(16:54):
sacrifice that it was going tomean.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
Yeah, did you say yes ?
Was that the same year you saidyes, or did you wait?
No, I definitely I ended upsaying no.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
No, I said no, it wasn't right.
And for us that was reallycrucial because right after that
was when COVID hit, and then wehad a COVID baby, so we had a
fourth child.
So I would have been presidentof the Quad A during our fourth
child and COVID and let me tellyou that would not have gone
(17:22):
well for us.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
No, that would have been difficult.
Yeah, tell us a little bitabout your day in the life,
because you've talked a lotabout juggling all of these
things and how it was the rightseason for you, of these things
and how it was the right seasonfor you.
But I'm still interested tohear sort of the nitty gritty,
because I think that adds a lotof perspective of what it
actually feels like to be theQuad A president.
So give us maybe a day or aweek, if a day is hard.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
Well, I'll start with why it's the right time for us.
I said no because our kids werereally little and I thought
that, man, we, when they getjust a little bit older,
there'll be more time, right,it's completely wrong, right,
completely wrong.
When your kids get older, theyhave these sporting events and
they're going to remember youbeing there and and my oldest
son is 11 and he's starting toget into those things and I said
(18:08):
, if I don't do this now, it'snever going to happen.
And that was sort of the reasonI said yes, and that was part
of the plan.
Is like hon, if I don't do thisnow, it's never going to happen
.
And that was sort of the reasonI said yes, and that was part
of the plan.
Is like hon, if I don't do thisnow, it's not going to happen.
I'm okay with that, but I dohave this feeling that I need to
do it Now.
What does a day look like?
It's sort of cyclical in termsof the weeks.
Right, I'll give you next week,like we have a, I get, I work
(18:32):
an eight hour shift.
We'll get home, we'll have ameeting at 4.30 to five with our
federal team.
We'll have a state meeting withmy lobbyists, because you know
we're going for licensure andthe state I'm living in right
now in Michigan, right?
Speaker 1 (18:45):
So I didn't know that .
Speaker 2 (18:46):
Yeah, I'm president of the MAAA too.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
Naturally, naturally.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
Right, they twist my arm into that.
So then, right after that we'llhave the president's call,
where it's the three, theimmediate, nicole and Jen, and
our executive director.
We'll get on the call and wemeet every other week.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
Can you say just briefly a little bit more about
how the quadri-presidency is athree-person job real?
Speaker 2 (19:06):
quick.
Yeah, I would say it's athree-headed monster.
Is the?
Speaker 1 (19:08):
way I would describe it.
I won't tell them.
You said that.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
Oh, they'll hear it, I tell it to their face this
role is way too much work forone person to handle.
Imagine like you have your kidsat home, you have your job,
you're getting all these otherstretches, and a state or
somebody from your friend callsfrom.
I'll just say New Mexico, andthey're like we need this now
and you just can't always meetthat.
You just can't do it.
It's just too much.
(19:38):
So this is really athree-person job and it's great
because I can't always travel,because I do this and Nicole and
Jen will take those extraefforts out of their time and
handle it, or Jen's busy doingthis and I can step in and
handle it, and we really youthink of the role as a president
like my presidential year, likewhat am I going to achieve?
It's really a three-year deal,because the successes of this
(20:07):
year aren't all my successes.
They're from Jen last year andLaura the year before that and
Crystal the year before that andwe keep pushing this boulder.
So that's sort of thethree-headed monster of a
volunteer position.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
A volunteer position.
That was news to me.
I did not know that.
The Quad A presidency and everyposition correct.
Yeah, Every position on theQuad A is volunteer 22
volunteers run your organization.
Yes, that's a separate issue todiscuss on a separate day, but
yeah, that's incredible.
Speaker 2 (20:37):
So back to the day, Two meetings 430 to 5, 5 to 530.
And then we have thepresident's call, which is an
hour at minimum and sometimes itruns over a little bit, but and
then, depending, we'll have aboard meeting quarterly, and
then so I think there's eightboard meetings because there's
an interim, and then our EC.
(20:58):
Every second or thirdpresident's call we make it an
EC.
So Emily, our treasurer, andLily, who's our executive
committee chair, she sort ofcomes in and they sit and we
talk about the issues that aresort of going on, and that's
sort of what a normal week lookslike.
But then you have state meetingspop up, you have state
(21:18):
academies, you have text emails,anything that someone would
need, and you know ourprofession.
Like, oh, let's say, let's justpick Georgia.
Like, oh well, there's apractice issue in Georgia and
people might lose their job.
Like they look to to us andthey call us and they text me on
the phone and it happens in theOR.
(21:39):
Sometimes you're like oh, I gotlike 52 texts because something
happened and so it's definitelynot something that one person
can do on their own.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
Yeah, how often is a quad, a representative, going
out to these big issues?
Is that normally what has tohappen?
Someone shows up.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Thankfully, one of the good things that came about
COVID is Zoom.
Everyone's comfortable withZoom, so it's really made it
more feasible for us to be there.
But it's more a text like thisis the issue how can you help me
?
Or this is what's going on, andit's not just how can you help
me.
Most of the time it's oh man,like I really got to help this
person Right.
It's really hard and I think atdifferent times you have
(22:22):
different things happen in yourwork right that you can't
control or you don't know theanswer to, and you want to look
to somebody for that answer andsort of quite a.
We want to be that answer formembers, and I think a lot of
people don't.
They think they're safe.
A lot of times in your job youknow until you're not, and then
you don't have any experience onhow to fix this Right, and
(22:44):
that's where you know fellowCAAs need to step in and help
you.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
Yeah, I have a couple harder questions maybe.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
That's what I'm used to.
Easier harder questions.
Enough of the softball.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
What part of the presidency do you dread?
What part keeps you up at night?
Speaker 2 (23:05):
What do I dread?
Well, I dread when we get thosethings where you can't help
somebody I'm losing my jobbecause, or they're not going to
hire me because of X, y and Zdue to some opposition or
whatever, and there's justsometimes there's nothing we can
do about it.
We just don't have a fix sothat I don't like Come the
(23:27):
fourth or fifth meeting of theweek.
I will say it's a littledreadful when it's there are
weeks where we have quite a orsomething related to anesthesia
meeting every single night ofthe week, um, so that that can
get old pretty quickly.
I'll be happy that next weekwhen there's like nothing, um,
but uh it, you know, we we tryto take it easy on each other
(23:49):
too.
Like, oh, jen's sick, she's notgoing to make the meeting today
, right, or whatever the call is.
Hey, my kids are going crazyand it's like Lord of the Flies
in the other room.
Let me step away for fiveminutes.
Yeah.
So I would probably say thatwhat I hate the most is some of
the negative stuff you read onFacebook.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
Say more about that.
I'm not on Facebook.
I know what you're talkingabout, but I don't know
specifics.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
It's not that I hate.
I look at Facebook differently.
I look at some of the stuffwritten on Facebook.
I think of Facebook now as aplace for people to vent right
and say I'm not happy, this iswhat I'm not happy about.
You know, as a provider, as aCAA nothing to do with the Quad
A there's times when I'm nothappy and I want to vent too,
and I want to.
You know why can't we make thiswork?
(24:36):
And what I found is the ventingdoesn't help me any.
I mean, sometimes I feel betterafterwards, but is the problem
fixed?
And I think that that sort ofgoes into why I'm.
This is quad a president.
This is my chance to get backat whoever else is doing the
things I don't like.
This is my opportunity to sayyou know, no, or this is not how
(25:02):
it's going to go down.
This is my chance to sort ofpush back.
Speaker 1 (25:05):
Well, now you've opened the question of what are
you pushing back on this year?
What do you not like?
Danny that you can share.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
What do I not like?
That's a toughie.
I mean, my wife's family isfrom Michigan.
I want to be able to practicein Michigan.
Why can't I go and practice atany facility in Michigan?
Right Now, it happens to bethat where we want to be is CAAs
are hired there, but we haveone employer there.
(25:33):
It's ridiculous.
I would let me take care ofyour family, that's.
You know what I mean.
I think you should feel likethat.
You want to be the bestprovider out there, and the fact
that we can only work at oneplace.
It's ridiculous.
So I'm mad about it.
I'm not, but I'm not going togo and yell and scream about it.
(25:55):
How am I going to fix it?
Yeah.
Right, I think when you ask aquestion, or how can you fix it,
how can we fix it?
That's what it should be about.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
Is that what you would tell the people on
Facebook who are upset?
Is there anything else thosepeople can do?
Because I have coworkers, Iknow people who are disenchanted
with the quad A, or why aren'twe doing this, or why doesn't
the profession do that?
And it, you know, it all feelslike it has a shred of truth to
it, but I don't know what's thenext step.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
Yeah, I like that question actually.
Like me too, I'm mad.
Why aren't we practicing everystate?
Why can't we do this?
Why, why, why do we have X, yand Z?
I don't really want to get intothe issues, but I'm mad about it
too.
I think vending is helpful, butI think what I would like them
(26:46):
to know is who runs the Quad A.
Right, like 22 volunteers runthe Quad A.
I'm a dad of four.
I have 42 million differentthings, and the last thing I
want to do on a Friday night isclick on that Facebook because
I'm addicted to the phone likeeverybody else and read
something about.
You know me personally and whatI'm not doing, right, and so I
(27:11):
have to take a step back, andyou know generally what we do is
I'll start texting the textchain between the three of us
and we can vent to each other me, jen and Nicole, like you know.
But when I take a deep breath,they're venting because they're
not happy about things in ourprofession.
In our profession.
(27:38):
I would ask them to considerthat if they're not happy with
Quad A, maybe they're not happywith the people that were
running Quad A before.
Maybe, or those people didn'thave the resources to fix the
things that were needed.
If you're mad at Quad A, that'sjust like a name, like Quad A
is 22 AAs that are willing togive their time to help push the
boulder in the way we want itto.
(27:59):
So why are you mad at yourcoworker for trying to do
something?
I get that I can't get it alldone, but I just wish that they
would consider that.
Yeah, yeah.
And when I message you privatelybecause I think some of the
(28:20):
stuff you're saying islegitimate, come back and join
the quad.
Come help me, do what you wantto do, right?
If there's a problem, let's fixit.
I don't have all the answers.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
Yeah, Just a point of logistics.
Actually, as I'm thinking andlistening to you as a CAA who
would like to get involved incertain things, you know
everyone has kind of their areaof interest.
How does one join the Quad A?
How do how?
When does that happen?
Sure Besides the voting processwhich I feel like we get those
emails we maybe know that Do youmean like a member?
Or like a committee.
No, like a committee.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
A committee.
So on the Quade website,anesthetistorg, there are
committee chairs and you canpull up their email via the
directory and pop them an email,or you can email me and we'll
help you find a place to help.
There is so much work to bedone.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
Okay, yeah, I mean, I think that's good to know.
It's good to hear the Quad Asay you know, over and over
again, we need help.
This is a volunteer crew and,regardless of whether that's the
way everyone wants to keep itor not, that's the reality now
is that we just need more peopleto help.
Speaker 2 (29:33):
Yeah, I mean I wish well, let's be honest, we need
more people.
But the game is about money toounfortunately.
Like.
We need the money to afford thethings that can help us drive
forward Right Can you say alittle bit more about the money
Because I things that can helpus drive forward.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
Mm-hmm Right, can you say a little bit more about the
money, because I think that's aconversation that people don't
usually want to talk about, andI love that you just brought it
up.
Yeah, so let's talk about it.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
I love talking about money.
Sure, so money for you.
Obviously, your membership goesto different things, right, the
money that you pay for yourmembership.
We have a management companythat helps collect everything,
organize the meetings, sothere's a percentage of it that
goes to that.
We use a lot of the money forlegislative efforts, whether it
(30:18):
be hiring a lobbyist or whetherit be hiring a lobbying team or
DGA team.
In the past five years, we'vereally taken steps forward,
right.
Obviously, our organization isgrowing.
Right, so there's more members,right.
So then we actually have alittle bit more money to be able
to do big things.
We have a federal team, we havethat state team, and having
(30:41):
somebody that can help those 22volunteers is so crucial or that
has experience lobbying we'renot going into a new state who
puts in a licensure bill andit's the first time they've
heard of an AA or talked to anAA when they're deciding on this
bill.
Right, we're starting to playchess instead of checkers.
Speaker 1 (31:05):
Yeah, that's encouraging.
Speaker 2 (31:06):
Right, and I want to play chess.
I mean, don't get me wrong,double jumping somebody on
checkers yeah, that'sencouraging and I want to play
chess.
I mean, don't get me wrong,double jumping somebody on
checkers is fine.
But as an organization, we needto make key moves and we're
really, really thinking aboutbig key moves.
Speaker 1 (31:22):
Well, a lot of the non-rapid fire rapid fire
questions I was submitted wereabout licensure in all 50 states
.
When is that happening?
How does that happen?
How do we get CAs in statesthat don't have CAs currently,
and how much of it is tied tomoney and how much is it tied to
manpower volunteering?
Speaker 2 (31:43):
Money drives everything.
Money, money drives everything.
Uh, money drives everything.
Money, money drives everything.
You know, if we had enoughmoney to hire three CAAs to
completely work for the Quad A,that would be amazing, right.
We could have those directlywork on different things.
There's always manpower thathas to be on the ground in a new
state, right?
(32:03):
If you want to know 50 states?
I don't have the answer to that.
I have no clue.
I want it to be tomorrow, right, but we've gotten three states
in the last three years.
We've got the ball rolling,right.
There is an argument that wedon't even have to make.
The anesthesia workforceshortage is real.
We need more quality providersand we as a profession, as CAAs,
(32:27):
like we, are the answer to that.
We are the long-term solutionto the workforce shortage, right
?
Physicians are one model.
A nurse, anesthetist areanother model and we are the
answer.
That is not already tapped out.
Aas, don't pull from nursingshortage.
There's a bigger nursingshortage than there is
(32:48):
anesthesia shortage.
Speaker 1 (32:50):
Interesting.
Speaker 2 (32:51):
I saw a number in Michigan where there was
something like 8,000 shortagesin the state of Michigan.
6,000 of those were nurses.
We need good nurses to dothings.
Maybe our profession helpslighten that burden that they
have there that nobody talksabout as you just mentioned,
over the last five years, whereis the Quad A?
Speaker 1 (33:12):
or where do you as a CAA not as the Quad A president,
but where do you as a CAA, seethe profession going in the next
(33:33):
10 years?
Speaker 2 (33:35):
Man, we are expanding incredibly.
We have to do it carefully.
We can't just expand without aplan, right?
I would like to think more onan individual basis with that
question.
Like I and this will probablybe something I talk about some
(33:57):
point at the quad A like I wantto be the provider of choice,
right, that is my goal.
When there's a big case thatcomes in, I want the
anesthesiologist to say, hey,put Danny in there, like he's
going to handle it Right.
Or if somebody needs a request,like I, put Danny in there,
he's going to do a really goodjob and he cares, right.
(34:18):
I think if we drive to be theprovider of choice every day,
then a lot of these problemswill work themselves out.
But it's on it's not just onthe Quad A or another
organization to do that.
It's on every CAA themselves tokeep their CMEs up to study, to
do the things that you need todo to be the best.
(34:39):
And it can be a small thing.
It can be like I need to get towork every day 10 minutes early
so that—.
Speaker 1 (34:46):
I feel called out.
Speaker 2 (34:47):
Danny, you said it though, right, yes, no, it's, I
need to get, I need to be towork 10 minutes early every day
so that I am the most preparedfor every case that could happen
, or myself I need to put myphone down more and be thinking
about my next case instead of inbetween cases.
(35:08):
Or there's so much that we cando to be the provider of choice,
and I think it's on everysingle, whether it's somebody
training a student right, if Iwant to, if I, when I have a
student and they see how much Iwant to be the provider of
choice, they're going to mirrorthat Right.
We got to set examples on aneveryday basis.
Speaker 1 (35:30):
Talk to me about how your philosophy of saying yes
sort of plays into that being aprovider of choice.
Speaker 2 (35:38):
I love it A little dribble.
This is the live podcast, sowhen you pour water down your
face, everybody sees it Sayingyes.
I think that I have learned somuch more from saying yes than I
do saying no.
I'm not saying you shouldn'tsay no Just on a daily basis,
like, hey, can you stay late?
(35:59):
Yes, I think that was sort ofinstilled in me when I first
started at this trauma center inSavannah Don't ask when you're
getting off.
Like you're the new person.
Like don't ask, don't be thatperson.
Someone had told me that Idon't remember who, so I never
really asked when I was gettingoff.
Can you stay late?
Yes, be flexible.
Always say yes in the clinicalsetting and you'll get some
(36:21):
different experiences that ifyou wouldn't.
If you said no.
Right, and don't get me wrong.
Sometimes I say yes and ithasn't been that great.
Right, you have bad thingshappen.
But take a job interview, evenif you're completely
underqualified for it, becauseyou're going to learn things
about that job and you're goingto learn more things about
yourself.
(36:41):
Like, okay, what are the areasI need to improve in?
You know, yes, and don't get mewrong.
You should have times when yousay no.
I'm really bad at saying no.
I'm trying really better to sayno when it's appropriate.
I feel better when I say yes.
Yes, just sounds better.
I don't know, I feel good aboutmyself and no, don't get me
(37:01):
wrong, I might be regretting itat 3.30, when I said yes, I'll
stay late, regretting it at 3.30when I said yes, I'll stay late
, but yes has opened so manymore doors for me, than I think
saying no would have ever opened.
Speaker 1 (37:16):
What would be a success for you as a quad, a
president?
Would you walk away feelinglike, all right, I did what I
could.
Speaker 2 (37:27):
I mean, like I said, it's not the one-year thing,
it's the three-year, so I haveanother year and a half to sort
of do this.
Things that matter, obviouslyopening states, right, but let's
Washington State right.
That just opened, right?
Woo, it happened during mypresidency, but wasn't that's
been three years in the running,right, right, it happened
(37:48):
during my presidency, but wasn'tthat's been three years in the
running, right?
That, yes, and that greatnessbelongs to the people who before
me, who sort of got that ballrolling Right.
So I want to get other thingsgoing that would they're going
to continue Right, and whatwould be like a big success?
What if you know we need a newwebsite?
Speaker 1 (38:07):
Yes, Danny.
Speaker 2 (38:08):
Right.
Speaker 1 (38:09):
I second that.
Speaker 2 (38:10):
Yes, that's all I'm going to say about that, because
we have a hint about thattomorrow, right.
Speaker 1 (38:15):
I'm here for that, all right.
Speaker 2 (38:17):
Like that's been on my radar for a long time.
But that's not just me, Otherpeople before me.
Right, I want to have peoplerecognize that volunteers are
running this organization andfind a couple people that are
called to do it.
When you get one of these roles, if you're a committee chair,
it's sort of on you to find thenext person before you're out of
(38:39):
it.
Right, I want to inspire somepeople to do this.
I did not think I was qualifiedto be quality president.
I still hesitate when they saythat, right, Sometimes I'll do
really great things.
I'm like man, that was amazing.
And then other times I'll fallon my face.
But then there's Jen and Nicolethere to sort of no, do this,
do this, do this.
And it sort of supports you,it's a supported role.
(39:02):
I think that there are so manypeople in our profession that
could absolutely run thisorganization, but they won't say
yes to joining the Quad A orjoining a committee or writing
an op-ed piece or joining theirstate academy at least.
Right, you know, there are somany smart and there are half
(39:26):
the so many people that arejoining now are probably way
smarter than I was when I becamea CA.
I I'm sure you feel?
Speaker 1 (39:31):
that I totally feel that If I had to apply now I'd
be like I'd be nervous.
Speaker 2 (39:36):
Maybe I need to increase my application, but
time started to build thisexperience and you know, I don't
really know where I'm goingwith this, but I just think that
so many.
I want more people to getinvolved.
Speaker 1 (39:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (39:49):
That's what I want.
That would be a success.
If five people come up to meand say I'm going to do this
because I heard your podcastGreat.
Speaker 1 (39:57):
Awesome, I hope that happens.
Speaker 2 (39:59):
We'll see.
Speaker 1 (40:01):
I love this question.
This is sort of one of thepoints that I really look for
when I look to talk deeply withother CAAs, and it's to talk
about how you feel like you'veused the CAA profession to live
your best life, if you wouldagree with that, if you have
more to grow or if you feel likeyou're there now.
Speaker 2 (40:24):
Depends on the time right.
Things change depending onwhere you are in your career.
You know, when you first start,I mean I was a Quad A member
but I didn't do anything on thetime right.
Things change depending onwhere you are in your career.
You know, when you first start,I mean I was a quad A member
but I didn't do anything on theside.
But then I started realizingthat maybe I didn't want to be
in the stressful environmentthat we're in when I'm 55 or 60,
right.
So what are my options?
(40:44):
I'm a CAA Like.
This is our job.
We're going to be in the OR.
But there are otheropportunities.
There's education and you knowthat sort of spoke to me always,
anytime I had a student.
I you know, maybe I could be aneducator most of the time, but
I still want to be in theoperating room.
So there's flexibility in that.
Flexibility in that.
(41:04):
Even this role of being thequad A president it was, you
know, we thought we did the.
You know the weighted scaleright, the pros and cons of
doing this I have the papersomewhere.
Speaker 1 (41:18):
I kept it because I thought it would be funny later
to look back at.
Speaker 2 (41:22):
It opens opportunities for you to do
different things, and for methat was having a big family and
being able to be there for mykids.
Things at times and other timeswork more or at other times
educate students, which I do,and then other times, you know,
go to the quiet day or go meetwith the governor or go do
(41:42):
whatever you need to do.
But I think, like I spoke toearlier, if I wasn't a CAA, I
don't know that I would have theflexibility to do that.
There's times in my career whenI've grinded out 100 hours
every two weeks and making asmuch overtime as we can, and I
think there's times for that.
(42:02):
But I also think there's timesto take for yourself and work
less or to find what sort ofmakes you happy Right.
Speaker 1 (42:13):
I love that.
I love the answer.
Sounds like it's still evolving, as well as 100 percent.
Speaker 2 (42:17):
I can't wait till I figure out what I'm going to do
when I get older.
Right.
Speaker 1 (42:22):
I love that.
I love that conversation.
This is my last questionactually.
We did not go over time.
I'm very proud of us, danny.
My last question is I'minterested for those prospective
A's who are listening, or theA's students who look to you as
a leader.
I mean, I think you may be shyaway from that, but that's just
the truth of it.
(42:42):
I mean, you're one of theexamples of what it is to be in
leadership as a CAA, and so I'mcurious what you would tell your
younger self, or to tell thatearly stage CAA that is
listening right now that youwish you knew.
Speaker 2 (42:58):
Oh, that's a good one .
A thank you for that.
Speaker 1 (43:00):
I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (43:01):
That's a big compliment.
I think, probably like mostgrads, when I came out of school
, that I was sort of arrogant,right, you think you know
everything.
Right, and maybe you don'tthink you know everything, but
you think you're really good atwhat you do.
Right, and I always wanted tobe the best, like I want to be
(43:21):
the best anesthetist, and Ithink it took me some time to
realize that maybe the bestanesthetist doesn't think
they're the best anesthetist,right?
Maybe they think that there'sso many areas that they can
improve on, because then you'realways learning, right, and it's
evolved over my career as tolike thinking I don't think I'm
(43:42):
the best anesthetist, but I knowthat, like, certain things I do
are really really good and Ineed to continue to do those.
So what would I tell myself?
I would try to say be humble,right.
I always tell students is toyou know, come early and stay
late, right, that matters, thatshows that you're engaged.
Like if someone's going torelieve you right before
(44:03):
extubation.
Like have some pride in yourlike case and say you know what?
That's probably not appropriate.
Like I'm going to stay and waitthis patient up, make sure they
get to the recovery room, andyou can't always do that, but if
you can, you absolutely shoulddo that.
A you owe it to your patient,but it's just good quality care,
like.
So I would say you know, behumble, show up early, stay late
(44:26):
and say yes, you know, so Iwould.
I would say, say yes.
Speaker 1 (44:30):
Thank you, danny.
I really appreciate your wordsand the opportunity to speak
with you.
You have fulfilled one of mydreams as a CAA, which is to
have these types ofconversations with the people
who are leading us, so Iappreciate that and I thank you
very much.
Speaker 2 (44:45):
Appreciate that and I thank you very much Yay.
Speaker 1 (44:54):
Thanks for being here .
Yeah, what Great job.
What Great job Awesome.
As we lead up to the season premiere of Awakened
Anestis podcast season four onSeptember 13th, I'm releasing
this exclusive replay of thelive interview I did at Quad A
2024 of the current Quad Apresident, danny Massaros.
In this really intimateconversation before a live
audience, you're going to hearDanny talking about where he
(00:23):
sees the profession going overthe next 10 years, his thoughts
on whether we will havelicensure in all 50 states and a
whole bunch ofbehind-the-scenes discussion on
what the Quad A presidencyactually entails, whether or not
he gets any money for hisposition and how the Quad A
(00:44):
spends your dues and itsdonations.
We got into so much real talkin this conversation.
Danny is such a genuine andinspiring leader and CAA.
I know you're going to enjoymeeting him just as much as I
did, so enjoy this replayepisode if you didn't have a
chance to be there live at theQuad A, or if you're a
(01:06):
prospective AA student and arethinking maybe one day this
profession is meant for you.
I think this is going to be areally inspiring conversation.
So I will see everyone backhere on September 13th for the
season three premiere and untilthen, be sure you're following
AwakendAnesthetist on whateverpodcast platform you currently
(01:27):
listen.
You can also subscribe to mynewsletter there is a link for
that down in the show notes andfollow me on Instagram at
AwakendAnesthetist for even morebehind the scenes.
All right, here we go.
Welcome to the AwakenedAnesthetist podcast, the first
podcast to highlight the CAAexperience.
(01:49):
I'm your host, mary Jean, andI've been a certified
anesthesiologist assistant forclose to two decades.
Throughout my journey andstruggles, I've searched for
guidance that includes my uniqueperspective as a CAA.
At one of my lowest points, Idecided to turn my passion for
storytelling and my belief thatthe CAA profession is uniquely
(02:12):
able to create a life by designinto a podcast.
If you are a practicing CAA,current AA student or someone
who hopes to be one, I encourageyou to stick around and
experience the power of being ina community filled with voices
who sound like yours, sharingexperiences you never believed
(02:32):
possible.
I know you will find yourselfhere at the Awakened Anesthetist
Podcast.
Welcome in.
Welcome to the first liverecording of Awaken Ness's
podcast.
I'm just going to give you alittle bit of.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Yay.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Thanks guys.
I'm just going to give you alittle bit of background on me.
We'll maybe give some peoplesome time to walk in.
But I started podcasting in2021, not because of anesthesia,
but because I needed an excuseto talk to my husband more
during the pandemic.
We really needed an opportunityto work on us, and so I was
(03:12):
like, let's start a podcast andlet's have it be about our
marriage.
And, lo and behold, I fell intopodcasting, into this medium
that I really love.
I have always been a closetedstoryteller, and just one of the
things I hold so dear is beingtold a good story, and I really
wanted to do that for otherpeople.
And then, as I got going, Irealized that the people I
really want to speak to are myprofession, and I looked for
(03:37):
resources.
I looked for people online,people who are talking about
things that I want to talk aboutas a CAA, and I just didn't
find any, and so I thought, well, I guess this means that I will
start a podcast for myprofession.
And so Awaken Anestis wasreally born in 2021.
I didn't release anything tilllate 2022, I believe, and since
then it's really been anopportunity for me to meet so
(04:00):
many of you and an opportunityto do things like this and to
talk about the things I reallycare about, which is how to use
the CAA profession to live yourbest life, how to discover who
you are outside of anesthesiaand come on in, and how to find
a community that really canconnect in a way that I think
(04:22):
CAAs are uniquely able toconnect.
So thank you all for being hereand supporting this live
episode.
I start everything with a littletimeout, as I call them, just
to get us sort of familiar withour guest, and so Dani Massaros
is my guest today.
I will be doing one of theprocess episodes and I'm really
(04:44):
interested in understanding whoDanny is as a human behind the
Quad A presidency.
So Danny graduated from thethird class ever out of South
Savannah in 2008.
We would have been classmatesbecause I actually almost
interviewed there.
So Danny and I were almostclassmates and worked in Georgia
and then DC and then found hisway to Grand Rapids, michigan,
(05:06):
where he works full time.
He does a mix of like eight,10s and 12s to kind of have some
days off during every otherweek, and among a full time CA
career you're many other things,like a dad to four boys and a
husband and a leader and amentor and a colleague and a
(05:27):
husband and a leader and amentor and a colleague.
And so I really welcome Dannyto Awaken Anesthetist and I'm
excited to have thisconversation.
Yeah, I'm excited to be here,thanks, yeah, I like starting it
off with a rapid fire round,actually because I think it sort
of gets us comfortable, andalso I have found that I am a
little bit interested in yourbehind the scenes.
I have found that I am a littlebit interested in your behind
the scenes and so I asked on myInstagram for what rapid fire
(05:49):
questions CAAs wanted to know,and we struggled to understand
what a rapid fire question was.
I got a lot of long windedquestions, which is kind of my
out, but the number one questionI got was Danny, who is your
favorite co-worker.
A lot of people are vying forthe position.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
Oh, so this has to be a current co-worker.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
I got it several times from many former
co-workers.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Oh, I'm definitely not going to say anyone I'm
working with now, because thatwould just cause trouble, but I
have to say Lainey DiLoretto.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
It's a very easy answer for me.
Awesome, wonderful.
I have spoke to her about youactually when she found out, I
was interviewing you.
What time do you get up in themorning and go to bed?
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Oh for like work.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Just on a general basis.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
I like to stay up late and watch TV.
That's sort of my time afterthe kids are asleep or do
whatever or work on quiet daystuff.
I don't know.
I probably go to bed 10, 30, 11and wake up at 5.45.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
And do you get to work early?
Then, if you get up at 5.45, orare you scooting in last minute
with a bad excuse like that?
Speaker 2 (07:01):
I do not like to scoot in last minute.
I like to be ready and be ableto sit and have a cup of coffee.
I'm not saying I don't do that,but I don't feel good about it.
I often find when I scoot inlate, the patient has something
extra that I need to take careof, and I don't want to be the
thing holding everybody back.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Yes, yes, that is really good, danny.
I could learn from that Lastquestion.
What did you want to be whenyou were a kid?
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Oh, what did I want to be man?
That's a tough one.
I wanted to be the president ofthe United States.
I think when I was little, mydad used to call me Zarvij.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Say more.
I don't exactly understandZarvage.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
It's like this Romanian leader or something
like that.
I don't know, I just always.
I think when I was inkindergarten I was like the
president of the kindergartenclass and I was the reason
kindergartners got to go to thesalad bar.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Oh.
Because we weren't allowed togo to the salad bar.
What a claim to fame.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Yeah right, Apparently it was a thing I
don't remember.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Awesome, awesome.
I'd love to have my guestsanswer this first question,
because I think it's reallyinteresting to look back on who
we were, especially as children,and kind of see what molded and
shaped us.
So take us back to little Danny, sort of what was your
upbringing?
What culture were you broughtup in?
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Sure, born and raised in Savannah, georgia.
My family is Irish Catholic.
I am number four of four boys,so I was a late addition to the
family, so my brothers are alittle bit older than I am, so I
got picked on a lot by them ina good way though, right, but
(08:48):
they wouldn't let anybody elsepick on me.
But I do remember gettingdropped in the trash can and all
those kinds of things thatbrothers do.
But yeah, so, born and raisedIrish Catholic, my mom taught in
an all-girls school.
My dad was actually a coindealer or, as I did a book
report on when I was little, anumismatist, so we had to define
(09:08):
that.
So it was a really goodupbringing as a child.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
And where along your path did you realize you maybe
were going into medicine or youfound the CA career kind of
early or late?
Tell us about that journey.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
Oh yeah, I was always interested in biology or
sciences.
I didn't really know.
Everybody in my family was sortof that business path, sort of
going to the University ofGeorgia is like a thing with our
family.
Both my parents went there, allmy brothers went there.
I graduated from UGA.
My nieces are there now.
So when I went to Georgia I waspre-med but I also didn't
(09:46):
really know if I could do it.
To be honest, there wasn't likethis individual that's like, oh
you're I never, I guess.
I like self-doubt a lot and Istill do that today.
But I was like I don't knowthat I can get through medical
school or I was really nervousabout it.
So halfway through I sort ofjoined a physician assistant
club at UGA and a AA from Emorycame and spoke at the PA club
(10:10):
and that's how I found out aboutthe profession.
And you were hooked right away,and thought, oh man, I was like,
look at this, it's like itlooks really challenging, really
rewarding, and if it's not whatI want to do, but I would get
this huge headstart on, like theknowledge base and then I could
go back to medical school if Iwanted, but I was definitely
hooked, yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
I'm interested.
When in your career did yourealize oh, this is the thing
I'm doing, as opposed to this isthe thing that's going to lead
me to medical school?
Did you find that out when youwere in AA school or further
along your path?
Speaker 2 (10:43):
That's a really good point.
I don't know.
I mean, I always had that thingin the back of your mind, like
I now, I think, in this point inmy career, because I self-doubt
a little bit less and Irecognize that maybe some of
that self-doubt has sort ofpushed me to higher levels and
maybe it's like a good thing.
I've still thought about itLike man I could go to medical
(11:03):
school, but I'm like I've stillthought about it Like man I
could go to medical school, butI'm like man that would be
financially irresponsible and inaddition I have four kids and I
want to spend time with themand I recognize that my wife
would disown me if I-.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
It would be a hard journey.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
Yeah, to be honest, too, is this profession and part
of your podcast too, is itopens a lot of doors for us to
do other things.
And if I went to med school andI know I could pass the MCAT
and I know I could get into medschool and I know I could be a
good physician, but then I havethe feeling that that would be
all I was going to be right.
I remember in AA school,traveling, and I think I was in
(11:42):
St Louis where we trained withthe residents there and a lot of
them were divorced in residencyalready and I was.
It was like a huge percentage,like eight out of 20 or
something, and it just sort ofstuck with me Like I want to
have a family and I want to, youknow, be engaged, and if I
maybe go that route, maybethat's the only thing I'm going
(12:03):
to be able to do and I just feellike there's so much other
stuff out there that we can doand be a part of that this job
affords.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
Yes, yeah, I totally see that in my own life and that
had to be revealed to me in myown life as well, like I didn't
see it, maybe as early as yousaw it.
So that's really interesting.
I'm curious, when you wereworking, what you knew about the
Quad A and the Quad Apresidency and getting involved
politically.
Was it on the top of your mindwhen you graduated Like, okay, I
want to be president of theUnited States or the president
of the Quad A presidency andgetting involved politically?
Was it on the top of your mindwhen you graduated Like, ok, I
want to be president of theUnited States or the president
(12:38):
of the Quad A?
Speaker 2 (12:41):
No, I was always involved.
I came as like a student.
I came to Quad A and you meetall these people and back then
there was probably like 300people at the meeting.
Yeah.
And it was much more intimateand there was, we had a lot of
fun.
It was just fun coming to theQuad A, hanging out with your
classmates and seeing preceptorsout of the OR, and so I liked
that environment and I knew Iwanted to be involved.
(13:03):
But I did not think I wouldever be president of the Quad A
no chance.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
And what was your journey?
I want to ask you a veryspecific question about saying
yes to the presidency, but whatwas your journey leading up to
that?
Had you done some other things?
Leadership wise.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
Yeah, I really got more involved when I went to DC.
Okay, the president of the QuadA, sarah Patel, worked for our
group and she, carrie Twitchell,was actually stepping into the
role as president and she neededsomebody to run the annual
meeting committee.
And I have no clue how to run ameeting right, but my wife was
(13:38):
an event planner in Savannahvery successful event planner
and they were like get him to doit, his wife can help, right.
So, I went from just being aQuad, a member to the chair of
the annual meeting committee,and I remember talking to
someone on the committee saying,hey, I'm going to be involved
with this.
They're like, oh yeah, you'renot the chair.
I was like, no, I think I am.
(14:00):
So I didn't realize how big ofa job it was going to be until
it was sort of thrust upon me.
But I think that's the way ourorganization was in the past is
we only have so many people thatdo these volunteer roles.
And now when I'm in that role Isee people that have something
inside.
I'm like I know this person cando that role and like you just
make them do it, make them sayyes, and then they're successful
(14:24):
at it.
And so.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
Yeah, yes, I see that playing out in our profession
in real time, that people arestepping into roles they never
thought they could have or take,and I think one of the missions
of my podcast and speaking toyou right now is to see that
like, okay, well, danny is ahuman being right here doing a
whole bunch of other things aswell as being the Quad A
president what is possible forme in my life?
(14:49):
I just think that's a reallyinteresting narrative to see
play out in front of you thatthe CAA profession hasn't had
before.
So I totally agree.
I want to hear about the momentthat you said yes to the Quad A
presidency, because I believethere were a couple of moments
preceding the yes, if I'mcorrect.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Yeah, I can go into those.
I don't really necessarilythink it was a moment when I
said yes.
I mean I remember texting sortof some of the leaders and
saying yes, but it was really atime when we talked.
I talked about it a lot Like we.
It wasn't just a decision madeLike we have.
We have four kids and I knewhow much time it was going to be
(15:28):
, and when I commit to somethinglike that I'm all in.
So I needed to make sure thatmy wife and my kids were on
board with this.
That's actually part of it.
I think it's the best thing Idid because it's made it easy.
All these meetings, we do notone time since I started has my
wife ever rolled her eyes that Ihad a Quade meeting, and it
happens a lot.
We have a lot of pop-up Quademeetings or this or that, and
(15:51):
the fact that I don't have tofeel more guilt about taking
time away from our familybecause she doesn't she doesn't
do that Like that means a lot tome.
I think that sort of falls intothe like the planning of it.
I think the bigger moment itwould be, the more that when I
said no, I was asked to be aQuade president before and I
immediately said no.
(16:12):
And then that night I was likehey, hon, guess what happened
for me today?
I got asked to be a quiet daypresident.
She's like well, what did yousay?
I said well, yeah.
I said no.
And she my, when I said no, itwas easy to me because we were
so busy at home.
I knew it wasn't right, like wejust didn't weren't going to be
able to make it happen, and soI knew that I should say no.
(16:33):
But then her response to thatwas what do you mean?
You said no.
It was like the completeopposite of what I was thinking.
She's like that's such a bigdeal.
You have to go back to them andtell them you'll consider it
and figure out more informationabout it.
So it was just interesting thather support from that side to
me to keep doing these things,even though you know the
(16:54):
sacrifice that it was going tomean.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
Yeah, did you say yes ?
Was that the same year you saidyes, or did you wait?
No, I definitely I ended upsaying no.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
No, I said no, it wasn't right.
And for us that was reallycrucial because right after that
was when COVID hit, and then wehad a COVID baby, so we had a
fourth child.
So I would have been presidentof the Quad A during our fourth
child and COVID and let me tellyou that would not have gone
(17:22):
well for us.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
No, that would have been difficult.
Yeah, tell us a little bitabout your day in the life,
because you've talked a lotabout juggling all of these
things and how it was the rightseason for you, of these things
and how it was the right seasonfor you.
But I'm still interested tohear sort of the nitty gritty,
because I think that adds a lotof perspective of what it
actually feels like to be theQuad A president.
So give us maybe a day or aweek, if a day is hard.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
Well, I'll start with why it's the right time for us.
I said no because our kids werereally little and I thought
that, man, we, when they getjust a little bit older,
there'll be more time, right,it's completely wrong, right,
completely wrong.
When your kids get older, theyhave these sporting events and
they're going to remember youbeing there and and my oldest
son is 11 and he's starting toget into those things and I said
(18:08):
, if I don't do this now, it'snever going to happen.
And that was sort of the reasonI said yes, and that was part
of the plan.
Is like hon, if I don't do thisnow, it's never going to happen
.
And that was sort of the reasonI said yes, and that was part
of the plan.
Is like hon, if I don't do thisnow, it's not going to happen.
I'm okay with that, but I dohave this feeling that I need to
do it Now.
What does a day look like?
It's sort of cyclical in termsof the weeks.
Right, I'll give you next week,like we have a, I get, I work
(18:32):
an eight hour shift.
We'll get home, we'll have ameeting at 4.30 to five with our
federal team.
We'll have a state meeting withmy lobbyists, because you know
we're going for licensure andthe state I'm living in right
now in Michigan, right?
Speaker 1 (18:45):
So I didn't know that .
Speaker 2 (18:46):
Yeah, I'm president of the MAAA too.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
Naturally, naturally.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
Right, they twist my arm into that.
So then, right after that we'llhave the president's call,
where it's the three, theimmediate, nicole and Jen, and
our executive director.
We'll get on the call and wemeet every other week.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
Can you say just briefly a little bit more about
how the quadri-presidency is athree-person job real?
Speaker 2 (19:06):
quick.
Yeah, I would say it's athree-headed monster.
Is the?
Speaker 1 (19:08):
way I would describe it.
I won't tell them.
You said that.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
Oh, they'll hear it, I tell it to their face this
role is way too much work forone person to handle.
Imagine like you have your kidsat home, you have your job,
you're getting all these otherstretches, and a state or
somebody from your friend callsfrom.
I'll just say New Mexico, andthey're like we need this now
and you just can't always meetthat.
You just can't do it.
It's just too much.
(19:38):
So this is really athree-person job and it's great
because I can't always travel,because I do this and Nicole and
Jen will take those extraefforts out of their time and
handle it, or Jen's busy doingthis and I can step in and
handle it, and we really youthink of the role as a president
like my presidential year, likewhat am I going to achieve?
It's really a three-year deal,because the successes of this
(20:07):
year aren't all my successes.
They're from Jen last year andLaura the year before that and
Crystal the year before that andwe keep pushing this boulder.
So that's sort of thethree-headed monster of a
volunteer position.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
A volunteer position.
That was news to me.
I did not know that.
The Quad A presidency and everyposition correct.
Yeah, Every position on theQuad A is volunteer 22
volunteers run your organization.
Yes, that's a separate issue todiscuss on a separate day, but
yeah, that's incredible.
Speaker 2 (20:37):
So back to the day, Two meetings 430 to 5, 5 to 530.
And then we have thepresident's call, which is an
hour at minimum and sometimes itruns over a little bit, but and
then, depending, we'll have aboard meeting quarterly, and
then so I think there's eightboard meetings because there's
an interim, and then our EC.
(20:58):
Every second or thirdpresident's call we make it an
EC.
So Emily, our treasurer, andLily, who's our executive
committee chair, she sort ofcomes in and they sit and we
talk about the issues that aresort of going on, and that's
sort of what a normal week lookslike.
But then you have state meetingspop up, you have state
(21:18):
academies, you have text emails,anything that someone would
need, and you know ourprofession.
Like, oh, let's say, let's justpick Georgia.
Like, oh well, there's apractice issue in Georgia and
people might lose their job.
Like they look to to us andthey call us and they text me on
the phone and it happens in theOR.
(21:39):
Sometimes you're like oh, I gotlike 52 texts because something
happened and so it's definitelynot something that one person
can do on their own.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
Yeah, how often is a quad, a representative, going
out to these big issues?
Is that normally what has tohappen?
Someone shows up.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Thankfully, one of the good things that came about
COVID is Zoom.
Everyone's comfortable withZoom, so it's really made it
more feasible for us to be there.
But it's more a text like thisis the issue how can you help me
?
Or this is what's going on, andit's not just how can you help
me.
Most of the time it's oh man,like I really got to help this
person Right.
It's really hard and I think atdifferent times you have
(22:22):
different things happen in yourwork right that you can't
control or you don't know theanswer to, and you want to look
to somebody for that answer andsort of quite a.
We want to be that answer formembers, and I think a lot of
people don't.
They think they're safe.
A lot of times in your job youknow until you're not, and then
you don't have any experience onhow to fix this Right, and
(22:44):
that's where you know fellowCAAs need to step in and help
you.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
Yeah, I have a couple harder questions maybe.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
That's what I'm used to.
Easier harder questions.
Enough of the softball.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
What part of the presidency do you dread?
What part keeps you up at night?
Speaker 2 (23:05):
What do I dread?
Well, I dread when we get thosethings where you can't help
somebody I'm losing my jobbecause, or they're not going to
hire me because of X, y and Zdue to some opposition or
whatever, and there's justsometimes there's nothing we can
do about it.
We just don't have a fix sothat I don't like Come the
(23:27):
fourth or fifth meeting of theweek.
I will say it's a littledreadful when it's there are
weeks where we have quite a orsomething related to anesthesia
meeting every single night ofthe week, um, so that that can
get old pretty quickly.
I'll be happy that next weekwhen there's like nothing, um,
but uh it, you know, we we tryto take it easy on each other
(23:49):
too.
Like, oh, jen's sick, she's notgoing to make the meeting today
, right, or whatever the call is.
Hey, my kids are going crazyand it's like Lord of the Flies
in the other room.
Let me step away for fiveminutes.
Yeah.
So I would probably say thatwhat I hate the most is some of
the negative stuff you read onFacebook.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
Say more about that.
I'm not on Facebook.
I know what you're talkingabout, but I don't know
specifics.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
It's not that I hate.
I look at Facebook differently.
I look at some of the stuffwritten on Facebook.
I think of Facebook now as aplace for people to vent right
and say I'm not happy, this iswhat I'm not happy about.
You know, as a provider, as aCAA nothing to do with the Quad
A there's times when I'm nothappy and I want to vent too,
and I want to.
You know why can't we make thiswork?
(24:36):
And what I found is the ventingdoesn't help me any.
I mean, sometimes I feel betterafterwards, but is the problem
fixed?
And I think that that sort ofgoes into why I'm.
This is quad a president.
This is my chance to get backat whoever else is doing the
things I don't like.
This is my opportunity to sayyou know, no, or this is not how
(25:02):
it's going to go down.
This is my chance to sort ofpush back.
Speaker 1 (25:05):
Well, now you've opened the question of what are
you pushing back on this year?
What do you not like?
Danny that you can share.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
What do I not like?
That's a toughie.
I mean, my wife's family isfrom Michigan.
I want to be able to practicein Michigan.
Why can't I go and practice atany facility in Michigan?
Right Now, it happens to bethat where we want to be is CAAs
are hired there, but we haveone employer there.
(25:33):
It's ridiculous.
I would let me take care ofyour family, that's.
You know what I mean.
I think you should feel likethat.
You want to be the bestprovider out there, and the fact
that we can only work at oneplace.
It's ridiculous.
So I'm mad about it.
I'm not, but I'm not going togo and yell and scream about it.
(25:55):
How am I going to fix it?
Yeah.
Right, I think when you ask aquestion, or how can you fix it,
how can we fix it?
That's what it should be about.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
Is that what you would tell the people on
Facebook who are upset?
Is there anything else thosepeople can do?
Because I have coworkers, Iknow people who are disenchanted
with the quad A, or why aren'twe doing this, or why doesn't
the profession do that?
And it, you know, it all feelslike it has a shred of truth to
it, but I don't know what's thenext step.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
Yeah, I like that question actually.
Like me too, I'm mad.
Why aren't we practicing everystate?
Why can't we do this?
Why, why, why do we have X, yand Z?
I don't really want to get intothe issues, but I'm mad about it
too.
I think vending is helpful, butI think what I would like them
(26:46):
to know is who runs the Quad A.
Right, like 22 volunteers runthe Quad A.
I'm a dad of four.
I have 42 million differentthings, and the last thing I
want to do on a Friday night isclick on that Facebook because
I'm addicted to the phone likeeverybody else and read
something about.
You know me personally and whatI'm not doing, right, and so I
(27:11):
have to take a step back, andyou know generally what we do is
I'll start texting the textchain between the three of us
and we can vent to each other me, jen and Nicole, like you know.
But when I take a deep breath,they're venting because they're
not happy about things in ourprofession.
In our profession.
(27:38):
I would ask them to considerthat if they're not happy with
Quad A, maybe they're not happywith the people that were
running Quad A before.
Maybe, or those people didn'thave the resources to fix the
things that were needed.
If you're mad at Quad A, that'sjust like a name, like Quad A
is 22 AAs that are willing togive their time to help push the
boulder in the way we want itto.
(27:59):
So why are you mad at yourcoworker for trying to do
something?
I get that I can't get it alldone, but I just wish that they
would consider that.
Yeah, yeah.
And when I message you privatelybecause I think some of the
(28:20):
stuff you're saying islegitimate, come back and join
the quad.
Come help me, do what you wantto do, right?
If there's a problem, let's fixit.
I don't have all the answers.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
Yeah, Just a point of logistics.
Actually, as I'm thinking andlistening to you as a CAA who
would like to get involved incertain things, you know
everyone has kind of their areaof interest.
How does one join the Quad A?
How do how?
When does that happen?
Sure Besides the voting processwhich I feel like we get those
emails we maybe know that Do youmean like a member?
Or like a committee.
No, like a committee.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
A committee.
So on the Quade website,anesthetistorg, there are
committee chairs and you canpull up their email via the
directory and pop them an email,or you can email me and we'll
help you find a place to help.
There is so much work to bedone.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
Okay, yeah, I mean, I think that's good to know.
It's good to hear the Quad Asay you know, over and over
again, we need help.
This is a volunteer crew and,regardless of whether that's the
way everyone wants to keep itor not, that's the reality now
is that we just need more peopleto help.
Speaker 2 (29:33):
Yeah, I mean I wish well, let's be honest, we need
more people.
But the game is about money toounfortunately.
Like.
We need the money to afford thethings that can help us drive
forward Right Can you say alittle bit more about the money
Because I things that can helpus drive forward.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
Mm-hmm Right, can you say a little bit more about the
money, because I think that's aconversation that people don't
usually want to talk about, andI love that you just brought it
up.
Yeah, so let's talk about it.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
I love talking about money.
Sure, so money for you.
Obviously, your membership goesto different things, right, the
money that you pay for yourmembership.
We have a management companythat helps collect everything,
organize the meetings, sothere's a percentage of it that
goes to that.
We use a lot of the money forlegislative efforts, whether it
(30:18):
be hiring a lobbyist or whetherit be hiring a lobbying team or
DGA team.
In the past five years, we'vereally taken steps forward,
right.
Obviously, our organization isgrowing.
Right, so there's more members,right.
So then we actually have alittle bit more money to be able
to do big things.
We have a federal team, we havethat state team, and having
(30:41):
somebody that can help those 22volunteers is so crucial or that
has experience lobbying we'renot going into a new state who
puts in a licensure bill andit's the first time they've
heard of an AA or talked to anAA when they're deciding on this
bill.
Right, we're starting to playchess instead of checkers.
Speaker 1 (31:05):
Yeah, that's encouraging.
Speaker 2 (31:06):
Right, and I want to play chess.
I mean, don't get me wrong,double jumping somebody on
checkers yeah, that'sencouraging and I want to play
chess.
I mean, don't get me wrong,double jumping somebody on
checkers is fine.
But as an organization, we needto make key moves and we're
really, really thinking aboutbig key moves.
Speaker 1 (31:22):
Well, a lot of the non-rapid fire rapid fire
questions I was submitted wereabout licensure in all 50 states
.
When is that happening?
How does that happen?
How do we get CAs in statesthat don't have CAs currently,
and how much of it is tied tomoney and how much is it tied to
manpower volunteering?
Speaker 2 (31:43):
Money drives everything.
Money, money drives everything.
Uh, money drives everything.
Money, money drives everything.
You know, if we had enoughmoney to hire three CAAs to
completely work for the Quad A,that would be amazing, right.
We could have those directlywork on different things.
There's always manpower thathas to be on the ground in a new
state, right?
(32:03):
If you want to know 50 states?
I don't have the answer to that.
I have no clue.
I want it to be tomorrow, right, but we've gotten three states
in the last three years.
We've got the ball rolling,right.
There is an argument that wedon't even have to make.
The anesthesia workforceshortage is real.
We need more quality providersand we as a profession, as CAAs,
(32:27):
like we, are the answer to that.
We are the long-term solutionto the workforce shortage, right
?
Physicians are one model.
A nurse, anesthetist areanother model and we are the
answer.
That is not already tapped out.
Aas, don't pull from nursingshortage.
There's a bigger nursingshortage than there is
(32:48):
anesthesia shortage.
Speaker 1 (32:50):
Interesting.
Speaker 2 (32:51):
I saw a number in Michigan where there was
something like 8,000 shortagesin the state of Michigan.
6,000 of those were nurses.
We need good nurses to dothings.
Maybe our profession helpslighten that burden that they
have there that nobody talksabout as you just mentioned,
over the last five years, whereis the Quad A?
Speaker 1 (33:12):
or where do you as a CAA not as the Quad A president,
but where do you as a CAA, seethe profession going in the next
(33:33):
10 years?
Speaker 2 (33:35):
Man, we are expanding incredibly.
We have to do it carefully.
We can't just expand without aplan, right?
I would like to think more onan individual basis with that
question.
Like I and this will probablybe something I talk about some
(33:57):
point at the quad A like I wantto be the provider of choice,
right, that is my goal.
When there's a big case thatcomes in, I want the
anesthesiologist to say, hey,put Danny in there, like he's
going to handle it Right.
Or if somebody needs a request,like I, put Danny in there,
he's going to do a really goodjob and he cares, right.
(34:18):
I think if we drive to be theprovider of choice every day,
then a lot of these problemswill work themselves out.
But it's on it's not just onthe Quad A or another
organization to do that.
It's on every CAA themselves tokeep their CMEs up to study, to
do the things that you need todo to be the best.
(34:39):
And it can be a small thing.
It can be like I need to get towork every day 10 minutes early
so that—.
Speaker 1 (34:46):
I feel called out.
Speaker 2 (34:47):
Danny, you said it though, right, yes, no, it's, I
need to get, I need to be towork 10 minutes early every day
so that I am the most preparedfor every case that could happen
, or myself I need to put myphone down more and be thinking
about my next case instead of inbetween cases.
(35:08):
Or there's so much that we cando to be the provider of choice,
and I think it's on everysingle, whether it's somebody
training a student right, if Iwant to, if I, when I have a
student and they see how much Iwant to be the provider of
choice, they're going to mirrorthat Right.
We got to set examples on aneveryday basis.
Speaker 1 (35:30):
Talk to me about how your philosophy of saying yes
sort of plays into that being aprovider of choice.
Speaker 2 (35:38):
I love it A little dribble.
This is the live podcast, sowhen you pour water down your
face, everybody sees it Sayingyes.
I think that I have learned somuch more from saying yes than I
do saying no.
I'm not saying you shouldn'tsay no Just on a daily basis,
like, hey, can you stay late?
(35:59):
Yes, I think that was sort ofinstilled in me when I first
started at this trauma center inSavannah Don't ask when you're
getting off.
Like you're the new person.
Like don't ask, don't be thatperson.
Someone had told me that Idon't remember who, so I never
really asked when I was gettingoff.
Can you stay late?
Yes, be flexible.
Always say yes in the clinicalsetting and you'll get some
(36:21):
different experiences that ifyou wouldn't.
If you said no.
Right, and don't get me wrong.
Sometimes I say yes and ithasn't been that great.
Right, you have bad thingshappen.
But take a job interview, evenif you're completely
underqualified for it, becauseyou're going to learn things
about that job and you're goingto learn more things about
yourself.
(36:41):
Like, okay, what are the areasI need to improve in?
You know, yes, and don't get mewrong.
You should have times when yousay no.
I'm really bad at saying no.
I'm trying really better to sayno when it's appropriate.
I feel better when I say yes.
Yes, just sounds better.
I don't know, I feel good aboutmyself and no, don't get me
(37:01):
wrong, I might be regretting itat 3.30, when I said yes, I'll
stay late, regretting it at 3.30when I said yes, I'll stay late
, but yes has opened so manymore doors for me, than I think
saying no would have ever opened.
Speaker 1 (37:16):
What would be a success for you as a quad, a
president?
Would you walk away feelinglike, all right, I did what I
could.
Speaker 2 (37:27):
I mean, like I said, it's not the one-year thing,
it's the three-year, so I haveanother year and a half to sort
of do this.
Things that matter, obviouslyopening states, right, but let's
Washington State right.
That just opened, right?
Woo, it happened during mypresidency, but wasn't that's
been three years in the running,right, right, it happened
(37:48):
during my presidency, but wasn'tthat's been three years in the
running, right?
That, yes, and that greatnessbelongs to the people who before
me, who sort of got that ballrolling Right.
So I want to get other thingsgoing that would they're going
to continue Right, and whatwould be like a big success?
What if you know we need a newwebsite?
Speaker 1 (38:07):
Yes, Danny.
Speaker 2 (38:08):
Right.
Speaker 1 (38:09):
I second that.
Speaker 2 (38:10):
Yes, that's all I'm going to say about that, because
we have a hint about thattomorrow, right.
Speaker 1 (38:15):
I'm here for that, all right.
Speaker 2 (38:17):
Like that's been on my radar for a long time.
But that's not just me, Otherpeople before me.
Right, I want to have peoplerecognize that volunteers are
running this organization andfind a couple people that are
called to do it.
When you get one of these roles, if you're a committee chair,
it's sort of on you to find thenext person before you're out of
(38:39):
it.
Right, I want to inspire somepeople to do this.
I did not think I was qualifiedto be quality president.
I still hesitate when they saythat, right, Sometimes I'll do
really great things.
I'm like man, that was amazing.
And then other times I'll fallon my face.
But then there's Jen and Nicolethere to sort of no, do this,
do this, do this.
And it sort of supports you,it's a supported role.
(39:02):
I think that there are so manypeople in our profession that
could absolutely run thisorganization, but they won't say
yes to joining the Quad A orjoining a committee or writing
an op-ed piece or joining theirstate academy at least.
Right, you know, there are somany smart and there are half
(39:26):
the so many people that arejoining now are probably way
smarter than I was when I becamea CA.
I I'm sure you feel?
Speaker 1 (39:31):
that I totally feel that If I had to apply now I'd
be like I'd be nervous.
Speaker 2 (39:36):
Maybe I need to increase my application, but
time started to build thisexperience and you know, I don't
really know where I'm goingwith this, but I just think that
so many.
I want more people to getinvolved.
Speaker 1 (39:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (39:49):
That's what I want.
That would be a success.
If five people come up to meand say I'm going to do this
because I heard your podcastGreat.
Speaker 1 (39:57):
Awesome, I hope that happens.
Speaker 2 (39:59):
We'll see.
Speaker 1 (40:01):
I love this question.
This is sort of one of thepoints that I really look for
when I look to talk deeply withother CAAs, and it's to talk
about how you feel like you'veused the CAA profession to live
your best life, if you wouldagree with that, if you have
more to grow or if you feel likeyou're there now.
Speaker 2 (40:24):
Depends on the time right.
Things change depending onwhere you are in your career.
You know, when you first start,I mean I was a Quad A member
but I didn't do anything on thetime right.
Things change depending onwhere you are in your career.
You know, when you first start,I mean I was a quad A member
but I didn't do anything on theside.
But then I started realizingthat maybe I didn't want to be
in the stressful environmentthat we're in when I'm 55 or 60,
right.
So what are my options?
(40:44):
I'm a CAA Like.
This is our job.
We're going to be in the OR.
But there are otheropportunities.
There's education and you knowthat sort of spoke to me always,
anytime I had a student.
I you know, maybe I could be aneducator most of the time, but
I still want to be in theoperating room.
So there's flexibility in that.
Flexibility in that.
(41:04):
Even this role of being thequad A president it was, you
know, we thought we did the.
You know the weighted scaleright, the pros and cons of
doing this I have the papersomewhere.
Speaker 1 (41:18):
I kept it because I thought it would be funny later
to look back at.
Speaker 2 (41:22):
It opens opportunities for you to do
different things, and for methat was having a big family and
being able to be there for mykids.
Things at times and other timeswork more or at other times
educate students, which I do,and then other times, you know,
go to the quiet day or go meetwith the governor or go do
(41:42):
whatever you need to do.
But I think, like I spoke toearlier, if I wasn't a CAA, I
don't know that I would have theflexibility to do that.
There's times in my career whenI've grinded out 100 hours
every two weeks and making asmuch overtime as we can, and I
think there's times for that.
(42:02):
But I also think there's timesto take for yourself and work
less or to find what sort ofmakes you happy Right.
Speaker 1 (42:13):
I love that.
I love the answer.
Sounds like it's still evolving, as well as 100 percent.
Speaker 2 (42:17):
I can't wait till I figure out what I'm going to do
when I get older.
Right.
Speaker 1 (42:22):
I love that.
I love that conversation.
This is my last questionactually.
We did not go over time.
I'm very proud of us, danny.
My last question is I'minterested for those prospective
A's who are listening, or theA's students who look to you as
a leader.
I mean, I think you may be shyaway from that, but that's just
the truth of it.
(42:42):
I mean, you're one of theexamples of what it is to be in
leadership as a CAA, and so I'mcurious what you would tell your
younger self, or to tell thatearly stage CAA that is
listening right now that youwish you knew.
Speaker 2 (42:58):
Oh, that's a good one .
A thank you for that.
Speaker 1 (43:00):
I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (43:01):
That's a big compliment.
I think, probably like mostgrads, when I came out of school
, that I was sort of arrogant,right, you think you know
everything.
Right, and maybe you don'tthink you know everything, but
you think you're really good atwhat you do.
Right, and I always wanted tobe the best, like I want to be
(43:21):
the best anesthetist, and Ithink it took me some time to
realize that maybe the bestanesthetist doesn't think
they're the best anesthetist,right?
Maybe they think that there'sso many areas that they can
improve on, because then you'realways learning, right, and it's
evolved over my career as tolike thinking I don't think I'm
(43:42):
the best anesthetist, but I knowthat, like, certain things I do
are really really good and Ineed to continue to do those.
So what would I tell myself?
I would try to say be humble,right.
I always tell students is toyou know, come early and stay
late, right, that matters, thatshows that you're engaged.
Like if someone's going torelieve you right before
(44:03):
extubation.
Like have some pride in yourlike case and say you know what?
That's probably not appropriate.
Like I'm going to stay and waitthis patient up, make sure they
get to the recovery room, andyou can't always do that, but if
you can, you absolutely shoulddo that.
A you owe it to your patient,but it's just good quality care,
like.
So I would say you know, behumble, show up early, stay late
(44:26):
and say yes, you know, so Iwould.
I would say, say yes.
Speaker 1 (44:30):
Thank you, danny.
I really appreciate your wordsand the opportunity to speak
with you.
You have fulfilled one of mydreams as a CAA, which is to
have these types ofconversations with the people
who are leading us, so Iappreciate that and I thank you
very much.
Speaker 2 (44:45):
Appreciate that and I thank you very much Yay.
Speaker 1 (44:54):
Thanks for being here .
Yeah, what Great job.
What Great job Awesome.
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