In this joint PROCESS episode, 2024 DEI AAAA scholarship winners, Ellen Fleurival and Tekiah McClary, share their unique paths to become Anesthesiologist Assistant students. Together, we uncover the challenges and triumphs they’ve faced, navigating through the demands of AA school while breaking barriers in a predominantly homogenous field. Ellen and Tekiah reflect on their motivations, their resilience, and the broader themes of under representation. From overcoming application barriers to the significance of outreach efforts, their experiences underscore the power of individual actions in fostering meaningful change.
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Key Acronyms
- DEI- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
- HBCU- Historically Black Colleges and Universities
- AAAA- American Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants
- CAA- Certified Anesthesiologist Assistants
- SAA- Student Anesthesiologist Assistant
Key Links
- Health Professions Readiness Education Program (HealthPREP) @ Emory Univ.
- Email the 2024 DEI Committee Chair to get involved aknafel@mcw.edu
- Join the AAAA (must be AAAA member to apply for DEI scholarship)
- DONATE NOW DEI Scholarship - AAAA
- LEARN MORE DEI Scholarship Requirements
- APPLY for the DEI Scholarship 2025 (application open thru mid December 2024)
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Mary Jeanne (00:05):
Welcome to the Awakened Anesthetist podcast,
the first podcast to highlightthe CAA experience.
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
(00:29):
storytelling and my belief thatthe CAA profession is uniquely
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
(00:50):
who sound like yours, sharingexperiences you never believed
possible.
I know you will find yourselfhere at the Awakened Anesthetist
podcast.
Welcome in.
I'm so glad you're here forthis really important episode.
I had the honor of interviewingthe current DEI scholarship
(01:10):
winners for 2024.
And at the end of ourconversation, one of them, ellen
, just after we stoppedrecording, asked me why I had
asked them to do the interviewand why I was so interested in
highlighting their journeys andtheir story.
And I gave her an answer thatfelt true about, you know,
(01:31):
wanting to share other CAAstories, wanting to talk to
people who have differentbackgrounds than me, different
identities than me, to learnmore about what it means to be a
CAA and to really deepen theconnections within our community
.
But after I got done saying allthat and got off the call with
them, I've really been thinkingover the course of the last
(01:53):
month, since I spoke with Ellenand Takiyah, why it was so
important for me to interviewthem and to have this
conversation, and I can see nowthat this was a part of my own
journey.
This has been part of my ownreckoning with my innate bias
and intrinsic privilege as awhite person, as a white woman,
(02:15):
in this country and in the CAAprofession.
And I wanted to do this episodebecause I recognize that I have
room to grow and that I havethings that I would like to
change about myself and thedefault settings in my brain and
this is my own work to do.
This is not for anyone else,but I truly, truly want to thank
(02:38):
Ellen and Takiyah for offeringtheir time and offering their
insights and their bravery andvulnerability to be a light for
all of us.
And, yeah, I'm just soappreciative and I just wanted
to answer Ellen you so honestlyand I hope everyone enjoys this
really powerful episode.
Let me introduce Ellen andTakiyah, the 2024 DEI
(03:01):
scholarship winners.
Welcome, ellen and Takiyah, tothe Awakened Anesthetist.
I'm so excited to have thisconversation with you.
Let's start off with the rapidfire round.
If that sounds good to both ofyou, sounds good.
Sounds awesome, awesome.
All right, let's, I'll just askyou individually.
So, ellen, let me see here whatschool are you going to and
(03:25):
what year are you graduating?
Tekiah (03:27):
So I currently go to VCon, slash, bluefield on
Auburn's campus, and I graduatenext year, september 2025.
Mary Jeanne (03:34):
And.
Tekiah (03:34):
I'm currently a second year.
Mary Jeanne (03:36):
Cool Takiyah, same questions what school do you go
to and when will you graduate?
Tekiah (03:42):
So right now I'm in Atlanta, georgia, I go to South
University, the Orlando campus,and I graduate next year, june
2025.
I'm also a second year student.
Mary Jeanne (03:53):
Yay, the home stretch, but it just started, so
it feels really long still.
But from my perspective, onceyou're past first year oh my
goodness, feels so much better,okay.
Your past first year oh mygoodness, feels so much better,
okay.
Big question for people who aremaybe their first year or
looking to go into AA school howmuch sleep are you both getting
, ellen?
How much sleep are you gettinga night?
Ellen (04:14):
I wish I can say eight, but realistically I'll say a
good six hours.
And that's like with bags in myeyes in the morning because I'm
so tired I know it's real, it'sso real.
Mary Jeanne (04:28):
Takiyah, what's your favorite case?
Tekiah (04:31):
My favorite case right now is vascular or cardiac cases
.
I just like that.
You know it requires so muchprecision and so much teamwork
between the surgeon, theperfusionist or the anesthetist
in the room.
Mary Jeanne (04:49):
So those are my favorite cases right now to be a
part of.
So good, let's do maybe acouple more Takiyah.
What's your favorite place tostudy?
Tekiah (05:00):
So right now my favorite place to study is like a local
coffee shop or someplace with,like good lighting and good
Wi-Fi.
Mary Jeanne (05:04):
Yes, very essential .
Okay, Ellen, last question whatdid you want to be when you
were growing up?
Ellen (05:09):
Well, I never knew what I wanted to be growing up.
Honestly, I think that's whatstands out whenever I tell
people that I knew I was alwaysinterested in healthcare and
that's coming from my parents.
Like you're going to be a nurseone day, you're going to be a
doctor.
It wasn't until I got olderrealizing what I wanted to do
specifically in health care, butI've always wanted to be in
(05:31):
health care.
Mary Jeanne (05:33):
I just didn't know what exactly so.
Ellen, why don't you start usoff, then, by telling us about
your cultural background andyour upbringing?
Well, I'm Haitian.
I'm a first generation, so bothmy parents are born and raised
(06:01):
in Haiti.
I was born and raised in Miami.
My mom's side, I'm the firstone to graduate high school,
college and soon to be gradschool in my immediate family.
It's been very interesting,especially coming from parents
that don't really have too mucheducation backgrounds, but my
dad didn't really go past middleschool when he was in Haiti.
(06:23):
He just learned to trade andstuck with it, and my mom didn't
graduate past high school.
So it was interestingnavigating and just finding
mentors throughout the way andjust meeting some really great
people in my life to get me towhere I am now.
Honestly, when did you firsthear about the CAA profession
then?
Tekiah (06:44):
So once I graduated, I graduated early 2020.
I was supposed to graduate 2021.
And when I graduated, it was,we all know, the year 2020, the
year of COVID.
I was either going to go intoget into grad school at FSU for
healthcare but well, it washealthcare administration.
(07:05):
But I just realized I justcouldn't see myself behind a
desk wearing, like you know,suit and tie, like I was like I
have to be in the action, wherethings are actually happening,
honestly.
So I just found an entry leveljob at Tallahassee and I was an
SST, a surgical support techthere, and I told myself I was
going to give myself about ayear to figure out what I wanted
(07:26):
to do.
So while I was there, I wasjust talking to different people
.
That's where I found out aboutperfusionists.
I found out about AA, but,honestly, when I found out about
AA, I thought they were allCRNAs.
I didn't know what AA was.
I knew there was ananesthesiologist and then I
(07:49):
heard about CRNA.
I'm like, okay, all thesepeople must be CRNAs.
And then I spoke with an AA andshe said, no, I'm not a CRNA.
And she explained to me what anAA was, what the route was, and
then I did my own research andrealized the two routes I could
have took.
But I already graduatedundergrad so personally I didn't
want to go back and get abachelor's degree in nursing to
start all over again.
So that's the main reason why Ichose AA and just seeing them
all happy, like personally.
I haven't seen an AA upsetabout their job or the choice.
(08:13):
Like they they don't get mewrong They'll have stressful
days but they'll always comeback happy.
I never hear them complainabout their job Like I hear
about other jobs.
So that's what really got meinto really wanting to
understand what this jobentailed and that's what I did.
I started asking questions, Istarted shadowing and I said you
know what?
I think I can do this.
Mary Jeanne (08:35):
Very cool, awesome.
All right, takiyah, tell usabout your cultural background
and upbringing and then how youfirst heard about the CAA
profession.
Tekiah (08:43):
So I was born and raised in South Carolina.
I grew up in a smaller,predominantly Black community.
I was raised by my uncle, whowere very serious, and instilled
in me at a very young age thateducation is like one of the
most important things.
You know.
No one can take that from you.
(09:04):
So I grew up really valuingeducation and I knew that I had
to do something or like mycareer had to lead me in a way
that I would be able to takecare of myself and my future
children, future family orwhatever.
So that's how I grew up.
I didn't have a lot of familymembers that were per se in
healthcare, but I did have a lotof family members that were per
(09:25):
se in health care.
But I did have a lot of familymembers that were in higher
education, taught at HBCUs orwere somehow some way involved
in education.
So I did take it very seriouslyand I knew that I wanted to do
something in health care.
So when I was in high school Iwent to the high school for
health professions and I learnedmore about like PAs and nurse
(09:47):
practitioners.
But I still didn't know what aCAA was until after I graduated
college and then that's how Ifound out about the profession.
Mary Jeanne (09:57):
Just online, or when did you?
How did you find out about it?
Tekiah (10:01):
So I was doing a cancer research internship at Emory in
Atlanta and one of thephysicians that I was shadowing
because a part of the internshipis you could shadow as well as
do the internship so I wasshadowing an anesthesiologist
and he's like, oh, okay, likeyou can go in my rooms.
There's my assistants are inthere, my PAs is what he called
(10:22):
them.
My PAs were in there and, likeI said, I already knew what PAs
were.
I knew what nurse practitionerswere and CRNA.
So I'm like there's no PA foranesthesia.
And he's like, yes, there is,just go in there.
So when I went in the room Imet his PAs, one of the PAs
became my mentor and she wastelling me all about her route
(10:43):
to AA and I was like, okay, I'venever heard of this, but it was
very appealing.
And I said, okay, I'm going totry to apply.
And I got really serious aboutit and I got accepted.
Mary Jeanne (10:53):
Wow, yeah, atlanta has, or Georgia has, like the
funny and I'm not reallywell-versed on the history of
AAs in Georgia, but I'm not sureif we're still classified as
PAs and AAs or if that was likean older thing.
They still are, they still areOkay.
So every AA if you graduatefrom the state of Georgia is
also a PA.
(11:14):
Yep.
Tekiah (11:15):
Okay, interesting Yep, your licensure and everything.
You have to go through the sameGeorgia commissionary.
Whatever it's, the PAs and AAs,you have to get both.
Mary Jeanne (11:28):
Gotcha.
Yeah, because it is a funnything that there are PAs in
every specialty except foranesthesia, and in anesthesia
there's a CAA.
So it's just like how would youknow that?
Like it's so confusing.
You know what I mean.
If you weren't on the inside ofit, if you weren't Ellen
meeting someone in the hallway,then you would never know.
This profession exists and I dothink you know, with social
(11:49):
media and stuff, that's startingto change and just with our
numbers growing, that's startingto change.
But yeah, I just I love hearinghow everyone heard about the
profession.
So thanks for sharing that.
Ellen, how is school going foryou?
I'm just interested in is itwhat you expected?
Were you well prepared for it?
Tekiah (12:11):
I think school was very challenging.
It was just a different pacethat I honestly was not used to,
a different way of studying andtrying to figure out how to
study.
I think that was really thehardest thing for me
understanding the pace andunderstanding the way I studied.
Because I feel like a lotduring undergrad and just
growing up in general, I used tojust cruise through school and
they say, when you get into gradschool it's like a different
(12:32):
type of beast, and I've talkedto quite a few AAs so it's like
I already had that mindset.
But when you're actually thereand you're actually going
through it, it's just likesomething you can't really
explain, especially when youdon't have that many people in
healthcare, let alone in AAschool.
So it was, it was, it still islike something to get used to.
(12:53):
But, like you said, enteringsecond year, it's different
because now it's like I'm donewith didactics.
I'm really focusing on, justlike the OR, the clinical aspect
and a few online classes.
So I've been enjoying this timein the OR and just
understanding these differentcases and meeting all these new
preceptors and just learningtheir tricks to their anesthetic
(13:16):
plans and why they do thingsthe way they do it, even though
it's different from the textbook, but it works so.
I think, that's been my favoritepart so far.
Mary Jeanne (13:26):
Tikiya, do you agree with Ellen, and could you
put some more words to what thedifference is?
If you do agree, the differencebetween first year and second
year?
No, the difference betweenstudying for undergrad and like
that massive shift, because Ifelt that too, there's just this
massive shift in how you needto learn in grad school versus
(13:46):
undergrad.
For sure.
Tekiah (13:48):
So I feel like in undergrad a lot of things came
to me naturally.
I've been like that my entirelife, where I didn't really have
to study.
I could look at things once, Icould learn it once, do it once,
and then it pretty much stuckwith me.
And then it pretty much stuckwith me.
But I will say, in undergrad Iwasn't 100 percent sure in what
I wanted to do and what my lifewas going to look like, what my
(14:11):
career was.
So a lot of the things that Iwas learning, it didn't really
matter to me whether I wasretaining it for the long run.
It was more so retaining itlong enough to pass the class or
pass the exam, et cetera.
So switching over to graduateschool, specifically this
(14:33):
master's in anesthesia scienceeverything that I'm learning in
class will come into play someway or another when I'm on the
job the next 20, 30 years,however long I'll be working.
So it's just a different type offeeling.
It's not like, oh, I don't haveto worry about that or I don't
have to 100% grasp that becauseI won't see it again.
For some smaller things, likewhen we were learning some
things in anatomy like, okay,maybe that can slide, but when
(14:54):
it comes to drug dosing and alot of the physiology, whether
it's cardiac or respiratory, alot of those things you see
every single day in theoperating room.
So it was just a differentamount of like seriousness in
graduate school, like, ok, Idon't understand this.
Now I give myself a little bitof grace, but I also have to
understand that, ok, we have tocome back to this and we have to
(15:18):
put a little bit more time, alittle bit more elbow grease to
make sure that this sticks inthe long run elbow grease to
make sure that this sticks inthe long run.
Mary Jeanne (15:28):
Yes, that was just such a very clear articulation
of how it feels.
Because, on one hand, I thinkthat's a strength of our
profession, that you learn itand then you get to use it and
do it, and so you do by doingretain it.
But also in that beginning,when you're starting that wheel
of learning and like starting tolike implement all this, it's
just everything's so important.
You're like great, how am Igetting all the important stuff
(15:49):
in my brain in a year?
But let's talk about the DEIscholarship a little bit and
maybe how you heard about it.
What made you want to apply,maybe to Kia?
You go first.
Tekiah (16:03):
So I feel like the first time I saw anything about the
DEI scholarship was before Ieven started school.
I was looking through thesocial media like I would stalk
anybody I saw that had anythingto do with anesthesiologist
assistant, I would stalk theirpage.
Like I'm talking about I'mgoing two, three years back
looking at different things justto see, to educate myself,
(16:24):
because I didn't know, besidesmy one mentor I didn't really
know any other anesthetist and Iwas like, ok, I want to be as
educated as possible and knowwhat type of questions to ask.
So I remember that I saw an oldposting about the scholarship
winners for whichever year itwas.
I can't quite remember, but Ijust remember saving the post
(16:46):
and saying, ok, I'm going tocome back to this because I know
I'm going to get into schooland once I do I'm going to come
and apply for this scholarship.
And sure enough, once I got intoschool I remember talking to my
financial aid advisor andtelling her like, hey, if any
scholarships come across yourdesk, please let me know.
And she was just kind of likeyou know, there aren't really
much scholarships, honestly, youhave to kind of look on your
(17:07):
own.
So whatever you find, I'm morethan happy to help you with, but
there's not many scholarships,especially for graduate students
, and you're in a veryspecialized graduate program.
And then I remembered, oh, Isaved that post and I went back
and just so happened, quad A hadjust made another posting about
the scholarship and they wereopening up for applications in a
(17:27):
few weeks and I said okay, I'llget an application.
Mary Jeanne (17:31):
Meant to be.
Yeah, Ellen, what about you?
Me personally.
Tekiah (17:36):
I saw it maybe a couple months before the due date.
I saw it on Instagram.
Actually, like she said, it waslike a post and, just like
Takiyah, I was stalking thosepages.
I was like I'm going to getsomething out of this because at
the end of the day, they'regoing to post something and it's
either you apply or you don't.
And I have, you know, I have theBecoming CAA A Ellen page and I
(17:58):
try to really put out resourcesthat anyone can apply to or
just like information.
I wish I would have known.
I like to repost it or anything.
So I follow a lot of AA's andjust AA I mean anesthesiology
pages, regardless of what it is.
And I saw that post and I justremember sharing it.
And I shared it about a goodthree times and by the third
time I'm like how can I besharing this this many times and
(18:21):
not apply myself?
And, like you said, I was likeyou know what?
I might as well go for itBecause at the end of the day, I
qualify.
This scholarship was literallymade for someone like me.
Who am I to tell someone else,hey, you should apply.
And I'm not taking the time outmy day to apply for something
that someone literally createdfor people like me.
So that's the main reason why Iapplied and shout out to
(18:43):
Instagram for you know,informing me and the other
people.
Mary Jeanne (18:47):
I know I was like, how do we get our information
about AAs?
Like you either know someone ortruly this little burst of
social media.
I just think it's sointeresting to see the people
coming up who truly saw aboutthe profession on TikTok.
So you guys both were winnersin 2024.
You both won scholarship moneythat was used then for the for
(19:08):
the year.
Right, it's a scholarship touse for the year.
How did that change for you,winning that money or winning
the scholarship?
Like how did that change yourrelationship with our profession
?
So?
Tekiah (19:19):
for me it was very I mean, it was just very
motivating because I did not,honestly did not think I was
going to win.
I put, I put in my application,just making sure that I didn't
leave any money on the table.
I didn't want to not put it inand then wish I had later.
So I kind of didn't think aboutit.
And then we didn't hear from Idon't know about Ellen, but I
(19:40):
didn't hear anything.
I didn't even get any uh emailsaying like we've received your
application.
So I was just like, okay, well,I did my part, you know, I
tried.
And when I won I was like, oh,my gosh.
And then I remember talking tomy aunt and my mother about it
and they were like, wow, this isthe American Academy, Like, wow
, this is a national, you're anational scholar.
(20:00):
And I was like, okay, nah, I'mreally taking it in, I'm really
understanding.
So it did make me feel great.
And it also made me feel goodbecause there is not a lot of
diversity from what I've seen sofar as a student in the
profession.
So to see that the professionis making actual efforts to be
(20:23):
more inclusive and supportive oftheir students that are
underrepresented in this field.
That also made me feel reallygood, because there aren't many
scholarships, so the fact thatthere is one specifically for
students like me, Ellen, alsomade me feel really great.
And to be a winner, I was justlike wow, okay, I felt even more
motivated to get the job done.
Mary Jeanne (20:44):
Ellen, I actually have a different follow up
question for you Based off ofthat.
I'm just wondering if, when youwere looking at the profession,
if you felt like, oh, thisprofession is for me too, or if
it, if you didn't feel includedin, you know, the pamphlets and
the flyers, or did you evennotice that?
I'm just interested to hearyour perspective.
Tekiah (21:11):
Personally, I don't really think there was much
publication on the field, letalone people who look like me.
Personally, I didn't see anyflyers, I didn't see any people
in general I just saw CAA.
But I think, working in thehospital and being able to see
at my facility the type ofrepresentation, I noticed the
lack of diversity that was there.
So for me personally, I thinkit was more like a motivation
(21:34):
Because at the end of the day,it's like I don't see that many
people.
I could be that person that canhelp bridge that gap.
So for the people who look likeme, one day they could look at
me like hey, how did you getthere?
And they'll feel more inclinedto ask questions.
I know I'm the type of I'm veryextroverted, I'm the type of
person to ask questions andstuff.
Like I told you, I went up toMCAs and hey, are you a CRNA?
(21:55):
And I had to push myself to dothat.
There's a lot of people where Icome from they won't do that.
They won't go to someone thatdon't look like them and feel
comfortable to ask a questionlike that.
I felt dumb at that moment.
I called that person out oftheir name or out of their title
.
I just feel like seeing notmany people look like me really
motivated me to want to get intoit more, because I know that it
(22:19):
took a lot for me to get out ofmy shell, to be comfortable, to
get into spaces that I knewsome would say I didn't belong
in, have that type of strengthto ask these type of questions
and put themselves in theserooms that I could be.
I can go into their rooms andlook like them and be able to
(22:40):
push them to where I am in mylife, hopefully one day, where
that I can bring them up with me, if that makes sense.
Mary Jeanne (22:47):
It makes beautiful sense.
Is that one of the reasons whyyou started becoming Ellen?
Or say your handle on Instagram, in case people want to follow
you?
Tekiah (22:55):
Becoming CAA.
Mary Jeanne (22:57):
Ellen yeah, so is that?
Did that?
Start right when you startedschool or before school?
Tekiah (23:02):
It started before school .
So actually this was my secondattempt into getting into AA
school until I finally got in,really.
So, yes, so I applied the firsttime.
I applied extremely late and Iended up not getting in.
But looking back now I realizedmy application was not strong
at all.
I didn't really have muchguidance when it came to that
(23:23):
application and it looked like Ithrew it together overnight,
even though I felt like I spentmonths working on it.
And after I finally got arejection email, it was after
the program started, even thoughI knew I didn't get in.
It was after the programstarted Like I would, even
though I knew I didn't get in.
Like it was very heartbreakingbecause it's like dang, like I
worked so hard to like apply andgo back and take these classes
(23:45):
that I was required to take and,you know, pay out of pocket,
because I mean, once yougraduate you can't use financial
aid anymore.
And it's like you're working sohard and it's like you feel
like you're not moving in life.
So I created that page becauseI felt like you said.
I felt like there wasn't a lotof representation that looked
like me and I felt like not thatmany people was telling people
like, hey, it's okay to not getin the first time, like you can
(24:07):
get in the second time.
So I created that page I thefirst post I made was to let
people know hey, I didn't get in, but I'm going to get in one
day.
You know, it's all God's timingat the end of the day, and I
just wanted to be that personthat someone else can feel
comfortable to ask the questionthat they wouldn't feel
comfortable to ask someone else.
Mary Jeanne (24:27):
You're doing that.
I see you doing that Before Ieven knew that you won this DA
scholarship.
I knew you from Instagram andyou are doing exactly what you
set out to do and truly like ourprofession.
I'm so grateful to you and ourprofession is so grateful,
because I do think this is thechange that needs to happen and
it's like well, how does thathappen?
(24:48):
Okay, Well, it happens becauseEllen and Takiyah were like I
want to be a CAA and I don'tfeel like I have a lot of
representation, nor do I have alot of people who are CAAs that
I know, and I'm still going todo it.
And I didn't get in the firsttime and I'm still going to do
it because I know I belong there.
This is really inspiring to me.
So I you're doing it, Ellen, Ilove, I love that message.
(25:09):
Takiyah, I have going off ofthis still, how do you feel in
healthcare?
Like being a CAA is kind of theunderdog in in anesthesia.
I mean, I don't think anyonewould maybe disagree with that,
even just by our size.
We're just such a smallerprofession but how do you feel
like you fit in health care interms of diversity and feeling
(25:32):
like you belong?
Tekiah (25:33):
I feel like it's like multiple layers of just multiple
layers of being at the bottomof the totem pole.
So I remember in college wetook this class like
intersectionality of oppression.
So basically it's like okay,we're women, then we're black
women, and then when you're likea CAA which everyone might not
(25:56):
feel like this, but CAAs, whenyou look in the politics of
things, are sometimes theunderdog.
So there's just like multiplelayers of being the underdog and
multiple layers of beingunderrepresented.
So when I did one of my firstrotations, there were majority
of my preceptors were men and soI'm like, okay, this is like
(26:17):
just another added layer.
So I feel like in healthcare weare kind of at the bottom of the
totem pole in terms of like howpeople view us and how other
people that look like us.
There aren't many CAAs ingeneral.
There aren't going to be inyour like average, or there
aren't going to be many Blackpeople in there, just in my
(26:39):
experience.
And then to be a woman on topof that, it's just like
sometimes I'm in the room, I'mthe only Black person, I'm the
only woman and I'm an AA studentworking with the CRNA preceptor
.
So it is multiple layers ofjust being the underdog.
But I will say that all the timethose experiences are not
negative.
So I won't look at it as anegative experience, because I
(27:02):
do go and I learn a lot.
I do go in these spaces andpeople treat me just like they
treat every other student.
I do go in these spaces and I'mnot looked at as less than, or
there are no barriers to mylearning experience, so they
aren't negative experiences.
It's just the fact that nothingwill change until there are
more students who look like usin the field and more students
(27:25):
who look like us in theoperating room, whether that's
nurses, techs, surgeons, caas,crnas, whatever, so on and so
forth.
So did I answer your question?
Mary Jeanne (27:36):
You absolutely did.
Yes, you absolutely did.
Something you said in theresort of was interesting to me,
that you feel like you aretreated just like any other AA
student or just like any otherstudent in the hospital, and I
guess I'm wondering if that'salways been true.
And I'm also wondering, ellen,if you would ever.
If that's always been true, andI'm also wondering, ellen, if
(27:56):
you would agree with that.
Tekiah (27:57):
I feel like both sides of that coin, like both sides of
that story, could be true.
So there have been momentswhere I may have felt like I'm
being held to a higher standardor just maybe something that I
say I could say the same exactwords that maybe a classmate or
another student says, butbecause of how I look, it may
(28:19):
come up as, oh, you have anattitude or oh, you're you know
what I'm saying and I'm justtrying to advocate for myself
and stand up for myself.
So that side of the story hashappened.
But also I've had it happenwhere you know me, a classmate,
another student, whoever is inthe room, everybody is treated
the same, like I knoweverybody's had that experience
with a grumpy surgeon, wherehe's grumpy with everybody.
(28:43):
It doesn't matter who you are,he's yelling at you to get the
table down and you can't clickthe button fast enough and you
know whatever.
But then there are, there hasbeen a time, where I felt like,
hmm, okay, well, that wasn fairand in those moments I had to
learn, you know, to speak up formyself.
Or if I didn't feel like feelcomfortable speaking up for
(29:04):
myself, my program has been veryopen and supportive to me and I
know 100 percent.
I can go to any of myprofessors or my program
director and voice hey, this hashappened.
And my program director likesto say she's mama bear, she does
not play by her cubs and if anysituation like that has ever
(29:25):
come across her desk, itimmediately ceased.
Mary Jeanne (29:29):
That's so good to hear.
I'm just, I'm really warmed bythe fact that you feel that
closeness and connection andsupport from your preceptors and
faculty.
Ellen, would you agree withTakiyah and her perspective
there on?
You know how she feels in theoperating room or in higher
education.
Tekiah (29:47):
Takiyah was very spot on with everything she said.
Like she articulated that verywell.
I feel the exact same way.
There's times where it's justone of those long days during
clinicals and you just got tobite your tongue sometimes
because it's like, at the end ofthe day, you know this is how
that person is and you're goingto be here for a short period of
(30:09):
time and you got to learn whatyou could learn and keep it
moving.
You don't have to walk intoclinicals thinking everyone's
going to be your best friend Atthe end of the day.
This is a place for you tolearn.
You're not in a classroom,you're in the OR.
So learn what you can learn andkeep it moving.
I think in the back of your mindwas today that bad or am I
(30:30):
going crazy type of thing?
I used to overthink things alot when it came to clinical,
especially during block two.
But after going back now I'mjust like at the end of the day,
(30:52):
I'm going to learn somethingfrom you.
So regardless if it comes fromyou screaming at me or you
smiling at me, I'm going to takeit the exact same way.
I'm going to smile, say thankyou and go about my day because,
at the end of the day, I canonly do what I can, the best I
can do.
I can't do anything past that.
That's my mindset now and, likeshe said, like having support
around you goes a very long, along way.
(31:15):
May it may come from staff orfriendships you made throughout
the program.
For me personally, the mostsupport is the friendships I've
made, because there's days whereI just I start to overthink.
I started to tell myself isthis really for me?
Maybe what they're saying aretrue, or maybe I'm just not
where I think I want to be orwhere I should be.
(31:36):
But my friends that I've madethroughout my journey has always
pushed me and motivated me andkeep reminding me at the end of
the day, if you weren't meant tobe here, you wouldn't be here.
Like, at the end of the day,you're going to get through this
.
This is school, this istemporary.
Soon you'll be a CAA and you'llbe able to tell your story to
the next student.
That's feeling the exact sameway as you and that's how I take
(31:58):
clinicals at this point.
Mary Jeanne (32:00):
Wow, that is so evolved, ellen.
I mean, I just feel like I hopeeveryone just really heard what
you said, because what you'repointing to is that while you're
in school and just even whenyou're a CAA like healthcare is
a toxic environment and notevery day, all day, but there's
a lot of big egos and toxicityand bias and all sorts of things
(32:25):
that, like outside of the ORyou'd be like that's not
socially appropriate, but in theOR it's like how is this
happening?
Is that me, is that you?
So I just think it's reallytricky to navigate it and I just
really appreciate you guyssharing both of your
perspectives, because I knowthere are people listening who
you know, like you guys did notknow another CAA and maybe did
(32:47):
not know another CAA that theyfelt like they shared identity
with, and now, hearing yourstory, they do.
So I just I just you guys aremaking such a big difference
right now and I'm just thrilledto be here with you while you're
making the big difference.
So I love talking to you both.
I have a couple last questionsand this kind of a more big
(33:08):
picture about, like how I wastouching on how well, ellen, you
said there aren't really anyflyers to even be seen, let
alone see a flyer that hassomeone who I feel like a shared
identity with within ourprofession, to, you know, be
(33:33):
more inclusive, to reach out, tohave more expansive community
that represents all of ourcommunities that we are taking
care of.
Like what could we do?
Is there anything that you feellike well, gee, this would
really make a big difference?
Or is it just you know, onegraduate at a time trying to
change this landscape?
Ellen, why don't you go first?
Tekiah (33:49):
I feel like there's a lot of things that can be done,
but it's just.
It gets so tricky because Ifeel like there's a fine line
where it's like okay, like theyalways say, we can do, we could
do training.
Okay, pass that.
Then what?
Pass the training, what are wesupposed to do?
Just like we learned somethingin class, do we go home and
practice that every day?
No, so like DEI training.
(34:10):
You mean, yeah, dei training,yeah, but past that, it's like,
honestly, I think it's just yourattitude.
Just be accepting.
You don't have to go home andsay, hey, I'm for this, I'm for
that.
Just go into work, do your job.
In healthcare, your job is to bean advocate for your patient,
be an advocate for yourcoworkers and be an advocate for
(34:31):
yourself.
And when you go home, what youdo, that's your business.
But when you're in thehealthcare setting, let's just
make everything a peaceful place, just come with a smile on the
face.
Let's treat everyone the same.
And when it comes to things wecan do, the one thing I would
say I enjoy that my program didbecause they spotlight light on
it we have professionalism oneweek every block while we're in
(34:56):
school, and one of theprofessional week, it was DEI
and the person that was incharge of it.
They brought out so many peoplein the AA community, from
doctors to CAAs, to come talk tous via Zoom, and when I say
(35:17):
that's probably one of the bestlike professionalism weeks I've
ever had, because it's like somany people that look like me
and let's not even say they looklike me, they just had similar
experiences based off theirbackgrounds like to hear someone
say it, and they're stillpracticing to hear someone say
it and come back to speak to us.
It just speaks more volumebecause at the end of the day,
it's like they're experiencingthe exact same things you're
(35:37):
experiencing and they're stillworking hard and they're still
telling you you can still dothat, and I feel like there's
not enough of that, and I didn'tknow that other programs didn't
have that, and so I reallyenjoy the fact that my program
is actually pushing things likethat and another motivation for
me to graduate and be able to dothe same thing.
And one thing I can say pushingas well would be going to like
(36:01):
some of these HBCUs or thesesmaller colleges to talk to
their students those are Willyou say what an HBU is, just so
people listening know what thatis.
Oh, a Historically BlackInstitution, yeah.
So going back to these types ofcolleges that don't have like
pre-AA clubs or don't even knowabout the field I graduated from
(36:22):
Florida A&M University and it'sright here in Tallahassee and,
like I said, I never knew aboutthe career and just being able
to go back to places like thatand, you know, go to college
fairs and be a representativefor my university to give back
to my undergrad, that'ssomething that I desire to do
one day, and little things likethat.
(36:43):
I think those are changes thatwe can make as students, but
past that, I personally don'tknow what we can do.
Past the training and I don'twant to sit on this podcast and
lie to you but maybe being partof the DEI committee, like you
know, more brains can worktogether and figure something
out.
Mary Jeanne (37:02):
I do think you've hit on something that I've come
to again and again in my ownjourney and searching for, like,
where do I really fit in thisprofession?
And what's meant for me is thatit does come down to an
individual.
So like when you think, gee,someone should go to HBCU
colleges, and you're like, ohokay, that person is me.
Now that I've thought that,thought, you know what I mean.
(37:23):
Like you're the exact rightperson to do that.
Whatever you're thinking,because our profession is so
small that we do needindividuals to take that first
step.
And that's where the change andthe momentum starts is when you
know whoever decided for yourDEI professional week.
Hey, I'm going to get together.
This group of people made ahuge impact on you.
And now, whenever you go getyour job, you're like, hey,
(37:46):
there's this great idea that wecould do and let me spearhead it
.
You know, I just think it takesthe perfect amount of like
exposure.
You have to see that it's trueand possible.
And then you have to alsorealize, ok, now it's up to me.
In our profession, because it'sso small, you know, of course
everything expands.
We think all of health careneeds to change, and then our
you know nation needs to changeand be redirected.
(38:07):
Like too big, let's start withjust our CA profession.
So I think you're spot on,ellen Takiyah.
Do you have anything else toadd to that?
Tekiah (38:15):
No, I think Ellen definitely hit the nail on the
head.
I was thinking to go back tosome of these HBCUs and talk to
their students.
I know some like medicalschools and programs like that
have bridge programs where ifyou, you know, take your MCAT
and score a certain score,you're automatically admitted to
their medical school.
(38:36):
Maybe a program like that thereare so many new AA programs
opening that that will besomething to help
underrepresented students getinto programs because, like
similar to Ellen's experience,not having proper guidance on
even how to apply to AA schoolthat's a big barrier, I think,
to getting more underrepresentedstudents into this profession
(38:59):
or into the medical field ingeneral is their applications
are lacking, or maybe theydidn't have enough support in
college so they had to workthrough college and their grades
aren't as great.
Or maybe they didn't haveenough money or to be able to
apply, because each applicationcosts a certain amount of money.
So maybe if there were feewaivers for certain students or
(39:21):
some type of bridge program forunderrepresented students or
something put in place that showthese students like, hey, you
can do it, and here is like alittle bit of extra help for you
because you might not have allof the supplies or all the tools
in your tool belt that some ofyour counterparts already come
equipped with.
So I think Ellen hit it spot ongoing to these HBCUs and even
(39:44):
high school.
Like I said, I went to the highschool for health professions
but I didn't know what a CAA wasand here this profession has
been around for decades.
So someone being a spokesperson, someone going out and
educating people more about ourfield and our profession.
Also, I do want to say thesecond time that I applied as
(40:06):
well.
I was part of Health Prep'sinternship and they gave me MCAT
paid fully through them, aswell as a paid internship.
Mary Jeanne (40:17):
What's Health Prep?
Say more about that.
Tekiah (40:20):
Health Prep is a program under Emory and basically
underprivileged students canapply and they accept don't
quote me me, but I want to sayabout 20 students every year,
every summer, and they'll umgive you about a thousand
dollars.
They'll pay for your mcat, foreither med school or aa
(40:44):
profession, pa profession it'slike specific health care
professions and um they'll tryto have spokesmen from each
profession come out and speak toyou throughout the summer.
I felt like that was a reallygreat opportunity that not a lot
of people hear about as well.
And how did I find out about it?
I want to say I found out.
(41:04):
Honestly, I think I found outabout everything through
Instagram.
You really just have to followthe right people.
Mary Jeanne (41:12):
Yeah, well, now we're following you, ellen, we
got to follow you and, yeah, andyou're part of that, and I do
think I would love to put a linkWell, let's find a link for a
health prep, just so that peoplecan have that resource and even
just the idea of it, like, ifyou're not a prospective student
but you are in higher educationand you're like, hey, I'm
(41:32):
loosely associated with an AAschool, maybe we could
facilitate something like that.
Like that is exactly how thesethings happen.
So that was a wonderfulsuggestion.
Yeah, let me put that in theshow notes.
I have one harder question andone easier question, one sort of
fun question.
Let's start with the easier onefirst.
The easier one is what momentare you most excited for after
(41:56):
graduation?
Tekiah (41:57):
I feel like I'm excited to walk across the stage.
I'm excited for my firstpaycheck.
I'm excited for my firstvacation.
What's your first vacation?
I don't even know, as long asit's outside of the OR.
Mary Jeanne (42:12):
I'm fine.
Tekiah (42:16):
And I'm excited for my first student because I know so
many of my preceptors I've had.
They're like new grads orthey've graduated within the
last year, two years, andthey're fresh and they're
already having students.
But some of them are, you know,really really good and they're
already having students.
But some of them are reallyreally good and they're so nice,
they're so relatable, theyunderstand.
So I'm excited to have my firststudent and just be like girl,
(42:37):
what's the tea?
What's going on?
Let me take you under my wing.
Mary Jeanne (42:42):
They're going to be lucky to have you.
Ellen, what about you?
What moment are you mostexcited for after graduation?
Tekiah (42:49):
Honestly, I'm just ready for my vacation.
I need a break, Not even fromthe OR from the United States.
Currently I'm married and we'vebeen doing long distance since
I've started this program and Ijust want to go on a vacation
and just be with me and myhusband and just forget about
(43:09):
everything.
And I take the exam what?
A month after I graduate, sohopefully I can take my I mean
take my trip right after that,so I don't think about anything
besides me and my husband.
Honestly, that sounds good.
Mary Jeanne (43:23):
I second that that sounds like a beautiful thing to
do.
Okay, slightly harder question,Season four of Awakened Anestis
.
I'm going to be focusing on howto be healthy and how to thrive
as a CAA and since you guys areAA students, I'm just wondering
if you think it's possible tobe healthy and thrive as an AA
(43:44):
student, or how you'reapproaching staying at least
reasonably healthy and thrivinga reasonable amount occasionally
in AA school.
I'm just wondering what yourthoughts are.
Ellen, why don't you go first?
Tekiah (43:58):
You must have saw me shaking my head.
Honestly, it's anuphill-downhill battle for me,
because at one point I wasworking out three before this
program, I really got into myhealth.
I was going to the gym, I waseating good.
I wasn't eating too muchprocessed food.
As soon as the program came, Istopped meal prepping the
(44:20):
quickest fast food near me iswhat I was eating and I was
trying to go to the gym.
And then my excuse was I haveto study, I have to study, I
can't go to the gym.
And then when we did clinicals,I was back at the gym again.
But honestly it's.
I feel like going to thesedifferent rotations and not
having stability is my problem.
I'm the type of person like Ineed structure.
(44:41):
So right now I'm struggling inthat department.
So when you make that podcast,I will be listening, yes, but
right now I think you can,because I personally seen a lot
of people on my Instagram pagegoing to the gym and that's just
their coping mechanism when itcomes to the stress.
But for me, I think everyoneneeds to figure out what's best
(45:01):
for them when it comes to copingwith their stress, and for me
it's just not going to the gymright now it's relaxing in my
bed and maybe watching a movie,and I have to do what's best for
my mental health right now.
Mary Jeanne (45:12):
Good for you.
That's a huge lesson.
That is a massive lesson thatliterally I'm learning now when
I'm 40.
Like it's okay to choose rest,like that is fine, but it's a
hard lesson.
And Takiyah, I'm wondering whatyour thoughts are on it.
Tekiah (45:28):
Takiyah, I'm wondering what your thoughts are on it.
So I completely agree withEllen.
Just a moment of likevulnerability.
I have gained like 20 poundssince starting AA school and I
think a lot of things havecontributed to that.
Number one, my cortisol levelsare always high.
Like I'm always in fight orflight, I'm always stressed and
(45:49):
first year for me is probablyprobably the biggest, was the
hardest adjustment versus now inclinicals.
I'm trying to get more of aroutine down because I know I'm
at the hospital, you know, 10 to12 hours a day, but first year,
when you have a quiz, likeevery other day pretty much, you
(46:09):
have an exam every week, you'retrying to study and, like Ellen
said, we're only getting likesix hours of sleep.
Then, when clinicals anddidactic are starting to ramp up
, you're going to the hospitalin the morning, you're coming to
class in the afternoon, youhave an exam tomorrow as soon as
you leave the hospital, likeyour only time to study is when
(46:31):
you get home or your only timeto study is.
You know I have a classmate.
She will wake up really earlybefore clinical and study, which
I personally couldn't do it,but that's what worked for her.
So I feel like it is hard, butif you are mentally disciplined
enough and it's something that'salready been a priority in your
(46:51):
life, then you'll probably dofine in keeping up with it.
But for me, I wasn'tdisciplined and that wasn't a
priority for me before I startedAA school.
So I feel like it was reallyhard for me to be disciplined.
But now that I have a morestructured schedule in second
year, I'm going to the gym.
I try to go to the gym everyday after work.
I don't even come home, sothat's just something that I'm
(47:17):
incorporating to the gym.
I try to go to the gym everyday after work.
I don't even come home, sothat's just something that I'm
incorporating in my schedule.
Mary Jeanne (47:20):
But if I could go back and tell myself that Before
I started a school?
I would definitely have toldmyself.
Tekiah (47:22):
good to hear.
I'm sorry, I think that waslong-winded.
Mary Jeanne (47:23):
I love it.
I love the vulnerability, Ilove being real, because that's
that's what people need to hear.
Is that like Implementing a newhabit when you're in the
heightened stress moment is verydifficult.
So having these habits in placeand just also knowing, hey,
that's what it's going to belike in AA school, and no one
knows that's what it's going tobe like until they hear you say
that.
So yeah, you're enduring it.
(47:46):
So everyone maybe can have ateeny tiny bit leg up after you,
after hearing you and also Iwant to say to both of you that
it does get better.
It does get better.
Aa school is so demanding andbeing a CAA is also very
demanding, but your mindsetchanges.
When you start getting paid andwhen you start being a
(48:06):
professional and not a student,the self-worth that you've been
trying to maintain and grow andbe confident just blossoms as a
professional and that justreally changes everything, makes
everything feel so much better.
So just hang on, because it isso hard.
You're not wrong, it's so hardand you both are doing a great
job, and I appreciate you guystaking your Friday night to talk
(48:27):
to me and really share yourjourney, because it matters so
so much and I'm just reallygrateful to have this
conversation.
So thank you both so much.
Tekiah (48:35):
Thank you for inviting us on and allowing us this
platform to share ourexperiences.
I really appreciate that and Ihope there's a student out there
that could be inspired by whatwe said today.
Mary Jeanne (48:48):
There will be.
I already know there will be.
Thank you, guys so much.
Thank you, bye, bye.
I hope you loved meetingTakiyah and Ellen as much as I
did and inspired by their story.
If you are a current AA studentor a prospective AA student who
hopes to be accepted and startone of the AA schools shortly,
(49:11):
you can find all the informationto apply for the DEI Quad A
scholarship in the show notes.
If you're someone who wants tomake a donation to the DEI
scholarship, you can also find alink to donate in the show
notes.
Ellen and Takiyah have bothshared their Instagram handles
if you want to follow the restof their AA school journey and
off into their future careers.
(49:34):
What else?
I'm inviting everyonepersonally to join Mindful
Connections during season fourof Awaken Anestis podcast.
It is a chance for anyone inthis CAA community AA students
perspectives, practicing CAAs tojoin, to build community, to
learn more about yourself, aboutyour work, about relationships
(49:55):
with others through mindfulness.
So we're going to be practicingmindfulness together in a very
practical, very applicable wayto your life, as well as
exploring some themes over thecourse of season four.
So if you're interested in thatfree opportunity, you can find
a link in the show notes to joinMindful Connections.
Of course you can follow me onInstagram at Awaken Anesthetist.
(50:18):
I tend to share some behind thescenes.
If you're interested in stufflike that on Instagram you can
find a link to join my emailnewsletter community and I will
see everyone back here nextFriday for another episode.
Thank you so much for beinghere.
Let's talk soon, y'all?
Okay, I'm gonna press stoprecord.
(50:40):
Yay, you did it.
Congratulations.
How do you feel?
Tekiah (50:45):
uh, that was good, that was fun, it was so good.
Welcome to the Awakened Anesthetist podcast,
the first podcast to highlightthe CAA experience.
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
(00:29):
storytelling and my belief thatthe CAA profession is uniquely
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
(00:50):
who sound like yours, sharingexperiences you never believed
possible.
I know you will find yourselfhere at the Awakened Anesthetist
podcast.
Welcome in.
I'm so glad you're here forthis really important episode.
I had the honor of interviewingthe current DEI scholarship
(01:10):
winners for 2024.
And at the end of ourconversation, one of them, ellen
, just after we stoppedrecording, asked me why I had
asked them to do the interviewand why I was so interested in
highlighting their journeys andtheir story.
And I gave her an answer thatfelt true about, you know,
(01:31):
wanting to share other CAAstories, wanting to talk to
people who have differentbackgrounds than me, different
identities than me, to learnmore about what it means to be a
CAA and to really deepen theconnections within our community
.
But after I got done saying allthat and got off the call with
them, I've really been thinkingover the course of the last
(01:53):
month, since I spoke with Ellenand Takiyah, why it was so
important for me to interviewthem and to have this
conversation, and I can see nowthat this was a part of my own
journey.
This has been part of my ownreckoning with my innate bias
and intrinsic privilege as awhite person, as a white woman,
(02:15):
in this country and in the CAAprofession.
And I wanted to do this episodebecause I recognize that I have
room to grow and that I havethings that I would like to
change about myself and thedefault settings in my brain and
this is my own work to do.
This is not for anyone else,but I truly, truly want to thank
(02:38):
Ellen and Takiyah for offeringtheir time and offering their
insights and their bravery andvulnerability to be a light for
all of us.
And, yeah, I'm just soappreciative and I just wanted
to answer Ellen you so honestlyand I hope everyone enjoys this
really powerful episode.
Let me introduce Ellen andTakiyah, the 2024 DEI
(03:01):
scholarship winners.
Welcome, ellen and Takiyah, tothe Awakened Anesthetist.
I'm so excited to have thisconversation with you.
Let's start off with the rapidfire round.
If that sounds good to both ofyou, sounds good.
Sounds awesome, awesome.
All right, let's, I'll just askyou individually.
So, ellen, let me see here whatschool are you going to and
(03:25):
what year are you graduating?
Tekiah (03:27):
So I currently go to VCon, slash, bluefield on
Auburn's campus, and I graduatenext year, september 2025.
Mary Jeanne (03:34):
And.
Tekiah (03:34):
I'm currently a second year.
Mary Jeanne (03:36):
Cool Takiyah, same questions what school do you go
to and when will you graduate?
Tekiah (03:42):
So right now I'm in Atlanta, georgia, I go to South
University, the Orlando campus,and I graduate next year, june
2025.
I'm also a second year student.
Mary Jeanne (03:53):
Yay, the home stretch, but it just started, so
it feels really long still.
But from my perspective, onceyou're past first year oh my
goodness, feels so much better,okay.
Your past first year oh mygoodness, feels so much better,
okay.
Big question for people who aremaybe their first year or
looking to go into AA school howmuch sleep are you both getting
, ellen?
How much sleep are you gettinga night?
Ellen (04:14):
I wish I can say eight, but realistically I'll say a
good six hours.
And that's like with bags in myeyes in the morning because I'm
so tired I know it's real, it'sso real.
Mary Jeanne (04:28):
Takiyah, what's your favorite case?
Tekiah (04:31):
My favorite case right now is vascular or cardiac cases
.
I just like that.
You know it requires so muchprecision and so much teamwork
between the surgeon, theperfusionist or the anesthetist
in the room.
Mary Jeanne (04:49):
So those are my favorite cases right now to be a
part of.
So good, let's do maybe acouple more Takiyah.
What's your favorite place tostudy?
Tekiah (05:00):
So right now my favorite place to study is like a local
coffee shop or someplace with,like good lighting and good
Wi-Fi.
Mary Jeanne (05:04):
Yes, very essential .
Okay, Ellen, last question whatdid you want to be when you
were growing up?
Ellen (05:09):
Well, I never knew what I wanted to be growing up.
Honestly, I think that's whatstands out whenever I tell
people that I knew I was alwaysinterested in healthcare and
that's coming from my parents.
Like you're going to be a nurseone day, you're going to be a
doctor.
It wasn't until I got olderrealizing what I wanted to do
specifically in health care, butI've always wanted to be in
(05:31):
health care.
Mary Jeanne (05:33):
I just didn't know what exactly so.
Ellen, why don't you start usoff, then, by telling us about
your cultural background andyour upbringing?
Well, I'm Haitian.
I'm a first generation, so bothmy parents are born and raised
(06:01):
in Haiti.
I was born and raised in Miami.
My mom's side, I'm the firstone to graduate high school,
college and soon to be gradschool in my immediate family.
It's been very interesting,especially coming from parents
that don't really have too mucheducation backgrounds, but my
dad didn't really go past middleschool when he was in Haiti.
(06:23):
He just learned to trade andstuck with it, and my mom didn't
graduate past high school.
So it was interestingnavigating and just finding
mentors throughout the way andjust meeting some really great
people in my life to get me towhere I am now.
Honestly, when did you firsthear about the CAA profession
then?
Tekiah (06:44):
So once I graduated, I graduated early 2020.
I was supposed to graduate 2021.
And when I graduated, it was,we all know, the year 2020, the
year of COVID.
I was either going to go intoget into grad school at FSU for
healthcare but well, it washealthcare administration.
(07:05):
But I just realized I justcouldn't see myself behind a
desk wearing, like you know,suit and tie, like I was like I
have to be in the action, wherethings are actually happening,
honestly.
So I just found an entry leveljob at Tallahassee and I was an
SST, a surgical support techthere, and I told myself I was
going to give myself about ayear to figure out what I wanted
(07:26):
to do.
So while I was there, I wasjust talking to different people
.
That's where I found out aboutperfusionists.
I found out about AA, but,honestly, when I found out about
AA, I thought they were allCRNAs.
I didn't know what AA was.
I knew there was ananesthesiologist and then I
(07:49):
heard about CRNA.
I'm like, okay, all thesepeople must be CRNAs.
And then I spoke with an AA andshe said, no, I'm not a CRNA.
And she explained to me what anAA was, what the route was, and
then I did my own research andrealized the two routes I could
have took.
But I already graduatedundergrad so personally I didn't
want to go back and get abachelor's degree in nursing to
start all over again.
So that's the main reason why Ichose AA and just seeing them
all happy, like personally.
I haven't seen an AA upsetabout their job or the choice.
(08:13):
Like they they don't get mewrong They'll have stressful
days but they'll always comeback happy.
I never hear them complainabout their job Like I hear
about other jobs.
So that's what really got meinto really wanting to
understand what this jobentailed and that's what I did.
I started asking questions, Istarted shadowing and I said you
know what?
I think I can do this.
Mary Jeanne (08:35):
Very cool, awesome.
All right, takiyah, tell usabout your cultural background
and upbringing and then how youfirst heard about the CAA
profession.
Tekiah (08:43):
So I was born and raised in South Carolina.
I grew up in a smaller,predominantly Black community.
I was raised by my uncle, whowere very serious, and instilled
in me at a very young age thateducation is like one of the
most important things.
You know.
No one can take that from you.
(09:04):
So I grew up really valuingeducation and I knew that I had
to do something or like mycareer had to lead me in a way
that I would be able to takecare of myself and my future
children, future family orwhatever.
So that's how I grew up.
I didn't have a lot of familymembers that were per se in
healthcare, but I did have a lotof family members that were per
(09:25):
se in health care.
But I did have a lot of familymembers that were in higher
education, taught at HBCUs orwere somehow some way involved
in education.
So I did take it very seriouslyand I knew that I wanted to do
something in health care.
So when I was in high school Iwent to the high school for
health professions and I learnedmore about like PAs and nurse
(09:47):
practitioners.
But I still didn't know what aCAA was until after I graduated
college and then that's how Ifound out about the profession.
Mary Jeanne (09:57):
Just online, or when did you?
How did you find out about it?
Tekiah (10:01):
So I was doing a cancer research internship at Emory in
Atlanta and one of thephysicians that I was shadowing
because a part of the internshipis you could shadow as well as
do the internship so I wasshadowing an anesthesiologist
and he's like, oh, okay, likeyou can go in my rooms.
There's my assistants are inthere, my PAs is what he called
(10:22):
them.
My PAs were in there and, likeI said, I already knew what PAs
were.
I knew what nurse practitionerswere and CRNA.
So I'm like there's no PA foranesthesia.
And he's like, yes, there is,just go in there.
So when I went in the room Imet his PAs, one of the PAs
became my mentor and she wastelling me all about her route
(10:43):
to AA and I was like, okay, I'venever heard of this, but it was
very appealing.
And I said, okay, I'm going totry to apply.
And I got really serious aboutit and I got accepted.
Mary Jeanne (10:53):
Wow, yeah, atlanta has, or Georgia has, like the
funny and I'm not reallywell-versed on the history of
AAs in Georgia, but I'm not sureif we're still classified as
PAs and AAs or if that was likean older thing.
They still are, they still areOkay.
So every AA if you graduatefrom the state of Georgia is
also a PA.
(11:14):
Yep.
Tekiah (11:15):
Okay, interesting Yep, your licensure and everything.
You have to go through the sameGeorgia commissionary.
Whatever it's, the PAs and AAs,you have to get both.
Mary Jeanne (11:28):
Gotcha.
Yeah, because it is a funnything that there are PAs in
every specialty except foranesthesia, and in anesthesia
there's a CAA.
So it's just like how would youknow that?
Like it's so confusing.
You know what I mean.
If you weren't on the inside ofit, if you weren't Ellen
meeting someone in the hallway,then you would never know.
This profession exists and I dothink you know, with social
(11:49):
media and stuff, that's startingto change and just with our
numbers growing, that's startingto change.
But yeah, I just I love hearinghow everyone heard about the
profession.
So thanks for sharing that.
Ellen, how is school going foryou?
I'm just interested in is itwhat you expected?
Were you well prepared for it?
Tekiah (12:11):
I think school was very challenging.
It was just a different pacethat I honestly was not used to,
a different way of studying andtrying to figure out how to
study.
I think that was really thehardest thing for me
understanding the pace andunderstanding the way I studied.
Because I feel like a lotduring undergrad and just
growing up in general, I used tojust cruise through school and
they say, when you get into gradschool it's like a different
(12:32):
type of beast, and I've talkedto quite a few AAs so it's like
I already had that mindset.
But when you're actually thereand you're actually going
through it, it's just likesomething you can't really
explain, especially when youdon't have that many people in
healthcare, let alone in AAschool.
So it was, it was, it still islike something to get used to.
(12:53):
But, like you said, enteringsecond year, it's different
because now it's like I'm donewith didactics.
I'm really focusing on, justlike the OR, the clinical aspect
and a few online classes.
So I've been enjoying this timein the OR and just
understanding these differentcases and meeting all these new
preceptors and just learningtheir tricks to their anesthetic
(13:16):
plans and why they do thingsthe way they do it, even though
it's different from the textbook, but it works so.
I think, that's been my favoritepart so far.
Mary Jeanne (13:26):
Tikiya, do you agree with Ellen, and could you
put some more words to what thedifference is?
If you do agree, the differencebetween first year and second
year?
No, the difference betweenstudying for undergrad and like
that massive shift, because Ifelt that too, there's just this
massive shift in how you needto learn in grad school versus
(13:46):
undergrad.
For sure.
Tekiah (13:48):
So I feel like in undergrad a lot of things came
to me naturally.
I've been like that my entirelife, where I didn't really have
to study.
I could look at things once, Icould learn it once, do it once,
and then it pretty much stuckwith me.
And then it pretty much stuckwith me.
But I will say, in undergrad Iwasn't 100 percent sure in what
I wanted to do and what my lifewas going to look like, what my
(14:11):
career was.
So a lot of the things that Iwas learning, it didn't really
matter to me whether I wasretaining it for the long run.
It was more so retaining itlong enough to pass the class or
pass the exam, et cetera.
So switching over to graduateschool, specifically this
(14:33):
master's in anesthesia scienceeverything that I'm learning in
class will come into play someway or another when I'm on the
job the next 20, 30 years,however long I'll be working.
So it's just a different type offeeling.
It's not like, oh, I don't haveto worry about that or I don't
have to 100% grasp that becauseI won't see it again.
For some smaller things, likewhen we were learning some
things in anatomy like, okay,maybe that can slide, but when
(14:54):
it comes to drug dosing and alot of the physiology, whether
it's cardiac or respiratory, alot of those things you see
every single day in theoperating room.
So it was just a differentamount of like seriousness in
graduate school, like, ok, Idon't understand this.
Now I give myself a little bitof grace, but I also have to
understand that, ok, we have tocome back to this and we have to
(15:18):
put a little bit more time, alittle bit more elbow grease to
make sure that this sticks inthe long run elbow grease to
make sure that this sticks inthe long run.
Mary Jeanne (15:28):
Yes, that was just such a very clear articulation
of how it feels.
Because, on one hand, I thinkthat's a strength of our
profession, that you learn itand then you get to use it and
do it, and so you do by doingretain it.
But also in that beginning,when you're starting that wheel
of learning and like starting tolike implement all this, it's
just everything's so important.
You're like great, how am Igetting all the important stuff
(15:49):
in my brain in a year?
But let's talk about the DEIscholarship a little bit and
maybe how you heard about it.
What made you want to apply,maybe to Kia?
You go first.
Tekiah (16:03):
So I feel like the first time I saw anything about the
DEI scholarship was before Ieven started school.
I was looking through thesocial media like I would stalk
anybody I saw that had anythingto do with anesthesiologist
assistant, I would stalk theirpage.
Like I'm talking about I'mgoing two, three years back
looking at different things justto see, to educate myself,
(16:24):
because I didn't know, besidesmy one mentor I didn't really
know any other anesthetist and Iwas like, ok, I want to be as
educated as possible and knowwhat type of questions to ask.
So I remember that I saw an oldposting about the scholarship
winners for whichever year itwas.
I can't quite remember, but Ijust remember saving the post
(16:46):
and saying, ok, I'm going tocome back to this because I know
I'm going to get into schooland once I do I'm going to come
and apply for this scholarship.
And sure enough, once I got intoschool I remember talking to my
financial aid advisor andtelling her like, hey, if any
scholarships come across yourdesk, please let me know.
And she was just kind of likeyou know, there aren't really
much scholarships, honestly, youhave to kind of look on your
(17:07):
own.
So whatever you find, I'm morethan happy to help you with, but
there's not many scholarships,especially for graduate students
, and you're in a veryspecialized graduate program.
And then I remembered, oh, Isaved that post and I went back
and just so happened, quad A hadjust made another posting about
the scholarship and they wereopening up for applications in a
(17:27):
few weeks and I said okay, I'llget an application.
Mary Jeanne (17:31):
Meant to be.
Yeah, Ellen, what about you?
Me personally.
Tekiah (17:36):
I saw it maybe a couple months before the due date.
I saw it on Instagram.
Actually, like she said, it waslike a post and, just like
Takiyah, I was stalking thosepages.
I was like I'm going to getsomething out of this because at
the end of the day, they'regoing to post something and it's
either you apply or you don't.
And I have, you know, I have theBecoming CAA A Ellen page and I
(17:58):
try to really put out resourcesthat anyone can apply to or
just like information.
I wish I would have known.
I like to repost it or anything.
So I follow a lot of AA's andjust AA I mean anesthesiology
pages, regardless of what it is.
And I saw that post and I justremember sharing it.
And I shared it about a goodthree times and by the third
time I'm like how can I besharing this this many times and
(18:21):
not apply myself?
And, like you said, I was likeyou know what?
I might as well go for itBecause at the end of the day, I
qualify.
This scholarship was literallymade for someone like me.
Who am I to tell someone else,hey, you should apply.
And I'm not taking the time outmy day to apply for something
that someone literally createdfor people like me.
So that's the main reason why Iapplied and shout out to
(18:43):
Instagram for you know,informing me and the other
people.
Mary Jeanne (18:47):
I know I was like, how do we get our information
about AAs?
Like you either know someone ortruly this little burst of
social media.
I just think it's sointeresting to see the people
coming up who truly saw aboutthe profession on TikTok.
So you guys both were winnersin 2024.
You both won scholarship moneythat was used then for the for
(19:08):
the year.
Right, it's a scholarship touse for the year.
How did that change for you,winning that money or winning
the scholarship?
Like how did that change yourrelationship with our profession
?
So?
Tekiah (19:19):
for me it was very I mean, it was just very
motivating because I did not,honestly did not think I was
going to win.
I put, I put in my application,just making sure that I didn't
leave any money on the table.
I didn't want to not put it inand then wish I had later.
So I kind of didn't think aboutit.
And then we didn't hear from Idon't know about Ellen, but I
(19:40):
didn't hear anything.
I didn't even get any uh emailsaying like we've received your
application.
So I was just like, okay, well,I did my part, you know, I
tried.
And when I won I was like, oh,my gosh.
And then I remember talking tomy aunt and my mother about it
and they were like, wow, this isthe American Academy, Like, wow
, this is a national, you're anational scholar.
(20:00):
And I was like, okay, nah, I'mreally taking it in, I'm really
understanding.
So it did make me feel great.
And it also made me feel goodbecause there is not a lot of
diversity from what I've seen sofar as a student in the
profession.
So to see that the professionis making actual efforts to be
(20:23):
more inclusive and supportive oftheir students that are
underrepresented in this field.
That also made me feel reallygood, because there aren't many
scholarships, so the fact thatthere is one specifically for
students like me, Ellen, alsomade me feel really great.
And to be a winner, I was justlike wow, okay, I felt even more
motivated to get the job done.
Mary Jeanne (20:44):
Ellen, I actually have a different follow up
question for you Based off ofthat.
I'm just wondering if, when youwere looking at the profession,
if you felt like, oh, thisprofession is for me too, or if
it, if you didn't feel includedin, you know, the pamphlets and
the flyers, or did you evennotice that?
I'm just interested to hearyour perspective.
Tekiah (21:11):
Personally, I don't really think there was much
publication on the field, letalone people who look like me.
Personally, I didn't see anyflyers, I didn't see any people
in general I just saw CAA.
But I think, working in thehospital and being able to see
at my facility the type ofrepresentation, I noticed the
lack of diversity that was there.
So for me personally, I thinkit was more like a motivation
(21:34):
Because at the end of the day,it's like I don't see that many
people.
I could be that person that canhelp bridge that gap.
So for the people who look likeme, one day they could look at
me like hey, how did you getthere?
And they'll feel more inclinedto ask questions.
I know I'm the type of I'm veryextroverted, I'm the type of
person to ask questions andstuff.
Like I told you, I went up toMCAs and hey, are you a CRNA?
(21:55):
And I had to push myself to dothat.
There's a lot of people where Icome from they won't do that.
They won't go to someone thatdon't look like them and feel
comfortable to ask a questionlike that.
I felt dumb at that moment.
I called that person out oftheir name or out of their title
.
I just feel like seeing notmany people look like me really
motivated me to want to get intoit more, because I know that it
(22:19):
took a lot for me to get out ofmy shell, to be comfortable, to
get into spaces that I knewsome would say I didn't belong
in, have that type of strengthto ask these type of questions
and put themselves in theserooms that I could be.
I can go into their rooms andlook like them and be able to
(22:40):
push them to where I am in mylife, hopefully one day, where
that I can bring them up with me, if that makes sense.
Mary Jeanne (22:47):
It makes beautiful sense.
Is that one of the reasons whyyou started becoming Ellen?
Or say your handle on Instagram, in case people want to follow
you?
Tekiah (22:55):
Becoming CAA.
Mary Jeanne (22:57):
Ellen yeah, so is that?
Did that?
Start right when you startedschool or before school?
Tekiah (23:02):
It started before school .
So actually this was my secondattempt into getting into AA
school until I finally got in,really.
So, yes, so I applied the firsttime.
I applied extremely late and Iended up not getting in.
But looking back now I realizedmy application was not strong
at all.
I didn't really have muchguidance when it came to that
(23:23):
application and it looked like Ithrew it together overnight,
even though I felt like I spentmonths working on it.
And after I finally got arejection email, it was after
the program started, even thoughI knew I didn't get in.
It was after the programstarted Like I would, even
though I knew I didn't get in.
Like it was very heartbreakingbecause it's like dang, like I
worked so hard to like apply andgo back and take these classes
(23:45):
that I was required to take and,you know, pay out of pocket,
because I mean, once yougraduate you can't use financial
aid anymore.
And it's like you're working sohard and it's like you feel
like you're not moving in life.
So I created that page becauseI felt like you said.
I felt like there wasn't a lotof representation that looked
like me and I felt like not thatmany people was telling people
like, hey, it's okay to not getin the first time, like you can
(24:07):
get in the second time.
So I created that page I thefirst post I made was to let
people know hey, I didn't get in, but I'm going to get in one
day.
You know, it's all God's timingat the end of the day, and I
just wanted to be that personthat someone else can feel
comfortable to ask the questionthat they wouldn't feel
comfortable to ask someone else.
Mary Jeanne (24:27):
You're doing that.
I see you doing that Before Ieven knew that you won this DA
scholarship.
I knew you from Instagram andyou are doing exactly what you
set out to do and truly like ourprofession.
I'm so grateful to you and ourprofession is so grateful,
because I do think this is thechange that needs to happen and
it's like well, how does thathappen?
(24:48):
Okay, Well, it happens becauseEllen and Takiyah were like I
want to be a CAA and I don'tfeel like I have a lot of
representation, nor do I have alot of people who are CAAs that
I know, and I'm still going todo it.
And I didn't get in the firsttime and I'm still going to do
it because I know I belong there.
This is really inspiring to me.
So I you're doing it, Ellen, Ilove, I love that message.
(25:09):
Takiyah, I have going off ofthis still, how do you feel in
healthcare?
Like being a CAA is kind of theunderdog in in anesthesia.
I mean, I don't think anyonewould maybe disagree with that,
even just by our size.
We're just such a smallerprofession but how do you feel
like you fit in health care interms of diversity and feeling
(25:32):
like you belong?
Tekiah (25:33):
I feel like it's like multiple layers of just multiple
layers of being at the bottomof the totem pole.
So I remember in college wetook this class like
intersectionality of oppression.
So basically it's like okay,we're women, then we're black
women, and then when you're likea CAA which everyone might not
(25:56):
feel like this, but CAAs, whenyou look in the politics of
things, are sometimes theunderdog.
So there's just like multiplelayers of being the underdog and
multiple layers of beingunderrepresented.
So when I did one of my firstrotations, there were majority
of my preceptors were men and soI'm like, okay, this is like
(26:17):
just another added layer.
So I feel like in healthcare weare kind of at the bottom of the
totem pole in terms of like howpeople view us and how other
people that look like us.
There aren't many CAAs ingeneral.
There aren't going to be inyour like average, or there
aren't going to be many Blackpeople in there, just in my
(26:39):
experience.
And then to be a woman on topof that, it's just like
sometimes I'm in the room, I'mthe only Black person, I'm the
only woman and I'm an AA studentworking with the CRNA preceptor
.
So it is multiple layers ofjust being the underdog.
But I will say that all the timethose experiences are not
negative.
So I won't look at it as anegative experience, because I
(27:02):
do go and I learn a lot.
I do go in these spaces andpeople treat me just like they
treat every other student.
I do go in these spaces and I'mnot looked at as less than, or
there are no barriers to mylearning experience, so they
aren't negative experiences.
It's just the fact that nothingwill change until there are
more students who look like usin the field and more students
(27:25):
who look like us in theoperating room, whether that's
nurses, techs, surgeons, caas,crnas, whatever, so on and so
forth.
So did I answer your question?
Mary Jeanne (27:36):
You absolutely did.
Yes, you absolutely did.
Something you said in theresort of was interesting to me,
that you feel like you aretreated just like any other AA
student or just like any otherstudent in the hospital, and I
guess I'm wondering if that'salways been true.
And I'm also wondering, ellen,if you would ever.
If that's always been true, andI'm also wondering, ellen, if
(27:56):
you would agree with that.
Tekiah (27:57):
I feel like both sides of that coin, like both sides of
that story, could be true.
So there have been momentswhere I may have felt like I'm
being held to a higher standardor just maybe something that I
say I could say the same exactwords that maybe a classmate or
another student says, butbecause of how I look, it may
(28:19):
come up as, oh, you have anattitude or oh, you're you know
what I'm saying and I'm justtrying to advocate for myself
and stand up for myself.
So that side of the story hashappened.
But also I've had it happenwhere you know me, a classmate,
another student, whoever is inthe room, everybody is treated
the same, like I knoweverybody's had that experience
with a grumpy surgeon, wherehe's grumpy with everybody.
(28:43):
It doesn't matter who you are,he's yelling at you to get the
table down and you can't clickthe button fast enough and you
know whatever.
But then there are, there hasbeen a time, where I felt like,
hmm, okay, well, that wasn fairand in those moments I had to
learn, you know, to speak up formyself.
Or if I didn't feel like feelcomfortable speaking up for
(29:04):
myself, my program has been veryopen and supportive to me and I
know 100 percent.
I can go to any of myprofessors or my program
director and voice hey, this hashappened.
And my program director likesto say she's mama bear, she does
not play by her cubs and if anysituation like that has ever
(29:25):
come across her desk, itimmediately ceased.
Mary Jeanne (29:29):
That's so good to hear.
I'm just, I'm really warmed bythe fact that you feel that
closeness and connection andsupport from your preceptors and
faculty.
Ellen, would you agree withTakiyah and her perspective
there on?
You know how she feels in theoperating room or in higher
education.
Tekiah (29:47):
Takiyah was very spot on with everything she said.
Like she articulated that verywell.
I feel the exact same way.
There's times where it's justone of those long days during
clinicals and you just got tobite your tongue sometimes
because it's like, at the end ofthe day, you know this is how
that person is and you're goingto be here for a short period of
(30:09):
time and you got to learn whatyou could learn and keep it
moving.
You don't have to walk intoclinicals thinking everyone's
going to be your best friend Atthe end of the day.
This is a place for you tolearn.
You're not in a classroom,you're in the OR.
So learn what you can learn andkeep it moving.
I think in the back of your mindwas today that bad or am I
(30:30):
going crazy type of thing?
I used to overthink things alot when it came to clinical,
especially during block two.
But after going back now I'mjust like at the end of the day,
(30:52):
I'm going to learn somethingfrom you.
So regardless if it comes fromyou screaming at me or you
smiling at me, I'm going to takeit the exact same way.
I'm going to smile, say thankyou and go about my day because,
at the end of the day, I canonly do what I can, the best I
can do.
I can't do anything past that.
That's my mindset now and, likeshe said, like having support
around you goes a very long, along way.
(31:15):
May it may come from staff orfriendships you made throughout
the program.
For me personally, the mostsupport is the friendships I've
made, because there's days whereI just I start to overthink.
I started to tell myself isthis really for me?
Maybe what they're saying aretrue, or maybe I'm just not
where I think I want to be orwhere I should be.
(31:36):
But my friends that I've madethroughout my journey has always
pushed me and motivated me andkeep reminding me at the end of
the day, if you weren't meant tobe here, you wouldn't be here.
Like, at the end of the day,you're going to get through this
.
This is school, this istemporary.
Soon you'll be a CAA and you'llbe able to tell your story to
the next student.
That's feeling the exact sameway as you and that's how I take
(31:58):
clinicals at this point.
Mary Jeanne (32:00):
Wow, that is so evolved, ellen.
I mean, I just feel like I hopeeveryone just really heard what
you said, because what you'repointing to is that while you're
in school and just even whenyou're a CAA like healthcare is
a toxic environment and notevery day, all day, but there's
a lot of big egos and toxicityand bias and all sorts of things
(32:25):
that, like outside of the ORyou'd be like that's not
socially appropriate, but in theOR it's like how is this
happening?
Is that me, is that you?
So I just think it's reallytricky to navigate it and I just
really appreciate you guyssharing both of your
perspectives, because I knowthere are people listening who
you know, like you guys did notknow another CAA and maybe did
(32:47):
not know another CAA that theyfelt like they shared identity
with, and now, hearing yourstory, they do.
So I just I just you guys aremaking such a big difference
right now and I'm just thrilledto be here with you while you're
making the big difference.
So I love talking to you both.
I have a couple last questionsand this kind of a more big
(33:08):
picture about, like how I wastouching on how well, ellen, you
said there aren't really anyflyers to even be seen, let
alone see a flyer that hassomeone who I feel like a shared
identity with within ourprofession, to, you know, be
(33:33):
more inclusive, to reach out, tohave more expansive community
that represents all of ourcommunities that we are taking
care of.
Like what could we do?
Is there anything that you feellike well, gee, this would
really make a big difference?
Or is it just you know, onegraduate at a time trying to
change this landscape?
Ellen, why don't you go first?
Tekiah (33:49):
I feel like there's a lot of things that can be done,
but it's just.
It gets so tricky because Ifeel like there's a fine line
where it's like okay, like theyalways say, we can do, we could
do training.
Okay, pass that.
Then what?
Pass the training, what are wesupposed to do?
Just like we learned somethingin class, do we go home and
practice that every day?
No, so like DEI training.
(34:10):
You mean, yeah, dei training,yeah, but past that, it's like,
honestly, I think it's just yourattitude.
Just be accepting.
You don't have to go home andsay, hey, I'm for this, I'm for
that.
Just go into work, do your job.
In healthcare, your job is to bean advocate for your patient,
be an advocate for yourcoworkers and be an advocate for
(34:31):
yourself.
And when you go home, what youdo, that's your business.
But when you're in thehealthcare setting, let's just
make everything a peaceful place, just come with a smile on the
face.
Let's treat everyone the same.
And when it comes to things wecan do, the one thing I would
say I enjoy that my program didbecause they spotlight light on
it we have professionalism oneweek every block while we're in
(34:56):
school, and one of theprofessional week, it was DEI
and the person that was incharge of it.
They brought out so many peoplein the AA community, from
doctors to CAAs, to come talk tous via Zoom, and when I say
(35:17):
that's probably one of the bestlike professionalism weeks I've
ever had, because it's like somany people that look like me
and let's not even say they looklike me, they just had similar
experiences based off theirbackgrounds like to hear someone
say it, and they're stillpracticing to hear someone say
it and come back to speak to us.
It just speaks more volumebecause at the end of the day,
it's like they're experiencingthe exact same things you're
(35:37):
experiencing and they're stillworking hard and they're still
telling you you can still dothat, and I feel like there's
not enough of that, and I didn'tknow that other programs didn't
have that, and so I reallyenjoy the fact that my program
is actually pushing things likethat and another motivation for
me to graduate and be able to dothe same thing.
And one thing I can say pushingas well would be going to like
(36:01):
some of these HBCUs or thesesmaller colleges to talk to
their students those are Willyou say what an HBU is, just so
people listening know what thatis.
Oh, a Historically BlackInstitution, yeah.
So going back to these types ofcolleges that don't have like
pre-AA clubs or don't even knowabout the field I graduated from
(36:22):
Florida A&M University and it'sright here in Tallahassee and,
like I said, I never knew aboutthe career and just being able
to go back to places like thatand, you know, go to college
fairs and be a representativefor my university to give back
to my undergrad, that'ssomething that I desire to do
one day, and little things likethat.
(36:43):
I think those are changes thatwe can make as students, but
past that, I personally don'tknow what we can do.
Past the training and I don'twant to sit on this podcast and
lie to you but maybe being partof the DEI committee, like you
know, more brains can worktogether and figure something
out.
Mary Jeanne (37:02):
I do think you've hit on something that I've come
to again and again in my ownjourney and searching for, like,
where do I really fit in thisprofession?
And what's meant for me is thatit does come down to an
individual.
So like when you think, gee,someone should go to HBCU
colleges, and you're like, ohokay, that person is me.
Now that I've thought that,thought, you know what I mean.
(37:23):
Like you're the exact rightperson to do that.
Whatever you're thinking,because our profession is so
small that we do needindividuals to take that first
step.
And that's where the change andthe momentum starts is when you
know whoever decided for yourDEI professional week.
Hey, I'm going to get together.
This group of people made ahuge impact on you.
And now, whenever you go getyour job, you're like, hey,
(37:46):
there's this great idea that wecould do and let me spearhead it
.
You know, I just think it takesthe perfect amount of like
exposure.
You have to see that it's trueand possible.
And then you have to alsorealize, ok, now it's up to me.
In our profession, because it'sso small, you know, of course
everything expands.
We think all of health careneeds to change, and then our
you know nation needs to changeand be redirected.
(38:07):
Like too big, let's start withjust our CA profession.
So I think you're spot on,ellen Takiyah.
Do you have anything else toadd to that?
Tekiah (38:15):
No, I think Ellen definitely hit the nail on the
head.
I was thinking to go back tosome of these HBCUs and talk to
their students.
I know some like medicalschools and programs like that
have bridge programs where ifyou, you know, take your MCAT
and score a certain score,you're automatically admitted to
their medical school.
(38:36):
Maybe a program like that thereare so many new AA programs
opening that that will besomething to help
underrepresented students getinto programs because, like
similar to Ellen's experience,not having proper guidance on
even how to apply to AA schoolthat's a big barrier, I think,
to getting more underrepresentedstudents into this profession
(38:59):
or into the medical field ingeneral is their applications
are lacking, or maybe theydidn't have enough support in
college so they had to workthrough college and their grades
aren't as great.
Or maybe they didn't haveenough money or to be able to
apply, because each applicationcosts a certain amount of money.
So maybe if there were feewaivers for certain students or
(39:21):
some type of bridge program forunderrepresented students or
something put in place that showthese students like, hey, you
can do it, and here is like alittle bit of extra help for you
because you might not have allof the supplies or all the tools
in your tool belt that some ofyour counterparts already come
equipped with.
So I think Ellen hit it spot ongoing to these HBCUs and even
(39:44):
high school.
Like I said, I went to the highschool for health professions
but I didn't know what a CAA wasand here this profession has
been around for decades.
So someone being a spokesperson, someone going out and
educating people more about ourfield and our profession.
Also, I do want to say thesecond time that I applied as
(40:06):
well.
I was part of Health Prep'sinternship and they gave me MCAT
paid fully through them, aswell as a paid internship.
Mary Jeanne (40:17):
What's Health Prep?
Say more about that.
Tekiah (40:20):
Health Prep is a program under Emory and basically
underprivileged students canapply and they accept don't
quote me me, but I want to sayabout 20 students every year,
every summer, and they'll umgive you about a thousand
dollars.
They'll pay for your mcat, foreither med school or aa
(40:44):
profession, pa profession it'slike specific health care
professions and um they'll tryto have spokesmen from each
profession come out and speak toyou throughout the summer.
I felt like that was a reallygreat opportunity that not a lot
of people hear about as well.
And how did I find out about it?
I want to say I found out.
(41:04):
Honestly, I think I found outabout everything through
Instagram.
You really just have to followthe right people.
Mary Jeanne (41:12):
Yeah, well, now we're following you, ellen, we
got to follow you and, yeah, andyou're part of that, and I do
think I would love to put a linkWell, let's find a link for a
health prep, just so that peoplecan have that resource and even
just the idea of it, like, ifyou're not a prospective student
but you are in higher educationand you're like, hey, I'm
(41:32):
loosely associated with an AAschool, maybe we could
facilitate something like that.
Like that is exactly how thesethings happen.
So that was a wonderfulsuggestion.
Yeah, let me put that in theshow notes.
I have one harder question andone easier question, one sort of
fun question.
Let's start with the easier onefirst.
The easier one is what momentare you most excited for after
(41:56):
graduation?
Tekiah (41:57):
I feel like I'm excited to walk across the stage.
I'm excited for my firstpaycheck.
I'm excited for my firstvacation.
What's your first vacation?
I don't even know, as long asit's outside of the OR.
Mary Jeanne (42:12):
I'm fine.
Tekiah (42:16):
And I'm excited for my first student because I know so
many of my preceptors I've had.
They're like new grads orthey've graduated within the
last year, two years, andthey're fresh and they're
already having students.
But some of them are, you know,really really good and they're
already having students.
But some of them are reallyreally good and they're so nice,
they're so relatable, theyunderstand.
So I'm excited to have my firststudent and just be like girl,
(42:37):
what's the tea?
What's going on?
Let me take you under my wing.
Mary Jeanne (42:42):
They're going to be lucky to have you.
Ellen, what about you?
What moment are you mostexcited for after graduation?
Tekiah (42:49):
Honestly, I'm just ready for my vacation.
I need a break, Not even fromthe OR from the United States.
Currently I'm married and we'vebeen doing long distance since
I've started this program and Ijust want to go on a vacation
and just be with me and myhusband and just forget about
(43:09):
everything.
And I take the exam what?
A month after I graduate, sohopefully I can take my I mean
take my trip right after that,so I don't think about anything
besides me and my husband.
Honestly, that sounds good.
Mary Jeanne (43:23):
I second that that sounds like a beautiful thing to
do.
Okay, slightly harder question,Season four of Awakened Anestis
.
I'm going to be focusing on howto be healthy and how to thrive
as a CAA and since you guys areAA students, I'm just wondering
if you think it's possible tobe healthy and thrive as an AA
(43:44):
student, or how you'reapproaching staying at least
reasonably healthy and thrivinga reasonable amount occasionally
in AA school.
I'm just wondering what yourthoughts are.
Ellen, why don't you go first?
Tekiah (43:58):
You must have saw me shaking my head.
Honestly, it's anuphill-downhill battle for me,
because at one point I wasworking out three before this
program, I really got into myhealth.
I was going to the gym, I waseating good.
I wasn't eating too muchprocessed food.
As soon as the program came, Istopped meal prepping the
(44:20):
quickest fast food near me iswhat I was eating and I was
trying to go to the gym.
And then my excuse was I haveto study, I have to study, I
can't go to the gym.
And then when we did clinicals,I was back at the gym again.
But honestly it's.
I feel like going to thesedifferent rotations and not
having stability is my problem.
I'm the type of person like Ineed structure.
(44:41):
So right now I'm struggling inthat department.
So when you make that podcast,I will be listening, yes, but
right now I think you can,because I personally seen a lot
of people on my Instagram pagegoing to the gym and that's just
their coping mechanism when itcomes to the stress.
But for me, I think everyoneneeds to figure out what's best
(45:01):
for them when it comes to copingwith their stress, and for me
it's just not going to the gymright now it's relaxing in my
bed and maybe watching a movie,and I have to do what's best for
my mental health right now.
Mary Jeanne (45:12):
Good for you.
That's a huge lesson.
That is a massive lesson thatliterally I'm learning now when
I'm 40.
Like it's okay to choose rest,like that is fine, but it's a
hard lesson.
And Takiyah, I'm wondering whatyour thoughts are on it.
Tekiah (45:28):
Takiyah, I'm wondering what your thoughts are on it.
So I completely agree withEllen.
Just a moment of likevulnerability.
I have gained like 20 poundssince starting AA school and I
think a lot of things havecontributed to that.
Number one, my cortisol levelsare always high.
Like I'm always in fight orflight, I'm always stressed and
(45:49):
first year for me is probablyprobably the biggest, was the
hardest adjustment versus now inclinicals.
I'm trying to get more of aroutine down because I know I'm
at the hospital, you know, 10 to12 hours a day, but first year,
when you have a quiz, likeevery other day pretty much, you
(46:09):
have an exam every week, you'retrying to study and, like Ellen
said, we're only getting likesix hours of sleep.
Then, when clinicals anddidactic are starting to ramp up
, you're going to the hospitalin the morning, you're coming to
class in the afternoon, youhave an exam tomorrow as soon as
you leave the hospital, likeyour only time to study is when
(46:31):
you get home or your only timeto study is.
You know I have a classmate.
She will wake up really earlybefore clinical and study, which
I personally couldn't do it,but that's what worked for her.
So I feel like it is hard, butif you are mentally disciplined
enough and it's something that'salready been a priority in your
(46:51):
life, then you'll probably dofine in keeping up with it.
But for me, I wasn'tdisciplined and that wasn't a
priority for me before I startedAA school.
So I feel like it was reallyhard for me to be disciplined.
But now that I have a morestructured schedule in second
year, I'm going to the gym.
I try to go to the gym everyday after work.
I don't even come home, sothat's just something that I'm
(47:17):
incorporating to the gym.
I try to go to the gym everyday after work.
I don't even come home, sothat's just something that I'm
incorporating in my schedule.
Mary Jeanne (47:20):
But if I could go back and tell myself that Before
I started a school?
I would definitely have toldmyself.
Tekiah (47:22):
good to hear.
I'm sorry, I think that waslong-winded.
Mary Jeanne (47:23):
I love it.
I love the vulnerability, Ilove being real, because that's
that's what people need to hear.
Is that like Implementing a newhabit when you're in the
heightened stress moment is verydifficult.
So having these habits in placeand just also knowing, hey,
that's what it's going to belike in AA school, and no one
knows that's what it's going tobe like until they hear you say
that.
So yeah, you're enduring it.
(47:46):
So everyone maybe can have ateeny tiny bit leg up after you,
after hearing you and also Iwant to say to both of you that
it does get better.
It does get better.
Aa school is so demanding andbeing a CAA is also very
demanding, but your mindsetchanges.
When you start getting paid andwhen you start being a
(48:06):
professional and not a student,the self-worth that you've been
trying to maintain and grow andbe confident just blossoms as a
professional and that justreally changes everything, makes
everything feel so much better.
So just hang on, because it isso hard.
You're not wrong, it's so hardand you both are doing a great
job, and I appreciate you guystaking your Friday night to talk
(48:27):
to me and really share yourjourney, because it matters so
so much and I'm just reallygrateful to have this
conversation.
So thank you both so much.
Tekiah (48:35):
Thank you for inviting us on and allowing us this
platform to share ourexperiences.
I really appreciate that and Ihope there's a student out there
that could be inspired by whatwe said today.
Mary Jeanne (48:48):
There will be.
I already know there will be.
Thank you, guys so much.
Thank you, bye, bye.
I hope you loved meetingTakiyah and Ellen as much as I
did and inspired by their story.
If you are a current AA studentor a prospective AA student who
hopes to be accepted and startone of the AA schools shortly,
(49:11):
you can find all the informationto apply for the DEI Quad A
scholarship in the show notes.
If you're someone who wants tomake a donation to the DEI
scholarship, you can also find alink to donate in the show
notes.
Ellen and Takiyah have bothshared their Instagram handles
if you want to follow the restof their AA school journey and
off into their future careers.
(49:34):
What else?
I'm inviting everyonepersonally to join Mindful
Connections during season fourof Awaken Anestis podcast.
It is a chance for anyone inthis CAA community AA students
perspectives, practicing CAAs tojoin, to build community, to
learn more about yourself, aboutyour work, about relationships
(49:55):
with others through mindfulness.
So we're going to be practicingmindfulness together in a very
practical, very applicable wayto your life, as well as
exploring some themes over thecourse of season four.
So if you're interested in thatfree opportunity, you can find
a link in the show notes to joinMindful Connections.
Of course you can follow me onInstagram at Awaken Anesthetist.
(50:18):
I tend to share some behind thescenes.
If you're interested in stufflike that on Instagram you can
find a link to join my emailnewsletter community and I will
see everyone back here nextFriday for another episode.
Thank you so much for beinghere.
Let's talk soon, y'all?
Okay, I'm gonna press stoprecord.
(50:40):
Yay, you did it.
Congratulations.
How do you feel?
Tekiah (50:45):
uh, that was good, that was fun, it was so good.
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