| Jan.
26, 2006
MGHS
adds two certified nurse anesthetists
U.P. natives John Kus and Laura Ayotte graduate from CRNA program
Marquette
General Health System has two new certified nurse anesthetists
on staff.
John Kus and Laura Ayotte, both Upper Peninsula natives, recently
graduated from Oakland University in Detroit with master’s
degrees in nurse anesthesia.
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists Laura
Ayotte and John Kus celebrate their accomplishments with Bud Hart,
center, CRNA Department Manager and Clinical Site Coordinator
for the CRNA program at Marquette General Hospital. Laura (Ishpeming)
and John (Lake Linden), both Upper Peninsula natives, are now
working full time in the Operating Room at Marquette General.
Kus and Ayotte are the fifth and sixth students from the MGHS
clinical site to have graduated from the distance learning program.
They each completed a 28-month intensive course in anesthesia
that qualified them to write for their qualifying examination
and title Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs). The
certification exam was administered on Dec. 23 in Green Bay, and
both received notification soon after they had passed.
A Lake Linden native, Kus is a 2001 graduate of Northern Michigan
University’s School of Nursing. He was a registered nurse
in the ICU at Marquette General prior to enrolling in the CRNA
program.
“I chose anesthesia because, after talking with CRNAs and
spending time in the operating room, I became very interested
in pursuing a career in anesthesia,” Kus said. “We
had great mentors at Marquette General to help us along the way.
It was exhausting, but it’s an accomplishment.”
Kus received the "Edward Petrovich Award," an award
given annually to a senior student of the Oakland University/William
Beaumont Graduate Program in Nurse Anesthesia who exhibits excellence
in clinical practice; demonstrates outstanding preparedness and
skill; and relays compassion and overall excellence in the field
of anesthesia. He and his wife, Molly, are the parents of daughter,
Romy.
Ayotte, an Ishpeming native, is a 2000 Graduate of NMU's School
of Nursing.
Ayotte, who also worked as an RN in ICU, said attaining CRNA status
has been a dream of hers since high school.
“I’ve wanted to do this for a long, long time,”
she said. “I feel really fortunate to have been able to
pursue this. It was a real positive experience.”
Laura and her husband, Scott, live in Ishpeming.
Kus and Ayotte are the fifth and sixth students from the MGHS
clinical site to have graduated from the distance learning program.
In the program, students receive the bulk of their clinical experience
at MGH with the direct supervision by CRNAs and medical direction
by board-certified anesthesiologists. Other educational opportunities
have come from Portage Health System, Dickinson County Healthcare
System and downstate hospitals.
The majority of their graduate course lectures are done by telehealth
conferencing.
The Beaumont graduate nurse anesthesia training program is just
the second in the nation to incorporate this novel approach to
learning.
In 2004, the Oakland University-Beaumont graduate program in nurse
anesthesia was recognized by U.S. News and World Report as No.
6 in the nation among all graduate programs.
“The program has been instrumental in fulfilling staffing
needs, allowing for 24-hour anesthesia presence at MGHS consistent
with a Level 2 trauma center,” said Bud Hart, CRNA Department
Manager and Clinical Site Coordinator for the CRNA program at
Marquette General.
“We’re proud of John and Laura. They will make excellent
additions to our staff.”
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