College of Nursing’s Hoch and Reed honored as AANA fellows
Two University of Arizona College of Nursing faculty members were recently inducted as fellows into the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology. Kristie Hoch, DNP, CRNA, an associate clinical professor and program administrator for the college’s DNP-Nurse Anesthesia Program, and James "Jim" R. Reed, DNP, MSNA, CRNA, an associate clinical professor in the DNP-Nurse Anesthesia Program, were honored during the organization’s annual conference in late August.
Fellows of the AANA are recognized in the field of nurse anesthesia for being outstanding practitioners, educators, researchers and advocates for the nursing specialty. They must have a minimum of 10 years of full-time professional experience as a practitioner of nurse anesthesiology or as an educator in the specialty.
Kristy Hoch, DNP, CRNA
Associate clinical professor and program administrator, DNP-Nurse Anesthesia Program
Kristy Hoch, DNP, CRNA
Hoch, who has been with the College of Nursing for almost six years, said: “It is an honor to be inducted as a fellow of the AANA. As a CRNA, I have dedicated my career to the advancement in practice of nurse anesthesiology to assure two important things: patient safety and access to care. It is humbling to know I join visionaries, leaders and others who have made significant and lasting contributions to nurse anesthesiology.”
One of Hoch’s nomination letters was written by Mark J. Haffey, MSN, CRNA, FAANA, APRN, who said that she was an ideal candidate to become a fellow of the AANA. “Kristie truly has a passion for ensuring that the profession not only has well trained CRNAs, but true leaders within the health-care field, which in turn ensures that the AANA will have equipped leaders. Her impact as a standout educator makes her more than qualified to be a fellow in the AANA.”
“Being a member of the AANA helps me ensure I am the best CRNA and program administrator I can be,” said Hoch. “The AANA works diligently to provide current practice updates and education for CRNAs and nurse anesthesiology residents. The AANA is my ‘go to’ for any questions concerning practice, policy and governance. The CRNA friends I have made over the years are a network of leaders that I can reach out to with any question, and this is for me the greatest benefit of being a member of the AANA. I have served on several AANA committees and on the board of directors and this has helped me develop leadership skills I utilize every day in my current role her at the University of Arizona.”
Hoch has been a member of the AANA for 22 years.
James "Jim" R. Reed, DNP, MSNA, CRNA
Associate clinical professor, DNP-Nurse Anesthesia Program
James "Jim" R. Reed, DNP, CRNA
Photo by Kris Hanning, UArizona Health Sciences Office of Communications
“The selection to be a fellow is an immense honor, and it transcends my time in and out of the military,” said Reed, who has been on faculty for two years. “I am honored to be recognized for my time in the military, which included a decade serving and supporting our most elite special operators over 10 deployments. I am proud to be a nurse anesthetist - Army trained – and faculty at my alma mater, serving our citizens in the city I was born in. I am humbled and honored to be recognized for this honor in a profession I deeply love and still very much enjoy.”
Terry C. Wicks, DNP, CRNA, FAANA, an assistant clinical professor at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, noted in his recommendation letter that Reed’s experience in the U.S. Army is the source of much of his expertise as a CRNA and teacher.
“During Dr. Reed’s military career as a CRNA, he served in clinical, leadership and education roles in several U.S. Army hospitals,” Wicks wrote. “More significantly, during the last 10 years of his active-duty service, Dr. Reed spent 1,500 days deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, serving as a special operations nurse anesthetist in the Joint Special Operations Command. During his deployments, he developed battlefield medical equipment, managed combat casualties and supported counter-terrorism missions.”
Reed said that he draws inspiration from the CRNA residents he teaches at the College of Nursing. “Witnessing their enthusiasm, eagerness and dedication to seek the knowledge to be a safe, independent and free thinking CRNA is what I find most inspirational. When it comes together and they relate their love and enthusiasm for what they have learned, it is extremely gratifying as faculty, and it forms professional bonds that I value very much.”
Reed has been a member of the AANA for 25 years.