Its all finished folks. After two years and a lot of hard work the class of 2006 from the Keck School of Medicine department of Anesthesia has graduated the next group of nurse anesthetists. The University of Southern California program for nurse anesthetists has been terrific but I am so glad to be finally finished with this step in education.

After this weekend I will buckle down to several weeks of intensive study for board examinations. Following this Jennifer and I will take some time for ourselves before I start work November 1st. Isn’t life great!

This Saturday evening Douglas and I had an early dinner together at the famous Irish Pub in Pasadena, Lucky Baldwins. We are winding down now from our clinical rotations with only eight days left to go before our graduation celebration September the 2nd. The University of Southern California program of Nurse Anesthesia has been a wonderfully difficult experience. The graduating class of 2006 is just about finished with course work and will be stretching our wings shortly. Pictures of the class can be perused at flickr.

Friends of Douglas joined us at Lucky Baldwins. What made this interesting is that Sonny and Dianne will be starting “The Program” this coming Monday and are part of the Class of 2008 program of nurse anesthesia at USC. During our early dinner at the Irish Pub we discussed and rehashed the trials and tribulations of being an anesthesia resident. All of the usual subjects came up that new students have. Its great now to be on the other side of this mountain. Douglas and the girls went off for an evening of “Pub Hopping” while I happily traveled home to be there when Jennifer came home from a long day at work.

Douglas and I have been having our study sessions and dinner now on Saturday evenings for the past several months now but I always make sure that I am home to greet wifey when she arrives home from work. This past evening we finally got around to talking about future work related things. No matter where we both end up we agreed to continue to meet regularly for bicycle riding and “Pub Hopping”. Next year Douglas his mother and I are planning on riding the RAGBRAI. For those that do not know, this is one of the oldest sponsored group rides in America. The ride across Iowa will be its 35 next year and I am looking forward to this get away 7 day trip. Douglas and I have planned this now for the past year and come next July we will be flying across those rolling Iowa hills. More to follow on this one.

Congratulations to all around. This came in the mail today and to say that I am happy is the least of it. The long hard road through this part of our education is coming to an end while the broader path is open for us.
Right now I am going to make a few phone calls just to hear the cheers go up and see the streamers fly when people hear the news. This makes it official and the reality of actually graduating is sinking in. Maybe for others this has been a cakewalk but that has not been my experience. Anesthesia training is tough, rigorous and very demanding as it should be. To finally approach this milestone is… hmmmm…what is it? I guess my breathing is just coming a little easier now and the smile on my face will not leave for a long time it seems. That just about sums it up for me at the moment. Just like this picture of a happy birth that I was privileged to participate in, my joy is complete.

August 17, 2006

Dear Mr. David Roy Godden:

Congratulations! The Degree Progress Department is pleased to inform you that your Master of Science in Anesthesiology degree has been conferred and posted to your academic transcript at the University of Southern California. The conferral date of your degree is August 8, 2006.

Your diploma has been ordered and, unless you have requested that it be held for pick-up or you live in the 90007 zipcode, it will be mailed to your address of record. If you have not received your diploma by September 21, 2006 please contact the Degree Progress Department at (213) 740-7070.

If you require official confirmation of your degree, you can find information on ordering an official record verification by visiting http://www.usc.edu/verification. There is a $5 charge per record verification. You can also find information on ordering an official transcript of your entire academic record, including your degree, by visiting http://www.usc.edu/transcripts. There is an $8 charge per academic transcript.

Again, congratulations on this achievement. You have completed a demanding course of study and we are proud to have you join that select group of individuals who are graduates of the University of Southern California.

Degree Progress Department
University of Southern California

Our graduation ceremony will be September 2nd…just a couple of days…..Yippppy!!!! I will see all in clinical tomorrow bright and early. Only 10 days left of clinical rotations. For me its Big County general surgery in the morning.

Karen Embrey is a Nurse Anesthetist extraordinaire, my classmate and friend. I just received this note from her and had to pass it along. In the future she will make her own posts, which I am looking forward to. All of the graduating Class of 2006 at USC is able to register and log on to make posts at their leisure. I am looking forward to hearing from everyone. OK, enjoy! DG

Hi all –

Just back from AANA in Cleveland, Ohio!! Greetings from former President Bill Clinton, Dr. Eger, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Cleveland Clinic. If you all have not seen the latest edition of the International Journal of Student Nurse Anesthesia – you just have to know that our own Robert Olson is now officially a “Cover Boy” – and a fine job he appears to be doing as a vigilant and skilled (not to forget handsome) Anesthetist!!! Congratulations to whoever took such a fine picture and also to the person who submitted this fine photographic display. Robert, I told everyone in Cleveland that I was your classmate J ! They all want autographs!

Kären

I received a wonderful email today from Gina my Pal with a capital P. As you may recall Gina has been a practicing doctor of chiropractice medicine and decided that this was not enough for her. We have now been classmates for two years in the anesthesia program at the University of Southern California and will be graduating soon….this month in fact. This short note came today in an email from her which I just had to share. I will get back to you about what has been going on with me and why it has taken me so long for any new posting on this web site. Her letter follows. Thank you Gina for for your friendship and genius. You have been an inspiration to me.

Dear Class,

The clock is ticking my dear friends and we are so close to the end, my pulse is quickening as I type this. My very best hopes and wishes for all of you as you start your careers. You are such an amazing, talented group of people, and it has been a tremendous privilege to know you and experience this adventure with you. If ever I can be of service or help to any of you, please never hesitate to call.Which brings me to the point of my email. We are spending our last moments as the class of 2006, and already are starting to spread our wings; we know amy is headed to the great Northwest, and several others are looking across the country for our first positions (Aloha, Manda Manda?). I would like to propose that we elect one of us as a point of contact person for the Great and Wonderous USC Class of 2006; someone whom we could email or call for current contact info on a classmate. Douglas won’t have that usc.edu email address forever [unless he starts an affair with Dr. McDonaugh (sp)], and I’m pretty sure Helen will be getting a new address and phone number once she’s married. I know from past experience, as I’m sure you all do, how quickly a class can get scattered to the winds, all the more so with a profession such as ours where mobility is a key feature.

Is there any of us who would proclaim themselves stable enough for such a role? If I want to know what Joy’s new email address is, or Lunsford’s phone number, who could I call? Keep in mind that we could be using each other for letters of reference as our careers develop. Or in the case of Lunsford, I might just be thirsty and want to have a beer with my old friend from USC (Downtown Brown, of course). Remember part of why we chose USC was for the alumni connection. Since it’s not bloody likely most of us will be active in the USC Alumni Association proper, let’s create our own little Association. Let’s stay connected.

I immediately thought of either David Godden or Karen for the role, as they are both Uberorganized, and soon to be entrenched, I mean immersed at LAC/UH, which sounds pretty stable to me. Either of you interested? Somebody else feeling ultra stable and want to volunteer? I just don’t want to risk losing touch with this group of people I have learned to love like family (without the hairpulling, namecalling, and clothes borrowing dysfunction).

BTW, Karen, Godden, and Manda Manda, Dr. Yasafusifusi from Cedars spoke very highly of you today.

Have a great finale everybody. Looking forward to seeing you on the 2nd.

gina~ They can’t stop the clock!

So there you have it from Gina. You are such a peach. My bet is that Gina will be world famous one of these days. She has that special something, the charisma and intellect to really make things happen. It has been such a gift meeting her and the rest of the friends that I have made during these last two difficult years. Which brings me to why I have not posted more in the past months.
This is actually difficult to write or disclose. School, that is academics, is easy – at least for me. Many people struggle with memorizing vast numbers of facts but not me. I am pretty good at that. What has been difficult is dealing with the scrutiny and criticism of a few during clinical rotations. I wish that I could tell you that all it takes to be a great practitioner is intelligence. This is not the case. I have thrived in the clinical arena and done well in supportive environments and have suffered during difficult assignments where small people feel better about themselves when they can dominate and put others down – that means me. I guess this is important information for anyone that is interested in going on and pursuing nurse anesthesia. It is a difficult road where the gauntlet must be run well and no one comes through unscathed. This last month has been particularly brutal. I have survived and continue to thrive which is the good news.
This month of clinical rotations is in General Surgery at a big County hospital and it is our last. This past week has been very busy but wonderful, coming home and back to friends that I have grown up with in anesthesia. The surgeries here at the County have been complicated and intense but really interesting and handled well. My confidence has increased a thousand fold this past week which is the good news. I am so glad to be home.

So I have not written anything for a while now because I have been too stressed out, busy and just plain tired. Working 12 to 14 hours in the operating room then the travel time not to mention all of the preoperative preperation that has to go on just leaves little time for writting. You understand. Maybe this is all good information and will be taken to heart by anyone interested in nurse anesthesia.