(l-r) Steven Belmont, DNP, CRNA, APRN, FAANA, associate professor of the practice and director of Fairfield Egan’s DNP-Nurse Anesthesia program, and adjunct professor Stephen Sanchez DNP’22, CRNA foster mentorship among program applicants and students.
By
Brad Thomas
Egan School Supports Next Generation of Nurse Anesthetists.
Dr. Sanchez (second from right) led a skills workshop at the October 2024 DNAMP conference.
When Stephen Sanchez DNP’22 accepted his teaching position at Fairfield University, he brought with him a passion for mentoring sparked by his experience as a mentee in the Diversity in Nurse Anesthesia Mentorship Program (DNAMP). The nonprofit organization provides students from underserved socio-economic backgrounds with information and workshops to prepare them for certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) careers. Dr. Sanchez’s involvement in the program was so inspiring that it led the Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies to host a DNAMP information session and airway simulation lab workshop. The October 2024 conference attracted more than 150 aspiring nurse anesthetists to the North Benson campus.
“Hosting the event was a particularly special moment,” said Dr. Sanchez, “as it marked the realization of a long-held goal to bring the conference to the institution where I graduated and now work as an adjunct faculty member.”
Dr. Sanchez first learned about DNAMP in 2018 as he was preparing to apply to doctoral programs in nurse anesthesia. After exploring the organization’s website and reviewing an agenda for an upcoming event, Dr. Sanchez, then an ICU nurse in the Bronx, registered for an information session and airway management workshop. He thought the workshop was the top priority, as it might provide him an advantage over other applicants in the DNP (doctor of nursing practice) admission process.
Intubating a mannequin is a fun experience for the uninitiated, but the information session is the central component of the event because that’s where applicants learn what they’re getting themselves Into.”
- Stephen Sanchez DNP ’22
He holds a slightly different view today. “Intubating a mannequin is a fun experience for the uninitiated, but the information session is the central component of the event because that’s where applicants learn what they’re getting themselves into,” said Dr. Sanchez. “The session imparts valuable knowledge about the profession and helps prospective students make informed decisions about their futures.”
Fairfield DNP-Nurse Anesthesia student Julie Luna served as program delegate and spokesperson for the conference.
In addition to workshops and information sessions, DNAMP events also offer ample opportunities for aspiring nurse anesthetists to network with and seek mentorship from experienced CRNAs. In fact, these opportunities are what motivate Dr. Sanchez to remain involved with the organization today. Having benefited from the support of a mentor himself, he is eager to pay the experience forward to the next generation of nurse anesthetists.
Since completing his DNP degree in nurse anesthesia at Fairfield, Dr. Sanchez has mentored several applicants. He has a passion for it. “I like helping and giving back,” he said. “I want others to have the same experience I had, if not better.”
AJ Stewart, a third-year doctoral student in the Egan School’s DNP-Nurse Anesthesia program, is one of Dr. Sanchez’s current mentees. The two were connected through the DNAMP network.
“The first memory I have of Dr. Sanchez is a phone conversation where he asked mock interview questions and critiqued my responses,” Stewart said. “He gave me very actionable items to work on, like highlighting specific experiences and limiting each of my responses to a minute and a half. That’s the first time I felt like I was improving my candidacy for admission.”
His phone call with Dr. Sanchez was just the beginning. Once Stewart began the Nurse Anesthesia program at Egan, his new mentor periodically checked in to ask how his courses were going and to answer questions. He also shared information and wisdom earned through his own experiences as a student in the program and offered encouragement to his new mentee.
“He was really good about reaching out,” Stewart said. “Sometimes, it can be hard for students to know what questions they need to be asking. Dr. Sanchez provided — and continues to provide — a space for me to figure that out.”
When he heard that the three-day DNAMP info session and workshop was coming to Fairfield, Stewart volunteered to help with the event. As a current DNP student, his experience at the event was very different from his first as a potential applicant. Instead of learning about ultrasound guidance, he managed a station during the workshop. And instead of seeking insights from others, he offered information and guidance to aspiring CRNAs. In fact, Stewart now mentors a potential applicant who attended the event. To be sure, good mentoring has that sort of rippling effect. Those who have received strong support and guidance often feel compelled to pass on their insights to others. Over time, the impact grows and reaches wider and farther.
Second-year Fairfield doctoral student Julie Luna attended her first DNAMP event the same year that Stewart attended his. She registered for the event after a friend introduced her to the organization’s website. Prior to that, she had wavered on the idea of pursuing a career as a nurse anesthetist because she simply did not know any CRNAs.
“Lo and behold!” she recalled. “When I looked at the website, I saw people who looked like me. My interest in the profession rose quickly and steeply from there.”
Classmates AJ Stewart and Julie Luna are both mentored by Dr. Sanchez and acting as mentors themselves.
Luna eventually connected with Dr. Sanchez through the DNAMP network. She identified with him because they were both from the Bronx and had worked at the same hospital. Luna shared with Dr. Sanchez her plans of becoming a nurse anesthetist, and he has been mentoring her ever since.
Because DNAMP was so instrumental to her journey and because she wholeheartedly supports the organization’s mission to inform and empower underrepresented populations in the field, Luna was eager to participate in the event at Fairfield. “I remember being in the same position as many potential applicants, feeling like I was reaching big and not knowing anyone in the profession,” she said. “If I can help just one person who feels like I felt at the start of my journey, then I’m all for it.”
Several potential applicants connected with Luna at the event and have since reached out to her. After having offered to review their personal statements and résumés, she now finds herself mentoring aspiring CRNAs. The entire experience has her feeling fulfilled and grateful.
“It’s such a great feeling to help people in this way,” she said.
Dr. Sanchez, Stewart, and Luna are but three former Nurse Anesthesia program applicants who found support and encouragement through DNAMP, yet the positive impact of their continued engagement with the organization and their propensity to help others is significant. It enhances the experiences of the aspiring nurse anesthetists they mentor and fosters a legacy of mentorship at Fairfield. Ultimately, their actions enrich the Egan School’s DNP-Nurse Anesthesia program and the broader CRNA profession.
