Ep #41: The Importance of Getting Involved with Joe Rodriguez, CRNA

We always talk about the importance of community within the CRNA profession so let’s take it a step further by discussing how and why you should get involved. There are varying levels of involvement, as we’ll get into, but Joe Rodriguez will help us understand what your participation means to the industry.   ***CE CREDIT ALERT: Did you know you can get continuing education credit from the AANA for listening to this episode? Go to https://knowledgenetwork.aana.com/home to get the details and get your credit today! And see a list of other episodes that qualify for CE credit here: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/series-ce-credit   Show Notes: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/the-importance-of-getting-involved-with-joe-rodriguez-crna/2079/   Today's rundown: 2:20 – Introducing our guest today, Joe Rodriguez. 3:08 – His topic today is ‘getting involved.’ Here’s why it’s important. 4:07 – Participating in community at work versus neighborhood is a little different for Joe. 5:09 – Have you always been like this or did you develop this interest in getting involved?   7:25 – Should everyone be as engaged as Joe? What’s the happy medium? 9:18 – How many CRNAs total compared to AANA members? 11:16 – What is the average CRNA career worth? 12:17 – Do you remember MI 68? Their story shows why it’s important to be engaged. 13:00 – Sometimes people just need to be asked. 14:23 – Why Joe is so passionate about all these regulatory issues. 15:37 – How do you overcome an opponent that’s better funded? 19:12 – Highlighting the progress that Joe has seen through the years. 21:27 – How do you balance your time to get so much accomplished? 23:43 – If he wasn’t a CRNA, Joe would be a lawyer.                            26:30 – What advice would you give people to get them involved? And specifically for people at different stages of their career – early, middle, late.