Expanding Nurse Anesthesia Education and Practice in Low-Income Countries

What does it take to deliver anesthesia in a hospital with no ventilator, scarce medication, and power that cuts out mid-surgery? Today we’re joined by Dr. Mark Newton, pediatric anesthesiologist and longtime medical missionary, Mary Mungai, one of Kenya’s first licensed nurse anesthetists and a leader in anesthesia education across East Africa; and Jackie Rowles, IFNA President and founder of Our Hearts Your Hands will take ​you ​far ​beyond ​the ​walls ​of ​the ​US ​Hospitals ​and ​surgery ​centers ​into ​low ​income ​countries ​where ​nurse ​anesthetists ​are ​delivering ​care ​under ​some ​of ​the ​most ​resource-limited ​and ​demanding ​conditions ​in ​the ​world.   Together, they share extraordinary stories of resilience, courage, and compassion — from training the first nurse anesthetists in Kenya to bringing safe anesthesia to war-torn regions like South Sudan and Somaliland. It’s a look at how education, mentorship, and global partnerships are transforming access to safe surgical care — one provider, one patient, and one country at a time. Here’s some of what you’ll hear in this episode: 🌍 Global Perspective: An inside look at CRNAs serving in Africa’s most resource-limited hospitals. 🇰🇪 Kenya’s First Nurse Anesthetist: Mary Mungai’s story of building training programs from the ground up. 💉 Training the Trainers: How education multiplies impact across borders. ⚕️ The Supply Crisis: Performing surgery without halothane, oxygen, or IV fluids. 🤝 Collaboration Over Competition: How CRNAs and physicians work side by side to save lives. 💖 A Global Call to Action: “We didn’t choose where we were born — but we can choose to help.”   Learn more about Our Heart Your Hands: https://www.ourheartsyourhands.org/  Visit us online: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/ The 1099 CRNA Institute: https://aana.com/1099 Get the CE Certificate here (and directly submit to the NBCRNA): https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Beyond-the-Mask-CE-Cert-FILLABLE.pdf Help us grow by leaving a review: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-the-mask-innovation-opportunities-for-crnas/id1440309246 Now you can watch the show on YouTube! Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCknrmkRxiwtYk7LUjSV6wmw?sub_confirmation=1