PERSPECTIVES 25th Anniversary - Fall-Winter 2018

22 Nova Southeastern University Anesthesiologist Assistant Fort Lauderdale and Tampa Impacting the Profession: The History and Growth of NSU’s AA Programs By Llalando L. Austin II, Ed.D., CAA, RRT, Program Director IN 2005, spurred by a four-year legislative push, the anesthe- siologist assistant (AA) profession accomplished a major feat when it earned licensure in the state of Florida—an achieve- ment that proved to be a great turning point in the history of the AA profession. When the Florida Board of Medicine approved the licensing of AAs in the state, it contributed to a domino effect of further expansion for a profession that had experienced little growth for almost four decades before the 2005 Florida ruling. This triumph encouraged the trio of Robert Wagner, M.M.Sc., RRT, CAA, chair, Department of Anesthesia; Richard E. Davis, Ed.D., PA-C, former PCHCS dean; and Frederick Lippman, R.Ph., Ed.D., Health Professions Division chancellor, to do something bold. Together, they created the profession’s first anesthesiologist assistant program in Florida at NSU’s Fort Lauderdale/Davie Campus—and only the fourth program in the profession’s 40-year history. Don Sokolik, M.D., became the program’s medical director, and in the summer of 2006, NSU’s inaugural class of AA stu- dents began its coursework, which would later become the positive turning point the profession had been expecting for many years. These students would be responsible for opening the doors for future AAs and influencing the profession in profound ways. In the summer of 2008, the first class of AA students grad- uated, setting the bar for AA practice in Florida that many anesthesia practices in the state would later use to gauge the program’s ability to graduate skilled anesthesia care providers. NSU had created an AA program that would grad- uate competent providers who were optimally prepared to transition into leadership roles throughout the profession. The successful implementation of NSU’s first AA program at the Fort Lauderdale/Davie Campus birthed the idea to establish a second program at NSU’s Tampa Campus in 2009. Comprising a similar makeup of faculty members, and a near- ly identical curriculum, NSU’s Tampa AA Program was born. Rafael Miguel, M.D., one of the most recognizable names in the anesthesia community, was chosen to become the new program’s medical director. A strong supporting cast of faculty and staff members was added to round out the Florida Senator Michael Fasano (right), who sponsored the 2005 AA bill and was responsible for its passage, poses with Robert Wagner.