Ep. 126: Gertrude Fife’s Lasting Impact on Education and the AANA

When we think back to the formation of the AANA, the first person that comes to mind is founder Agatha Hodgins, but her peer Gertrude Fife made a lasting impact on the organization and the profession.

Ms. Fife was elected president at the first convention in Milwaukee, making her the second president for the organization and she served from 1933-35. At the time, she stated that ‘the formation of the organization was for the purpose of elevating the standards of anesthesia.’

And she helped do just that. The push for educational standards laid the foundation for the accreditation, certification exam, and recertification that’s in place today. Even though you might not immediately recognize her name, Fife left a legacy that is still relevant today.

To help us tell her story, we’ve brought in our resident historians, Nancy Bruton-Maree, CRNA, and Sandy Ouellette, CRNA, who also served as AANA presidents. Their experience and perspective is always a joy to hear so we hope you enjoy this installment of our historical series.

So as you get started on the episode, keep an ear out for these topics:

• Her early life and career.

• How the National Association of Nurse Anesthetists was formed nearly 80 years ago.

• The push to strengthen states and focus on education and strong organization early on.

• Her skill as a promoter helped grow the organization five-fold in members and more than four-fold in treasury money.

• The early push for a nurse anesthesia accreditation program and the standards that needed to be met.

• The three membership categories that were introduced at the first convention.

• What the $5 annual dues in 1933 would be equivalent to today.

• The minimum standards for schools of anesthesia that were agreed upon at the first meeting.

• The many other roles she held while also serving as president of the NANA.

• Her many accomplishments as president.

• The disagreement over state vs national registration and how she won out.

Check it out the interview at the top of the page and use the timestamps to help you navigate through the many topics we discussed.

[2:10] – Welcome Sandy and Nancy

[5:22] – Early part of her life

[6:49] – Contributions to clinical anesthesia

[13:39] – Contributions to AANA

[24:38] – Elected NANA president

[27:52] – Real proponent of an accreditation program

[34:15] – An organizer and promoter

[36:27] – Membership categories

[39:02] – What annual dues would be today based on inflation

[40:55] – Settings standards for education

[45:37] – Woman of many talents

[47:46] – Dagmar Nelson Trial

[45:37] – Disagreement between Hodgins and Fife

[51:59] – First qualifying exam

[54:54] – Other awards

[56:45] – Her life’s work and its relevance today

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