Bruce Schoneboom, PhD, CRNA, FAAN, is the Associate Dean for Practice, Innovation and Leadership for Johns Hopkins' School of Nursing’s Doctor of Nursing Practice Program. On a daily basis, and as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) himself, Schoneboom stresses the importance of seeking alternative pain relief methods to opioids. CRNAs are committed to fighting against the prescription opioid and heroin epidemic by educating patients and collaborating with them on the types of drugs that will be used during their surgery and afterwards at home to control their pain. CRNAs are anesthesia specialists who help minimize the need for opioids by offering alternative methods of pain management and relief specifically tailored to each patient, which produces the best and healthiest patient outcomes.

Schoneboom graduated from Texas Wesleyan University in 1991 with a master’s degree in Health Science (nurse anesthesia), the Uniformed Services University of the Health Science in 2000 with a PhD in neuroscience, and the National War College in 2011 with a master’s in national security and strategy. Schoneboom is a veteran of the military, having served 30 years in the U.S. Army. He is a member of several professional associations and societies including the American Nurses Association and the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States. He was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing in 2009.

About the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Founded in 1931 and located in Park Ridge, Ill., and Washington, D.C., the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) is the professional organization representing nearly 54,000 Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and student registered nurse anesthetists across the United States. As advanced practice registered nurses and anesthesia specialists, CRNAs administer more than 49 million anesthetics to patients in the United States each year and are the primary providers of anesthesia care in rural America. In some states, CRNAs are the sole anesthesia professionals in nearly 100 percent of rural hospitals. For more information, visit www.aana.com and www.future-of-anesthesia-care-today.com and follow @aanawebupdates on Twitter.