A new children’s book targets African American boys and encourages them to pursue careers as Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) by spotlighting an African American male nurse as the main character.
Released on Juneteenth 2020, The Super CRNA by Crystal Grant and Everett Moss II, two African American CRNAs, serves as the introduction to a children’s book series that will highlight the CRNA profession. The field of nurse anesthesia is a hidden secret and a predominately White male profession. Only 1.3% of nurse anesthetists are African American.
“During his summer vacation, Ty and his Pops find themselves in an emergency situation. At the hospital, Ty meets a real-life superhero – a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist named Mike,” reads the description.
The Super CRNA gives a small glimpse into what a CRNA does and teaches children what to do in an emergency at home while also affirming that there are men in nursing and, more specifically, Black male nurses.
“It highlights the profession, lets young readers know that superheroes come in all different shades and sizes, and lets boys know they can be nurses too,” Grant said.
Moss, a Registered Nurse Anesthetist doctoral student at Emory University, serves as the face of Mike. He is currently 1 out of 20 nurses in the nation who hold the number of certifications he does. They include BSN, SRNA, NRP, CCRN, CEN, TCRN, CFRN CPEN, CTRN. He has been a firefighter, a paramedic, an intensive care unit nurse, and has recently deployed on several COVID-19 crisis unit assignments. Follow him on Instagram @the_paramurse.
Grant has been a Registered Nurse since 2002, and has been a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist since 2013 when she graduated from Rutgers University in Newark, NJ. She is currently a CRNA in Chicopee, MA. Follow her on Instagram @crysgcrna.
“Collaborating with him to write the introduction and be the “face” of Mike the CRNA is the true definition of representation matters,” Grant said.
