Navigating Late Career CRNA Practice & Patient Safety with Judy Thompson

As more CRNAs continue practicing well into their 60s and 70s, it raises a critical and complex question: how do we balance respect for experience with the need to protect patient safety? As ​healthcare ​evolves, ​so ​does ​the ​understanding ​of ​how ​aging ​affects ​performance ​in ​high ​stakes ​environments ​like ​the ​operating ​room. Today we’re going to have an open and honest conversation with longtime educator and CRNA Judy Thompson about ​cognitive ​health ​testing ​protocols ​and ​the ​path ​forward ​for ​those ​at ​the ​peak ​of ​their ​careers.

With over 35 years of leadership in nurse anesthesia education, Judy brings both professional insight and personal experience to the discussion. We’ll tackle everything from mandatory retirement age debates, discrimination concerns, and the value (and pitfalls) of cognitive testing, to what healthcare systems—and CRNAs themselves—can do to navigate this sensitive issue fairly.

Here’s some of what we discuss in this episode:

🧠 Cognitive testing in late-career CRNAs: fairness or discrimination?
🏥 Patient safety vs. provider autonomy—how do we find the balance?
📉 Aging impacts everyone differently; there’s no one-size-fits-all solution
🛠️ Simulation and early baselines could be part of a better approach
👩‍⚕️ Aging CRNAs bring wisdom—but also face scrutiny and bias

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