Airway Exchange – Ep. 7 – Cultivating Wellness in CRNA Programs

As our wellness theme continues, today we’re focused on student wellness, which is essential to producing competent, confident, and emotionally healthy CRNAs. Erin and Greg welcome Matthew Zinder, DNAP, CH, CRNA, practice owner, educator, wellness researcher, and co-founder of Program Prep, to break down the realities of stress inside anesthesia programs and what both faculty and students can do about it.

Here’s some of what you’ll hear in this episode:

🧠 ICU culture follows students - Care for others → ignore self.

😷 COVID changed baseline stress - PTSD + chronic stress entering programs.

🎢 Type-A struggle with “square one” - Big fish → beginner again.

🧘‍♂️ Wellness must be structured - Integrated modules, daily practices, real tools.

💬 Check-ins matter - Safe spaces + simple techniques improve outcomes.

About our guest: https://www.matthewzinder.com/about

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