Two VCU Allied Health Graduates Land the Cover of a National Medical Publication

By Justin Hurdle
VCU Communications and Public Relations

Two recent graduates of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Allied Health Professions were featured on the most recent cover of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Journal (AANA).

Lukeythia Bastardi, D.N.A.P., and Jill Schroeder, D.N.A.P., are pictured demonstrating the Baricity Educational Spinal Trainer (BEST), a device they helped to develop.

The BEST is a device that allows the user to inject dyed local anesthetics into the spinal canal and visualize the movement throughout the space surrounding the spinal cord. The device will be used on human cadavers to teach nurse anesthesia students about the science of regional anesthesia.

“This is a fantastic tool to teach nurse anesthesia students, because it gives them a chance to really see how anesthetics travel through the body,” said Elizabeth Howell, assistant professor and director of professional development in the Department of Nurse Anesthesia and co-developer of the device.  “It really illustrates that ‘Seeing is Believing.’”

Bastardi, Schroeder and Howell were the sole developers of the BEST device. The tool is already being used by Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists at the annual Regional Anesthesia Workshop, which is held by VCU’s Department of Nurse Anesthesia. Currently the patent is pending, and VCU is seeking a commercialization partner to license this tool.