From observer to worker, a story of how one CRNA trained her replacement

DOVER-FOXCROFT — When someone is asked about who inspired them to join the medical field, you will often hear them say that it was a doctor, nurse or paramedic who was kind to them on the worst day of their life. For Devon Brooks, a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist at Northern Light Mayo Hospital, his inspiration came from his mother Karen Dow, who was also a CRNA at Mayo Hospital.

“Before outpatient procedures were more common, a lot of procedures that required anesthesia required an overnight stay in the hospital. So, my mom would have to go around and meet with patients post procedure, and I would go with her on the weekends. The hospital essentially became my second home. I knew the nurses and providers well. I would spend a lot of time on the floor with them and my mom,” he said. 

“When Devon was three or four years old, I would bring him with me post-call because I didn’t have any assignments. There was a child in a wheelchair in the hospital that I would push him in, and he would go with me making rounds, seeing my post-op patients. He would hold charts in his lap and chat with the patients and my colleagues. The patients and staff loved having him around,” she said. 

While Devon got to see his mom with patients in a hospital setting, he also got to see her in action in Nicaragua when he went down with her and several of her coworkers on a mission trip.

“When I was 17, I went on a mission trip down to Nicaragua to bring expired medical products to help the community down there. During my time there, I was able to scrub in on a surgery, and I watched as my mom was giving anesthesia to patients and how important of a role she played with patients,” he said. 

“They didn’t have modern technology like we did, so I was very grateful for my training. You see, when I was trained, we didn’t have all the equipment that we do today, so I had to assess my patient based on their temperature, skin color, and vitals to determine what they needed. While there, I had to hand ventilate my patients, the anesthesia machine was from the 1950s and the oxygen supply was extremely limited, as were most supplies. I did a lot of improvising and a lot of praying. Being in Nicaragua was like a step back in time for me,” she said

Brooks says that the turning point in his decision to become a CRNA was when he was allowed to help patients while he was in Nicaragua. 

“One procedure that really stuck with me was a woman who had an infected open wound. She couldn’t go under general anesthesia, so I watched as my mom gave her some sedation to keep her calm while they cleaned her wound,” he said. 

“This woman was in quite a bit of pain. Devon held her hand while I was finishing up an assignment. He was her only source of comfort,” she said. “He kept telling her ‘Don’t worry, my mom will be in here soon to help you.’ Once I got there, I was able to give her some sedation to help with her pain. Devon told me afterwards, that he wanted to help take the pain away from people and become a CRNA.”

By the time his senior year of high school came, Devon started his journey to becoming a CRNA. “I applied to nursing school, became a nurse, worked in critical care and then applied and got accepted into anesthesiology school,” he said. “Once I completed that, I decided to move down to New Hampshire to work some, and then after several years, I decided to come back home. I noticed that Northern Light Mayo Hospital had some openings. Mom was retiring, so she handed the baton off to me. I started working on a Monday, and my mom retired that Thursday.” 

“Devon did part of his anesthesiology preceptorship here. He worked under my colleagues, and they all commented on how warm, kind, and personable he is. When I decided to retire, he replaced me. I quite literally raised my replacement. I couldn’t be prouder of him,” she said. 

Devon has been a CRNA at Mayo for the last six years and his mother was a CRNA for 36 years before her retirement. “This community is my home. My parents still live here. My brother is close by in another town. I just love the small community feel. I love seeing people who I know from my childhood, church, or from school who come in for procedure. I love having that connection with them,” he said.