Kim Snyder, CRNA

Kim Snyder’s commitment to expanding her skill set is part of her nature. “I’m a very skill-oriented person. I love to talk to people. I like to be doing something different every day.” This is largely what drew her to become a Nurse Anesthetist in the first place. “It’s such a well-rounded process. I love that there’s always something different to do.”

When Kim connected with Allegheny Anesthetists, she was able to engage in a diverse work environment. She also found it “refreshing” to be a part of Allegheny’s independent contracting network, because it enabled her to do different things all the time. She likes meeting new people, building rapport with patients from all over the state, and expanding her abilities. “You’re doing all different aspects of anesthesia. I like how [Allegheny] can bring that to me.”

Kim has also appreciated the ability to tailor her contracting options to meet her specific needs. “I’m building a house,” she said, “so it’s nice to get the extra money when I can.” Contracting through Allegheny can also mean picking up freelance opportunities close to home. “It’s nice to me that some of the places I’m working at are closer than where I’m driving for my full-time position.”

Many other professional benefits are included as well. Kim pointed out, “I think it makes you a better practitioner, too, when you can see what’s out there.” Setting foot in many different work environments enables her to meet and network with other CRNAs. “It’s awesome,” Kim said. “You get to find out about some of their history,” and she added that it helps having that kind of collaboration to talk with her peers and ask questions.

Kim freelances several days per month now, and said the experience has changed her perspective on her career. “I’m excited again!”

That excitement came from making a decision, though. “I was a little leery at first.” She said. “People get set in their ways. I have two little kids, so I didn’t want to burn all my time up.” However, the flexible scheduling and minimal time commitments made it easy for her to give it a try. She started off contracting just one day a month, but now she’s working almost one day a week, and says, “If I could, I’d do more.”

As far as record keeping and billing, Kim says Allegheny “makes it very easy … It’s precise and to the point. They take care of everything, even my insurance.”

Allegheny has been building a solid reputation as a premium, professional network, and newcomers such as Kim keep that reputation intact. No one can predict where their career will take them, but as Kim demonstrates, you can direct where you want your career to go.

Clem Farabaugh, CRNA

Clem Farabaugh has been a part of Allegheny Anesthetists from the very beginning. Although the level of his involvement has varied over the years, he has consistently upheld Allegheny Anesthetists as a foremost network of anesthesia providers, and he appreciates our advocacy for the CRNA profession.

Clem was initially attracted to getting involved in anesthesia because of the level of freedom the profession allows. “After college, I worked at the VA in Pittsburgh and saw what the anesthesia providers did, and I liked the independence.” He got involved in independent contracting before joining the CRNA network at Allegheny Anesthetists. However, one thing that encouraged him to commit more time with Allegheny was the emphasis they place on local providers supporting local facilities. In many instances of providing anesthesia coverage, Clem said he thought “it was kind of ridiculous that people from Pennsylvania were going to Georgia to work, and people from Georgia were going to Pennsylvania to work.”

So Clem has enjoyed playing a role in Allegheny’s approach of striving to use local providers to meet the needs of the hospitals and facilities they cover. And he appreciates the additional benefits that come from the local coverage that Allegheny provides. “I like what they’re doing. It pulls everyone together.” Even though you may not always be at the same facility with the same people every day, the group of people and the facilities are consistent. “And it’s local people,” Clem says, “so the cost is less than the national agency.”

One of the things that Clem appreciates most about Allegheny, though, is our skill with credentialing. “If an anesthetist has never done this [independent contracting], Allegheny Anesthetists makes it easy, and there’s a lot of choices for places they can go and work.” Clem says the process is very user-friendly, and openly admits that he personally dislikes going through the process of credentialing, but adds, “the staff has it very streamlined. It’s the smoothest credentialing process I’ve ever been through.”

Clem says that being a part of Allegheny’s CRNA network “has grown my career tremendously. “It’s grown my skills and been personally rewarding.” He adds that Allegheny is CRNA-oriented — our focus is not the same as hospital-based agencies or national agencies, but rather on local providers and local facilities. Allegheny is also involved in education and growing the profession.“It’s not just a business, but a CRNA group that focuses on the needs of CRNAs too,” he concludes.