Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022
Hermitage Golf Course – General’s Retreat

We’re teeing up an un-fore-gettable day of golf at this year’s MTSA Golf Classic, supporting the school’s Mission Initiative in Guyana. You won’t want to miss this revamped tournament, where you can take a swing at new competitions and prizes!

The tournament will feature multiple flights of four-person teams, culminating in a championship playoff on the 18th hole. Plus, other prizes and take-home medals will be given to winners of contests throughout the day.

Lunch will be served prior to the shotgun start, with special snacks and sweet treats available during and after the tournament. Awards will be presented green-side after the championship playoff.

100% of proceeds from the event support MTSA’s Mission Initiative in Guyana, where the school provides equipment and simulation training for nursing students studying to be CRNAs. Funding for medical supplies and education curricula for this program makes a lasting impact by improving patient care in this under-developed country. Learn more about how your participation helps practitioners in Guyana improve patient care»

No ifs, ands or putts about it: you’ll be on par for an exciting day on the links at this year’s Golf Classic, while supporting a good cause. Be sure to register your team today before it fills up – and tell a friend!

Event schedule:

10:30 a.m.: Registration opens
10:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.: Driving range open and putting contest
11:30 a.m.: Lunch
1:00 p.m.: Shotgun Start
Closing: Championship playoff, awards ceremony & sweet treats

Competition details:

• Four-person teams, five team per flight
• Scramble/best-ball format
• 2-putt max
• Winners of each flight compete in championship playoff on 18th hole
• Putting, long drive, closest to the pin, and hole-in-one contests
• Medals for winners of contests and flights

Interested in sponsoring the event? Download the sponsorship form»

About the Guyana Mission Initiative

Recently, MTSA doctoral student Lani Hensel (pictured right), CRNA with Michigan-based Anesthesia Associates of Battle Creek, uncovered specific educational needs in the Guyana program that MTSA is helping to address.

Hensel’s research comprised a literature review on nurse anesthesia simulation in low-resource areas such as Guyana. She incorporated a simulation educational needs survey of nurse anesthetists, which revealed knowledge gaps and highlighted scenarios in which supplemental training and equipment would be beneficial.

“One of the most important skills in anesthesia is crisis-emergency care, and the best way to review and practice those situations is simulation because it’s the safest way,” Hensel said. “Our goal is to raise funds to be able to take more advanced simulation equipment to the program in Guyana and help the anesthetists and students with scenarios where their confidence level can be improved.”

Hensel identified several areas for review and continuing education for the anesthetists:

• Disseminated intravascular coagulation (blood clotting)
• Airway fires
• Cardiac dysrhythmias (irregular heartbeat)
• Embolism
• Myocardial infarction (heart attack)
• Pneumothorax (collapsed lung)
• Pediatric acute cardiac events
• Obstetrics (e.g., C-section)

Hensel hopes to travel to Guyana for implementation with the scenarios that have the highest need for continuing education and following up with another survey to see how the students’ confidence levels have improved.

“My basis for this study was that safe anesthesia requires lifelong learning and continuing education, and simulation is the best way to receive that, especially for crisis management,” Hensel said.

Part of her motivation for pursuing this research came from previous volunteer and mission-oriented work. She often felt like she was leaving a gap in the needs of those she was serving and wanted to find ways of making a more long-lasting impact.

“I found that the way I can give the most benefit in short-term volunteering is by providing education. Simulation training can be done short-term, and it can really help these communities in meaningful ways. We’re really focused on stakeholder involvement, making sure that what we’re doing in Guyana isn’t just coming in and doing what ‘we want to do,’ but that it’s truly what they need,” Hensel added.

Photos from MTSA’s ongoing Guyana Mission Initiative

Learn more about MTSA’s Mission Initiative in Guyana by watching this video:

Read about last year’s Golf Classic»