Matt Bednarchik was raised in rural America, and now it鈥檚 where he鈥檚 filling the gap of pain management providers at three separate locations with skills learned through the USF College of Nursing Advanced Pain Management Fellowship.
Matt Bednarchik, DNP, CRNA, ARNP, NSPM-C
Bednarchik鈥檚 introduction to pain management came shortly after getting his graduate degree in nurse anesthesiology to become a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA). He joined a critical access hospital in Springfield, IL where he gained foundational knowledge of the practice under an anesthesiologist. After about two years, he earned his doctor of nursing practice (DNP) before applying to the fellowship.
鈥淚 tried to come into it with an open mind and not bring bad habits into it because the faculty are top notch,鈥� Bednarchik said. 鈥淚 wanted to see how they did things and in some ways it validated some of the stuff I was doing and in other ways I learned things I could change and better my practice.鈥�
With his practice expanded, Bednarchik took his skills to Iowa, where he joined the Bloomfield Anesthetist Group and began helping patients at three different locations.
A shot from the countryside in Fairfield, IA
Bednarchik now provides pain management services in Fairfield, IA with a population of 9,300; in Bloomfield, IA with a population less than 2,800; and in Keosawqua, IA where fewer than 1,000 people live.
Those communities are made up of hardworking people like farmers and trade workers. That lifestyle combined with age leads to many living with pain. Being around two hours away from larger cities like Des Moine or Iowa City makes managing pain with opioids easier.
Educating patients and other physicians is a huge part of his mission to combat pain in Iowa. In some cases, knowledge alone convinces people to try other methods like the ones he learned in the fellowship.
鈥淚鈥檝e had many patients who tell me I鈥檓 the first person to say this wasn鈥檛 safe. They think that nothing is wrong,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut then I tell them that they鈥檙e on a really high dose and they have a 10-15% chance of just not waking up when they go to bed. I pull up statistics to show them and then they realize they don鈥檛 want to take that much anymore.鈥�
For certain patients, opioids are still necessary. However, he鈥檚 learned many ways to manage pain by giving patients personalized treatment plans. That could be using injections, or medication management that employs both low-dose opioids as well as non-opioid related drug interventions.
The ability to spend more time with patients is one of his favorite things about practicing pain. Bednarchik gets a high level of satisfaction knowing he鈥檚 helping people live their lives to the fullest without being encumbered by the side effects of high-dose opioids.
鈥淚 have anesthesia students going through doctoral programs that I see in clinic. Whenever they talk about doing pain, I tell them if they鈥檙e going to do this they need to go through a fellowship. You have anesthesiologists and other physicians who train specifically in a fellowship to do what you鈥檙e wanting to do. Why do you think that you shouldn鈥檛 do the same thing?鈥�
Matt Bednarchik