In La Grande, Oregon, nestled in the Blue Mountains, Brad Close is committed to helping his neighbors manage pain. He credits the USF College of Nursing’s Advanced Pain Management Fellowship with giving him the foundation to achieve that dream. Close is now using the tools and knowledge he acquired during the fellowship to serve patients in an area where the kind of treatment he offers is scarce.
Brad Close working at his practice in La Grande, OR
USF’s Advanced Pain Management Fellowship trains certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) in pain management. The fellowship has earned a reputation for accommodating students like Brad Close who live across the country. However, when Close applied to the fellowship, the program was full.
He didn't let that stop him.
Close reached out to Fellowship Director John Maye, PhD, CRNA, to explain his goals and the need (at the time there were only two practicing CRNAs in Oregon). Maye told Close that as long as he arranged his own hands-on training, they would make room for him. The training clinic he found was four hours away. But again, he didn't let that stop him.
“I’m just the kind of person who, once I start something, I have to see it through to the end.”
Brad Close
Today, he works alongside another CRNA and a dedicated team of RNs, caring for about 15 patients a day, twice a week. Before he opened operations three years ago, his patients had no options for pain management. For a town of loggers, truckers, and ranchers who spend hours in the surrounding mountains doing work that is hard on the body, that was untenable. Add to that an aging population—Close estimates that 70% of his patients are over 60 years old—and it's understandable why the clinic was booked four months in advance soon after opening its doors.
“We’re kind of in a bowl. There’s a canyon on either side of us that shuts down 10 to 20 times during the winter,” Close said. “Snowstorms come, trucks jackknife, and people in our town can’t get out. It’s pretty common for the roads to be shut down for a day or two.”
USF’s Advanced Pain Management Fellowship helped this community get the care they need. It gave Close the ability to offer that care, to make a difference in his small Oregon town.
I’m grateful for the knowledge I’ve gained helping my patients to enjoy life. With my help, they're not letting pain overtake their lives.
Brad Close
Learn more about the USF College of Nursing Advanced Pain Management Fellowship.