University Of Mobile: University Of Mobile Announces Directors Of New School Of Nurse Anesthesia

Press release from the University of Mobile:

Kathy Dean

June 21, 2021

MOBILE, Ala. –

Also joining the UM School of Nurse Anesthesia as assistant professor and associate program director is Hunter Speeg, DNP, CRNA.

Most recently, Hicks served as an assistant professor and the associate pathway coordinator of the BSN-DNP Nurse Anesthesia Pathway at University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

During his tenure at UAB, the nurse anesthesia program expanded by more than 100 percent. He was instrumental in the conversion of the UAB nurse anesthesia training program from a master’s-level degree to the now-required doctoral endpoint. His role was to design and develop the curriculum and manage the didactic preparation of all nurse anesthesia students. Under his leadership, outcomes from the nurse anesthesia program improved during a period of rapid program growth.

Hicks was awarded the Dean’s Award for Innovation in Simulation Education in 2016 and was nominated by his students for the AANA Didactic Instructor of the Year in 2017.

In addition to his work at UAB, he is the Expert Clinical Sciences Lecturer for Valley Anesthesia Review, which is a nurse anesthesia board review course given multiple times per year across the country.  In this role, Hicks has assisted more than 1,000 nurse anesthesia graduates to prepare for the National Certification Examination (NCE).

A native of North Carolina, Hicks has been a resident of Alabama since 1989. He earned a Bachelor of Science in education from Auburn University in 1999 and worked as a middle and high school teacher for three years, prior to returning to Auburn. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2004 and worked as a critical care registered nurse at East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika, Alabama, prior to matriculation in a nurse anesthesia training program.

Hicks earned a Master of Nurse Anesthesia from UAB in 2008 and has worked as a clinical CRNA since completion of his anesthesia training. He earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice from UAB in 2015, completing his graduate studies.

He is a sought-after continuing education speaker, having provided content locally, regionally, and nationally for CRNAs in almost any setting. Following years of work as a staff CRNA in the Baptist Health System, he maintained a busy nurse anesthesia practice in central Alabama, providing anesthesia services in an office-based, independent setting. His clinical interests include obstetric anesthesia, regional anesthesia, opioid-free/-reduced techniques, and total intravenous anesthesia techniques. Recent publications pertain to pharmacology and genomics.

Hicks is an active member of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetist and the Alabama Association of Nurse Anesthetists, for which he has served on the Board of Directors and in various committees. His focus in service is for expansion of nurse anesthesia practice in Alabama to full-scope as well as pharmacology-based continuing education.

This press release was produced by the University of Mobile. The views expressed here are the author’s own.