Before he was president of MTSA!
October 30, 2009
October 26, 2009
October 18, 2009
New Comments!
Thank you for having the "balls" to get the truth out about this school!! You are a blessing. I graduated from MTSA over 15 years ago and even then it was a disaster. I am a former SDA . . . and now am a Christian. When the school claimed to "reflect Christ" I used to cringe as I knew they were no more" Christ like" than the man in the moon! After ALL these years . . . they still don't get why the alumni don't want anything to do with the school. The students were all treated like "crap"! Now the problem is the "mass" production of an inferior product. [Many of] the students that are coming out of this program are completely unprepared. Most don't even know how to manage an airway. I know this because I used to mentor the students on their rotations. What is coming out of MTSA is frightening!! But, let me say, it is in no way the students fault. These students are smart, but the school is opening such large classes that these kids are not getting the proper training required. They are coming out to their first jobs completely unprepared . . . and the blame goes back to the school. The school claims to be a friend to the CRNA . . . what a Joke! This school has flooded the whole Middle Tennessee area with an inferior and incompetent product that makes the rest of us look really bad. Again, thank you for this site. Keep up the great work!
"Thank you for your site . . . keep up the good work in getting the truth out!!!"
I just found out about this site . . . and I can tell already that I'm going to LOVE it!!!!
"Thank you for your site . . . keep up the good work in getting the truth out!!!"
I just found out about this site . . . and I can tell already that I'm going to LOVE it!!!!
October 13, 2009
Ghosts, ghouls, and goblins
It’s that time of year when folks dress up and pretend to be all manner of people or things. This holiday must surely be the most hallowed time of year for the administration at MTSA. It must be revered above all others because the administration pretends so well; better than anyone else. And they’ve been doing it for so long! Sadly, pretense is a way of life for the administration. Many of the commenters on this blog have used a very fitting word when describing the administration – hypocrite. This author must admit, that is a word well suited for the administration. And it certainly fits the holiday. The word is derived from the Greek and literally means, “I play a part”. That being the case, “hypocrite” is indeed the correct word.
The administration of the school wears the mask of educational and spiritual integrity. The truth, however, is that they manipulate the interview/admission process in order to allow those they favor to gain admittance to the school. They pretend to be fair and honest in all matters regarding discipline. The truth is that when students sprayed graffiti on the walls of a building destined for demolition, scrawling words that depicted the administration in an unfavorable light, the administration punctuated their disfavor and displeasure by disciplining these students in a harsh and severe manner. These students were threatened with termination and expulsion and some were not allowed to graduate with their class. However, a student allegedly caught soliciting a prostitute and allegedly possessing narcotics from a clinical rotation barely gets slapped on the wrist. The administration pretends that they are the reflection of Christ Himself. However, when those arise who might threaten their power, challenge their methods, or question their integrity, they seek to deal with them by fabricating canards and lies in an attempt to ruin their reputation and lessen their credibility. They proclaim their zeal for God, throw on their meretricious cloak of religiosity, bellow and bleat about their love for the school and its need to “reflect Christ” – all this is nothing more than a pretense to cover their desire for control and self-aggrandizement. They have well hidden their true character; concealed it by heavy subterfuge. Few would ever imagine that persons claiming to “reflect Christ” and espousing the virtues of their religion could be capable of the heinous deeds that they commit. Their design truly is most clever and the disguise is very difficult to detect. The acts of the administration are the exact opposite of the façade they daily wear. What a burden this must have become over the years; continually trying to squelch those who would dare to remove their mask; those who would reveal their true identity. The duplicity necessary for such treachery requires Herculean effort. But when it comes to pretense, they are masters. Kudos.
Even to this author, this all sounds a bit like some grand conspiracy theory. Sometimes the truth IS very strange. The irony and paradox of stating the truth about them is that it makes the person tugging at their mask seem, to those who think they know them, every bit as depraved! This seems unavoidable because of their vigorously proclaimed religiosity and because of a firm presumption by many that the administration will do and is doing what is in the best interests of the school. No one wants to give credence to the suggestion that the administration is self-serving, that they have hidden agendas, that they have long ago jettisoned their fiduciary responsibilities in favor of promoting “religious principles” which only serve to further hide their personal agendas. No one wants to have to admit that the administration mostly operates with a the-end-justifies-the-means mentality. In a way, it’s the same sort of situation that exists when living with an abusive spouse. Sometimes those closest never suspect a thing until they see the black eye, the bruised lip, the scars, etc. Even then, it’s difficult to believe that a spouse could do such things. And yet, it happens.
Experience has taught me that individuals cannot perpetuate this particular brand of dualism, self-deception, and lunacy ad infinitum. Sooner or later, someone or something, will rip away these fig leaves they wear and everyone will see the administration for what they really are – treacherous charlatans. Their comeuppance will arrive and when it does The Blogger will take no glory in it. There will be no delight in seeing the shame and misery that ultimately follows such an exposition. There surely must be many, however, who will breath deep and easy in the fresh air of vindication and exoneration. It is for this reason alone that I look forward to that day and to the day when their leadership, feckless as it is, will be regarded by all as ephemera; an ancien régime long forgotten.
If these words seem harsh to the reader it can only be because you have not experienced the mean-spirited, duplicitous, self-serving actions of the administration first-hand. The truth IS sometimes harsh. No one wanted to believe that the religious leaders in Christ’s day were a “brood of vipers”. No need to mince words – it was the truth. I’m guessing you might have had a hard time convincing the other 11 disciples that Judas was a betrayer; until he kissed Him on the cheek. This brand of deceit and wrong-doing within the administration cannot be dealt with effectively by simply saying “Please” and “Thank you”. It will only end when those having sufficient backbone are willing to stand up and say, “No more. The craziness ends here”.
Given that the Halloween holiday is upon us, I will leave you with a fitting fairy tale. Who might the old woman represent?
“Suddenly the door opened, and a woman as old as the hills, who supported herself on crutches, came creeping out. Hansel and Gretel were so terribly frightened that they let fall what they had in their hands. The old woman, however, nodded her head, and said: “Oh, you dear children, who has brought you here? Do come in, and stay with me. No harm shall happen to you." She took them both by the hand, and led them into her little house. Then good food was set before them, milk and pancakes, with sugar, apples, and nuts. Afterwards two pretty little beds were covered with clean white linen, and Hansel and Gretel lay down in them, and thought they were in heaven. The old woman had only pretended to be so kind; she was in reality a wicked witch, who lay in wait for children, and had only built the little house of bread in order to entice them there. When a child fell into her power, she killed it, cooked and ate it, and that was a feast day with her. Witches have red eyes, and cannot see far, but they have a keen scent like the beasts, and are aware when human beings draw near. When Hansel and Gretel came into her neighborhood, she laughed with malice, and said mockingly: "I have them and they shall not escape me again!"
BOO! Happy Halloween!
The Blogger
The administration of the school wears the mask of educational and spiritual integrity. The truth, however, is that they manipulate the interview/admission process in order to allow those they favor to gain admittance to the school. They pretend to be fair and honest in all matters regarding discipline. The truth is that when students sprayed graffiti on the walls of a building destined for demolition, scrawling words that depicted the administration in an unfavorable light, the administration punctuated their disfavor and displeasure by disciplining these students in a harsh and severe manner. These students were threatened with termination and expulsion and some were not allowed to graduate with their class. However, a student allegedly caught soliciting a prostitute and allegedly possessing narcotics from a clinical rotation barely gets slapped on the wrist. The administration pretends that they are the reflection of Christ Himself. However, when those arise who might threaten their power, challenge their methods, or question their integrity, they seek to deal with them by fabricating canards and lies in an attempt to ruin their reputation and lessen their credibility. They proclaim their zeal for God, throw on their meretricious cloak of religiosity, bellow and bleat about their love for the school and its need to “reflect Christ” – all this is nothing more than a pretense to cover their desire for control and self-aggrandizement. They have well hidden their true character; concealed it by heavy subterfuge. Few would ever imagine that persons claiming to “reflect Christ” and espousing the virtues of their religion could be capable of the heinous deeds that they commit. Their design truly is most clever and the disguise is very difficult to detect. The acts of the administration are the exact opposite of the façade they daily wear. What a burden this must have become over the years; continually trying to squelch those who would dare to remove their mask; those who would reveal their true identity. The duplicity necessary for such treachery requires Herculean effort. But when it comes to pretense, they are masters. Kudos.
Even to this author, this all sounds a bit like some grand conspiracy theory. Sometimes the truth IS very strange. The irony and paradox of stating the truth about them is that it makes the person tugging at their mask seem, to those who think they know them, every bit as depraved! This seems unavoidable because of their vigorously proclaimed religiosity and because of a firm presumption by many that the administration will do and is doing what is in the best interests of the school. No one wants to give credence to the suggestion that the administration is self-serving, that they have hidden agendas, that they have long ago jettisoned their fiduciary responsibilities in favor of promoting “religious principles” which only serve to further hide their personal agendas. No one wants to have to admit that the administration mostly operates with a the-end-justifies-the-means mentality. In a way, it’s the same sort of situation that exists when living with an abusive spouse. Sometimes those closest never suspect a thing until they see the black eye, the bruised lip, the scars, etc. Even then, it’s difficult to believe that a spouse could do such things. And yet, it happens.
Experience has taught me that individuals cannot perpetuate this particular brand of dualism, self-deception, and lunacy ad infinitum. Sooner or later, someone or something, will rip away these fig leaves they wear and everyone will see the administration for what they really are – treacherous charlatans. Their comeuppance will arrive and when it does The Blogger will take no glory in it. There will be no delight in seeing the shame and misery that ultimately follows such an exposition. There surely must be many, however, who will breath deep and easy in the fresh air of vindication and exoneration. It is for this reason alone that I look forward to that day and to the day when their leadership, feckless as it is, will be regarded by all as ephemera; an ancien régime long forgotten.
If these words seem harsh to the reader it can only be because you have not experienced the mean-spirited, duplicitous, self-serving actions of the administration first-hand. The truth IS sometimes harsh. No one wanted to believe that the religious leaders in Christ’s day were a “brood of vipers”. No need to mince words – it was the truth. I’m guessing you might have had a hard time convincing the other 11 disciples that Judas was a betrayer; until he kissed Him on the cheek. This brand of deceit and wrong-doing within the administration cannot be dealt with effectively by simply saying “Please” and “Thank you”. It will only end when those having sufficient backbone are willing to stand up and say, “No more. The craziness ends here”.
Given that the Halloween holiday is upon us, I will leave you with a fitting fairy tale. Who might the old woman represent?
“Suddenly the door opened, and a woman as old as the hills, who supported herself on crutches, came creeping out. Hansel and Gretel were so terribly frightened that they let fall what they had in their hands. The old woman, however, nodded her head, and said: “Oh, you dear children, who has brought you here? Do come in, and stay with me. No harm shall happen to you." She took them both by the hand, and led them into her little house. Then good food was set before them, milk and pancakes, with sugar, apples, and nuts. Afterwards two pretty little beds were covered with clean white linen, and Hansel and Gretel lay down in them, and thought they were in heaven. The old woman had only pretended to be so kind; she was in reality a wicked witch, who lay in wait for children, and had only built the little house of bread in order to entice them there. When a child fell into her power, she killed it, cooked and ate it, and that was a feast day with her. Witches have red eyes, and cannot see far, but they have a keen scent like the beasts, and are aware when human beings draw near. When Hansel and Gretel came into her neighborhood, she laughed with malice, and said mockingly: "I have them and they shall not escape me again!"
BOO! Happy Halloween!
The Blogger
October 05, 2009
New Comments!
"Keep telling it like it is! . . . Thank you for blowing the lid off these hypocrites. I’m drinking a toast to you right now!"
"The blogger speaks nothing but the TRUTH about that place. I say, print more of what that school has done over the years. Go blogger go!!!"
Plebeian Madness!
What can be seen within the administration of MTSA is a perfect storm of craziness; equal parts of power, controlling personalities, and religious fanaticism; a disturbing and unacceptable trifecta. Let’s look at what actions this dangerous trifecta will allow. It has come to light that Jim & Tammy Faye like to play hard and fast with the schools reputation, with relations at clinical sites, and with the reputations of others. According to recent intel, Jim & Tammy Faye contacted the employers of a local CRNA and told them they had anonymous “feedback that is both disturbing and unacceptable.” They alleged that this CRNA was so negligent in his performance that patients’ lives and safety were in jeopardy. Allegedly this rose to such a level, and was so “disturbing and unacceptable”, that they elected to withdraw students from the clinical rotation. Curiously, however, Jim & Tammy Faye vehemently refused to disclose any details whatsoever. Despite repeated attempts and requests they have refused to reveal what it is that is so “disturbing and unacceptable”. Even in the face of repeated requests from the CRNA’s attorney and threat of legal action – outright refusal. It is interesting that they seek to “reflect Christ” and force captive audiences to submit to their personal religious beliefs and yet harbor no compunction about trying to destroy someone’s reputation. How can the administration be allowed to employ such tactics with impunity? Does the Board of Trust not care that these charlatans and poseurs are flaunting their antics far and wide like wild, uncaged, circus-monkeys? They are ruining the school’s reputation and professional standing with maniacal abandon. They have a skewed single-mindedness of purpose that can only be compared to and often seen in those having delusions and mental disability. What could be the logical purpose behind the idea of bringing forward an anonymous claim that was “disturbing and unacceptable” and then refusing to disclose the details? This type of behavior is the standard operating procedure of the administration; all–out destruction of those not aligned with their agenda. What was the real purpose of such a canard if not to destroy this CRNA’s reputation and force submission? Indeed, reliable “feedback” indicates Tammy Faye has suggested to others that this could “all go away” if the CRNA in question would simply come in to the school and talk with the administration. Sounds a bit like the Dark Ages doesn’t it? Confess or suffer the consequences. Again, these tactics are not an uncommon practice of the administration.
These actions should put all clinical rotations on notice that the administration of the school thinks they can use the students as a bargaining chip to control them. “Do what we say or we will pull the students from your rotation”. I wonder how the students feel about such antics? Their clinical rotations may go away at the whim of the administration. Who the hell do these people think they are? Are they using these same tactics in an attempt to control the Board? Lest you are duped by their façade of religiosity, control is synonymous with oxygen. Seek to deprive them of it and watch what happens. They are all about control and are capable of morphing into anything in order to maintain it. It’s anesthetic sci-fi at it’s best. Did the school operate in such a fashion when Nelda Faye was there? When, oh when, will someone drive a dagger through the heart of this plebeian madness?
October 04, 2009
Perception is Reality!
Let’s note the very first statement relative to the mission of the school: “It is the mission of Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia to provide a Christian, Seventh-day Adventist learning environment that fosters the pursuit of truth”. It is an assumption of the author that the most important aspect of a mission statement is that which is stated first. A mission statement essentially states your reason for being. It is the essence of what your school, company, or organization is all about. The mission statement is used as a measuring stick for everything else that happens within an entity. I posit that the mission statement of MTSA is unbalanced relative to why the school exists. Since the number one stated goal of MTSA is making certain the learning environment there is SDA, then everything else is secondary. Primary goal? Making sure they’re SDA-certified. Secondary goal? Let’s look again at the mission statement: “Excellence in anesthesia practice”. Does that seem unbalanced to anyone else but me? Shouldn’t excellence in anesthesia practice be the paramount goal for sake of teachers, for the sake of students, for the sake of potential employers, and for the sake of patients? Don’t you think that most patients, if asked, would say that between the two, they’d be concerned most about “excellence in anesthesia” and not whether or not the learning environment was SDA-certified? The primary goal is revealing the truth about your religion? Wow! That’s fanaticism!
“In response to this mission, Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia views itself as a leader in academic and professional excellence”. I’m sorry, what does this mean? You are responding to your own mission statement and your response to this statement is, “We’re a leader”? Again, what does that mean? Who is following you? If you are a leader, what other schools recognize this besides you? You are touting yourself as a leader. Pony up with some evidence. That’s a very bold claim: MTSA views itself as a leader. Who else does? Unless you’ve got some evidence to back up this claim it’s little more than narcissism. Especially in light of the fact that you’re ranked 69th.
When we get to core values we see similar values topping the list: “A Christian, Seventh-day Adventist values-driven curriculum and program”. This is THE most important core value. Again, this is evidence of how important it is to push the religious beliefs of the administration to the forefront. Not excellence in teaching or learning. I’m curious, is it necessary to say “Christian, Seventh-day Adventist”? Adventism IS Christian so I am uncertain why the redundancy is necessary. “Academic and clinical excellence” again takes a back seat to religious beliefs. We value teaching our religion over academic and clinical excellence. I guess they want to make it clear where they stand on that matter.
As if to underscore the administrations vociferousness on this matter, the administration punctuates yet again their desire to make certain that everyone understands what is most important to the school. And it’s not excellence in anesthesia. The educational philosophy is as follows: “God, the Creator and sustainer [sic] of all creation, is the source of all knowledge. Humankind, created in the image of God for the purpose of communion with Him, has sinned and as a consequence has separated from him [sic]. God, through His infinite love, sent His Son to restore a right relationship with humankind—a relationship that begins on this earth and continues throughout eternity”. This must be why they view themselves as a leader, even though no one else is following. For some reason they feel duty-bound to tell you about their religion and if they don’t, you can’t properly and fully understand your anesthesia education and training. Don’t get me wrong, I agree with those statements. What I think is absurd is the idea that telling students about these things must overshadow everything else. They must tell you about God and about their religion in order for your anesthesia training to have meaning and purpose. Is that what Jesus did? Did He require folks to listen to the dogma and doctrines of His church before He healed them? I personally think a much better approach might be to instill core values into the curriculum that will allow students to see that that have a responsibility to be good stewards of all they possess, i.e., time, talent, and resources. God gives them all. To him/her whom much is given, much is expected. This, I think, would be much more palatable than the fanaticism that is now interwoven into the administration via inbreeding and nepotism. But hey, perception is reality. And they view themselves as “leaders”. So, yeah, lead on. And as you do please realize that all the top schools, the ones that are ranked higher than you, those that are true leaders within anesthesia education, they are doing it differently.
On a bright note, MTSA will soon have a new President. Whew, is that good news or what? No more marionettes, please. Just to clarify: “A marionette is a puppet controlled . . . using wires, . . . [or] strings; a marionette's puppeteer is called a manipulator. Marionettes are operated with the puppeteer hidden . . . in different forms of theatres or entertainment venues” or at fanatical anesthesia schools. It really has been entertaining. Don’t let the door . . .
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