Nurse Anesthesia Program – it’s a family affair for the Ahles

October 29, 2014

A career as a nurse anesthetist runs in the Ahle family.

The tradition started with John Ahle, who worked at Mayo Clinic as a nurse anesthetist for 28 years before retiring to work locum tenens in other places. He now works at a Ladysmith, Wisconsin, hospital, close to his lake home.

The Ahles, from Rochester, are a Mayo Clinic family. John’s mother, Elizabeth, was a registered nurse. His three sisters have had careers at Mayo Clinic. His older brother, Mike, started the Nurse Anesthesia (NA) Program at Mayo School of Health Sciences (MSHS). Mike later changed paths and worked in state government.

John, already working at Mayo as a high school student, was influenced by Mike. “I was an orderly and liked the environment and helping patients,” John says. “Mike enjoyed what he was learning and recommended it to me. I developed a plan, including how to pay for my education.”

John served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1973 to 1975, knowing the GI Bill would help finance his education. He earned an associate degree in nursing and was accepted at the MSHS Nurse Anesthesia Program.

A dozen years later, after working in construction, John’s younger brother, Mark, decided to follow his brother’s career path. He graduated from the MSHS NA Program in 2005 and practices at Mayo Clinic.

Mark remembers a conversation with John that influenced his career change. “We were on the way to Lake Mille Lacs in northern Minnesota for a fishing trip. John’s sons, Barrett and Sam, about 9 and 6, were asleep in the backseat,” he says. “John talked about the challenges and rewards of being a nurse anesthetist. That was a pivotal moment in my decision to pursue this career.”

John wonders if his sons were actually listening.

“I wanted my kids to do whatever they wanted,” says John, whose wife, Cherrie, also works at Mayo Clinic  as a surgical nurse in outpatient surgery. “It surprised me when each of my sons  and then my daughter-in-law, Heidi  went into nursing. It really surprised me when all three decided to pursue anesthesia.”

Barrett and his wife, Heidi, are nurse anesthetists at Mayo Clinic. Sam is a student in the NA Program, and his fiancée, Cassy Stefanski, an intensive care unit nurse at Mayo, has applied to the NA Program.

Heidi (Nichols) Ahle, also grew up steeped in Mayo Clinic. Her mom was a cardiac nurse at Mayo and now works in outpatient orthopedics. In 1988, her dad was Mayo’s first successful heart transplant recipient.

“I learned about anesthesia nursing from Barrett because of his dad,” she says. “Everyone I’ve encountered in the profession loves their job. I can’t imagine a better experience than the one we had at MSHS.”

John agrees with his daughter-in-law’s assessment. “Mayo is a great place to train, and you gain a wealth of experience from complex cases you may never see again,” he says. “I’m proud of my family members and their accomplishments.”