APP spotlight

Randy DeGreef, Certified Anesthesiologist Assistant (CAA) and CAA Education Team Lead
University Hospital

What do you love most about working at UW Health?

Like many of us, I went into health care to make a positive impact on the lives of our patients. For 19 years, UW Health has been my home for my family and has provided me the opportunity to care for patients, grow as a professional and pass on what others gave me in the form of education opportunities.

What are your special interests?

At work, I have put in a lot of effort over 19 years toward CAA education. At home, I spend most of my time and effort on my children, plus a little side hobby of managing a few fish tanks for fun.

What are a few words to describe your co-workers and team at UW Health?

Our anesthesia department is home to more than 200 high-quality providers, including anesthesiologists, fellows, residents, CAAs and certified nurse anesthetists (CRNAs). My co-workers include all these amazing, dedicated, diverse anesthesia providers, plus so many nurses and technicians in and around the operating room environment. To this day, I continue to be amazed to find that these people, on an individual level, care so deeply for their patients and their outcomes. It truly takes a village of people to make this institution thrive and I am proud to be a very small part of it.

What have your patients taught you?

On a regular basis, my job and my patients remind me to be humble and grateful. In this profession, we see sick people every day, often at their most vulnerable. My patients remind me to be grateful for my own health and my family’s health. I’m also grateful that I can help them, and am reminded to stay humble, knowing that at any moment, I could find myself in a uniquely challenging situation that tests my skills and pushes me to my limits.

Tell us about your family.

I am a husband of 18 years to a wonderful woman from south Georgia. We have two children, Hazel, 7, and Harrison, 5. My family is truly my pride and joy. Our home has always been rounded out by the love and affection from some dogs, previously two Siberian huskies and now a big, old, lovable black lab.

Outside of work, what did you accomplish in the past year that makes you proud?

Honestly, it’s probably cliché, but I am most proud of my children. My job and my patients get a lot of me, but my family gets the best of me.