Phoebe honors Joe Powell as Advanced Practice Provider of the Year

ALBANY — Joe Powell, a certified registered nurse anesthetist, was honored Tuesday as the first recipient of the Phoebe Advanced Practice Provider of the Year Award.

The award is meant to honor an APP who exemplifies a commitment to improving the health and well-being of southwest Georgians, according to Phoebe officials. Powell works in the operating room at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital.

“There’s nobody on that team that I wouldn’t want to have any of my family members anesthetized by,” Powell said. “It’s the greatest job in the world. I say all the time, ‘I can’t believe they pay me for this.’ And my cohorts usually say, ‘I can’t either.”

Advanced practice providers often refer to health care professionals such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants who are certified to perform many of the same tasks as a doctor and work under the supervision of a physician.

One nomination letter said, “Joe is a dedicated professional with many decades of experience in the health care field. He is a team player with excellent skills and an advocate for safe and quality care to our patients.”

Powell earned his bachelor’s degree in nursing from Valdosta State University. He then began working in the emergency room and in the intensive care unit at South Georgia Medical Center. After eight years, he decided to go back to school in Durham, N.C., to become a CRNA.

Powell worked at Tanner Medical Center for seven years before moving to Albany. He transitioned to Phoebe in 2001 after nine years at the former Palmyra Medical Center, now Phoebe North.

Over the years, Powell has served as a mentor for newer anesthetists and students who pass through the department.

“I grew up seeing the amount of love, devotion and care he had for his job,” Ronald Odom, a fellow CRNA, said. “This was in part due to wanting to take care of his family (which he did above and beyond), but he also has a true passion for what he does. He was always taking students out to eat and having them over to the house for dinner. Not because he had to, but because he cared so much about what it is he did and loved helping people grow in the right direction inside and outside of work.”

Powell also volunteers at many charitable organizations. After the storms in January of 2017, he used his culinary skills to provide food for hundreds of those affected.

Recipients are chosen by a committee from nominations made by patients, community members and fellow employees throughout Phoebe Putney Health System. More than 180 total APPs were nominated this year.

Jennifer Parks