Philip Noto M.D.

Nurses have always been integral to patient care, says Philip Noto, M.D., an anesthesiologist at Saint Raphael’s for nearly 30 years and current Medical Staff president. 

What’s different now is that there’s a greater body of knowledge in medicine, which requires more education and training for all healthcare providers. Noto works primarily with nurse anesthetists, who are “an integral part of our healthcare delivery system,” he says. Many graduate from Saint Raphael’s School of Nurse Anesthesia, a 29-month program in which students purse a master’s degree in biology through Central Connecticut State University and complete addition coursework and clinical training at the hospital. “As the technology gets more complicated and medicine gets more sophisticated, nurses’ roles are even more essential,” he says. 

Because nurses spend the most time with patients, they tend to have the greatest influence on patients’ impressions of the hospital, says Noto. “Saint Raphael’s is known throughout the community as a caring hospital and a good hospital,” he says. “In large part, what makes us caring, what makes us good, is our superb nursing care.”

Like other physicians, Noto would like to see more people entering the nursing field. He would also like to see more respect for and acknowledgement of the work nurses do. “At Saint Raphael’s, we’re very proud of our nurses,” he says. “They’re invaluable.”