A combat veteran, with several years experience in the critical care and operating room setting, certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) Dr. Daniel E. Rice, Jr. DNP, has joined the anesthesia team at Speare Memorial Hospital.

“Dr. Rice comes to Speare with an extensive knowledge in many different facets of healthcare,” says Steven Ball, MS, MBA, CRNA, director of anesthesiology at Speare. “His varied interests make him an excellent, well rounded provider who is a leading expert in the field of anesthesia.”

Dr. Rice is skilled in ultrasound-guided vascular access, ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve blocks, point of care ultrasound, and opiate free anesthesia. He said that he pursued a career in anesthesia because “giving patients the relief they need is very rewarding.” Most recently, Dr. Rice worked in Augusta, Maine at the Togus Veterans Administration Medical Center, St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Lewiston, Maine and throughout New Hampshire and Maine as a locums provider.

Dr. Rice explains “I came from a small town that had an opioid problem. Some of those problems actually start when a person comes in for surgery. I’m passionate about opiate free anesthesia and having a positive impact on the ever growing issue of opioid addiction.”

In addition to his medical training, Dr. Rice attended the Entrepreneurial Bootcamp for Veterans at the University of Connecticut School of Business. In June 2017 he and his wife, Ashley, founded the company, New England Vascular Access, which dispatches clinicians and equipment bringing infusion services to rural locations and smaller health-care facilities to spare patients the hassle and extra cost of having to travel far from home.  Dr. Ashley Rice will be opening her own chiropractic practice soon in the Plymouth area.

Dr. Dan Rice earned dual Bachelors’ degrees in Criminal Justice and Nursing. He has served in the United States Air Force Security Forces and attended the US Army Doctoral Program in Anesthesia Nursing at Fort Sam in Houston, Texas. Upon completion of the program, he was granted a Doctorate of Nursing Practice from Northeastern University.