Newswise — PARK RIDGE, ILLINOIS – Garry Brydges, DNP, MBA, CRNA, ACNP-BC, a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), and resident of Pearland, Texas, recently took office as the 2018-19 president of the 53,000-member American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA), headquartered in Park Ridge, Ill.
Brydges is the chief nurse anesthetist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.
“CRNAs are key to the future of anesthesia care, as the U.S. healthcare system comes to rely more heavily on advanced practice nursing professionals to ensure access to patient care that is both extremely safe and extremely cost-effective,” said Brydges. “It is my desire over the next year to educate key stakeholders and patients about the value of CRNAs in today’s rapidly changing healthcare environment.”
He has long been active in nurse anesthesia, serving in many capacities on his professional associations, including on boards of directors at the state and national levels. Brydges is a former president of the Texas Association of Nurse Anesthetists, and, most recently, president-elect of the AANA.
Brydges has had extensive success in leading large organizations through healthcare policy development, strategic planning, evidence-based practice, outcome research, and education. In addition, he has mentored students across all nursing disciplines through professional development and clinical nursing excellence.
A CRNA for more than 15 years, Brydges earned his executive Master of Business Administration degree from Texas Women’s University in Houston. Also, he earned his Doctorate of Nursing Practice from Texas Christian College in Fort Worth, Texas. In addition, he graduated with a Master of Nursing in nurse anesthesia, and a Master of Nursing in Acute Care Nurse Practitioner from the University of Texas at Houston. Brydges also earned his Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a certification in critical care nursing from the University of Alberta in Alberta, Canada.
About the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Founded in 1931 and located in Park Ridge, Ill., and Washington, D.C., the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) is the professional organization representing nearly 53,000 Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and student registered nurse anesthetists across the United States. As advanced practice registered nurses, CRNAs are anesthesia experts who administer more than 45 million anesthetics to patients in the United States each year and are the primary providers of anesthesia care in rural America. In some states, CRNAs are the sole anesthesia professionals in nearly 100 percent of rural hospitals. For more information, visit www.aana.com and www.future-of-anesthesia-care-today.com.
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