Newswise — PARK RIDGE, ILLINOIS – Working with various nursing specialties in the operating room and other practice settings, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) recognize and celebrate their fellow nurses’ dedication to patient safety.
National Nurses Week (May 6-12, 2016) emphasizes the role all nurses take in promoting and ensuring a culture of safety in their practices by drawing attention to the work they do on a daily basis. Patient safety has long been a hallmark of nursing, and CRNAs share their colleagues’ commitment to ensuring all patients have a safe and successful surgical experience.
“CRNAs take great pride in the work they do, administering anesthesia in all practice settings and advocating for the patient in each and every surgery,” says Juan Quintana, DNP, MHS, CRNA, president of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA). “Patients are more than just a case to us. Each person is someone relying on us and trusting us to ensure their safe journey through surgery. That’s something we take to heart, and it’s what makes us so passionate about this profession.”
Nursing is at the heart of the nurse anesthesia profession. Prior to being accepted into a nurse anesthesia educational program to earn their master’s or doctoral degree, a registered nurse must first attain a minimum of one year of critical or intensive care nursing experience; however, the average years of experience is three and one-half. Upon completing their education and passing the national certification examination, CRNAs unite with their nursing colleagues throughout the surgical and healthcare fields, creating a strong and vibrant team that oversees their patient’s safety in all practice settings.
About the American Association of Nurse AnesthetistsFounded in 1931 and located in Park Ridge, Ill., the AANA is the professional organization for more than 49,000 nurse anesthetists across the United States. As anesthesia specialists, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) safely provide approximately 40 million anesthetics to patients each year for surgical, obstetrical, pain management, and trauma stabilization services. CRNAs deliver essential healthcare in thousands of communities and are able to prevent gaps in access to anesthesia services, especially in rural, inner-city, and other medically underserved areas of the country. They are highly valued in today’s healthcare environment because they deliver the same safe, high-quality anesthesia care as other anesthesia professionals but at a lower cost, helping to control rising healthcare costs. Additional information about the AANA and CRNAs is available at www.aana.com and www.aana.com/future-today.
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