News
KH CRNAs Commemorate 150 Dreamy Years of Easing Patients’ Pain
January 19, 2012
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs), and nurse anesthetists across the country, are celebrating the 13thannual National Nurse Anesthetists Week January 22-28, 2012.
“National Nurse Anesthetist Week serves as an opportunity to promote the fact that throughout history, nurse anesthetists have furthered the art of science and nurse anesthesia to ensure patients receive high quality anesthesia care,” said Aimee Shane, APN, MSN, CRNA. “Dreaming a little dream is exactly what patients can do, knowing that a CRNA is by their side monitoring their vital signs and adjusting their anesthetics during the entire time they are asleep – we will handle the rest.”
Established by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA), National Nurse Anesthetists Week was created to highlight the nurse anesthesia profession and allow CRNAs to educate the public about anesthesia safety, questions to ask prior to undergoing surgery, and the benefits of receiving anesthesia care from nurse anesthetists.
Nurse anesthetists are advanced practice registered nurses who administer approximately 32 million anesthetics in the United States each year. Practicing in every setting where anesthesia is available, CRNAs are the sole anesthesia professionals in the vast majority of rural hospitals and have been the main provider of anesthesia care to U.S. service men and women on the front lines since World War I.
“I take pride in belonging to a profession that has been at the forefront of anesthesia patient safety for nearly 150 years,” stated Mike Stewart, APN, MS, CRNA at Kewanee Hospital. “Nurse anesthetists have played a key role in developing trends related to monitoring technology, anesthetic drugs, provider education, and patient safety. In fact, anesthesia today is nearly 50 times safer than it was just 20 to 30 years ago.”
During National Nurse Anesthetists Week, Kewanee Hospital invites the community to attend a special open house on Wednesday, January 25thand Thursday, January 26thfrom 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the inpatient surgery waiting room at Kewanee Hospital. A display of antique and vintage toys, a hobby of hospital CRNA Mike Stewart, will be available for viewing. Aimee Shane APN, MSN, CRNA will also be available during those hours to answer questions about available treatment options for chronic and acute pain including epidural steroid injections with imaging. Visitors will be eligible to enter a drawing for a $50 American Express gift card.
