PANA President Marks CRNA Week in Pa.

🔹🔹🔹On behalf of the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists, I want to wish everyone a happy National CRNA Week in Pa.! The annual celebration this year runs Jan. 21-27.

With more than 3,700 certified registered nurse anesthetists and student anesthetists across the state, PANA has emerged as a recognized a leader in helping the state address rising health-care costs, protect patient health, and ensure access to quality care.

While CRNA Week is just a snapshot in time, the critical role we play is year-round. More and more people are starting to understand our importance and appreciate the value CRNAs bring to the health-care arena.

Here are a few facts that might be of interest:

• CRNAs were the first professional group to provide anesthesia in the United States, first providing anesthesia to wounded soldiers during the Civil War.

• Today, there are more than 61,000 practicing CRNAs in the United States.

• Pennsylvania ranks among the top nationally for CRNA students, with 14 highly rated nurse anesthetist programs spread out across our commonwealth.

• The average nurse anesthetist completes an average of 9,369 clinical hours of training prior to becoming a CRNA.

• CRNAs have been the main providers of anesthesia care to U.S. military personnel on the front lines since World War I and remain the primary anesthesia providers in austere combat theaters.

• CRNAs are the primary providers of anesthesia care in rural America and underserved communities.

These are just a few of the facts we will share publicly over the next few days.

Visit our CRNA Week website at https://www.panaforqualitycare.com/2024-crna-week to learn more. To stay up to date with everything that’s happening, join our new TikTok account, follow us on Facebook, talk to us on Twitter, and see us on Instagram.

This is the second time I have served as PANA president. I could not be prouder to be a CRNA, and I could not be more honored to partner with such an outstanding group of professionals who will do anything to keep their patients healthy and safe.

I know the time you have invested to be the best you can be, and I know the care and commitment you have devoted to the science and art of anesthesia. Thank you for all you do, and …

Happy National CRNA Week in Pa.! 

by Angelarosa DiDonato, DNP, CRNA 

President, Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists 

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PANA Leads the Charge to Support AVANA

Nurse anesthetists have been the main providers of anesthesia care to U.S. military personnel on the front lines since World War I, and these professionals remain the primary anesthesia providers in austere combat theaters.

In fact, certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) most commonly are the only anesthesia providers in the military’s forward surgical teams. We truly are battle-tested providers, administering safe, high-quality care even in the most stressful and emergent situations, as in any active-duty military circumstance.

Although we pause—and rightfully so—every Veterans Day to celebrate and remember the brave anesthesia providers who have been tending to wounded soldiers since the Civil War, supporting the work of active military personnel and veteran CRNAs is a year-round commitment for the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists (PANA).

For years, PANA has been one of the strongest supporters of the Association of Veterans Affairs Nurse Anesthetists (AVANA), the only professional organization that represents more than 1,100 CRNAs employed within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health-care system.

AVANA is committed to the care of veterans through engagement with every VA medical center in a concerted effort to improve services and promote clinical excellence through advocacy and continuing education.

Over the years, support for AVANA has grown, and now 13 state associations are helping them fulfill their mission, along with dozens of individual contributors. Our hope is that even more come to appreciate AVANA and the special work they do in serving the brave men and women who have dedicated their lives to serving and protecting our freedoms.

PANA could not be prouder to partner with such an outstanding and mission-oriented organization like AVANA.

Learn more about AVANA and the work they do: www.vacrna.com.

Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month: Featuring Rigo Lemus

The orgullo, or pride, felt by many Hispanics who are living the American dream is a sentiment expressed by Rigo Lemus, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). He shares his experience of being both a health-care hero and an American hero. Thank you for serving our country, Rigo, and happy National Hispanic Heritage Month!

“As a recent graduate of the Allegheny School of Anesthesia at Duquesne University, I’m extremely proud to be a Latino CRNA. Being a second-generation immigrant, you are born with the weight of your parents’ dreams and struggles.

My Honduran parents came to this country with little to no English. I was often asked: ‘How could I not be successful if I was born here and know the language?’ This was usually followed with a motivational idiom like, “ponte las pilas,” which I think translates loosely to “put the batteries in.” So, with the “batteries in,” I went to work.

I proudly served in the U.S. Air Force during the Iraq War. Within a week of being honorably discharged, I started nursing school and worked for 10 years as a nurse. I started on a tele-floor and kept moving up until I worked a few years in a CTICU, always believing that one day I would reach my goal of being a CRNA. Now, as I embark on a new career, I am grateful for my Latin roots. All the years of hard work seem to have paid off just like my parents always preached to me: That an immigrant’s son can accomplish anything he puts his mind to with a little hard work and orgullo.”

🩺💙 For additional #HispanicCRNA stories in our #HispanicHeritageMonth blog series, click here.

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