Nurse anesthetists never miss a beat

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FORT KENT - More than 400 Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists from Maine and thousands from across the country tell America We Never Miss a Beat as they celebrate the 14th annual National Nurse Anesthetist Week celebration, January 20 through 26.

Left to right – Graham Williams, Chief CRNA and Robert Gendreau, CRNA

The catchphrase, We Never Miss a Beat, touts the quality of care that nurse anesthetists pride themselves on providing patients. To provide the safest anesthesia possible, nurse anesthetists remain by their patients’ side every moment of their procedure, monitoring their vital signs to help ensure a comfortable and safe anesthesia experience.

“As anesthesia providers, it is important to be aware of every heartbeat, every breath, and be ready to quickly respond if necessary. Which is why CRNAs are so proud to belong to a profession that has maintained a sterling record of providing patient safety for 150 years,” said Graham Williams, Chief CRNA atNorthernMaineMedicalCenter.

Established by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, National Nurse Anesthetists Week was created to encourage CRNAs to take the opportunity to educate the public about anesthesia safety, questions to ask prior to undergoing surgery and the benefits of receiving anesthesia care from nurse anesthetists.

“It is a privilege to be a part of a profession with a focal point that is dedicated to providing patient safety. Historically, CRNAs have played a considerable role in advancing trends related to monitoring technology, anesthetic drugs, and the patient education. In fact, anesthesia today is nearly 50 times safer that it was just 20 years ago,” said Williams.

Additional information about the role of the CRNA is available on the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists website at www.aana.com.