Certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) recently held their ninth annual meeting. National Nurse Anesthetists Week was established in 2000 to allow CRNAs and the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists to educate the pubic about anesthesia, the education and qualifications necessary to become a nurse anesthetist, and the questions that the patients should ask before surgery. Nurse anesthetists have been around since World War I and have provided anesthesia care in every military conflict since that time.
While patients are asleep, most of the time, they are under the care of a nurse anesthetist. Many associate their anesthesia experience with the fading of surrounding noises and sounds, then later find themselves awakening in a recovery room. In actuality, CRNAs are with the patient during the entire procedure, inducing sleep, monitoring vital signs, adjusting anesthetic levels, and safely reviving a patient after a surgical procedure is complete.
As a result of adhering to high practice standards, in the last 20 years, the number of patient deaths related to anesthesia has declined from approximately 2 for every 10,000 to approximately 1 for every 240,000 anesthetics administered. Other attributions to this improvement include the advancement of monitoring technology, anesthetic drugs, and provider education and the involvement of CRNAs in most of the anesthesia care provided in the United States each year. For more information, contact http://www.aana.com.
The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses and the American Organization of Nurse Executives have announced that they have expanded their partnership to develop the first certification examination designed exclusively for nurse managers. This latest partnership effort is rooted in American Association of Critical-Care Nurses' and Organization of Nurse Executives' 6-year collaboration to provide education and development resources for nurse managers. The development of a nurse manager certification program is a logical next step after the highly successful release last year of the Essentials of Nurse Manager Orientation, a comprehensive e-learning program on which the 2 organizations collaborated. Providing tools to support and validate the knowledge, skills, and abilities of nurse managers is of vital importance given the high influence they have on the quality of patient care and the work environment in which nurses deliver that care.
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Certification Corporation completed a study of nurse manager practices, which found that frontline nurse managers are generally prepared for their leadership roles through on-the-job training. This certification will provide a way for nurse managers to validate that they have acquired the essential knowledge and skills necessary to be effective in their role. For more information, contact http://www.aacn.org or http://www.aone.org.
As our population ages, health concerns among the baby boom generation affect all of us in some way. Thus, what if there was a natural way to help lower blood pressure, increase activity, and ward off depression for seniors? There is pet ownership. A number of studies by respected researchers have shown the positive benefits the boomers derive from the companionship of a pet. Animal rescue shelters across the nation encourage pet adoptions by members of this generation. It is a win-win situation for everyone.
Researchers have discovered a multitude of physical, mental, and emotional benefits of pet ownership for seniors. Pets help reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and keep seniors more active-whether they have a dog or cat. Senior pet owners take better care of themselves and have 21% fewer visits to the doctor compared to non-pet owners, with shorter hospital stays than the average person. Animal companions can also help them deal with grief and loss, which, unfortunately, are common issues for baby boomers. There are several issues to be addressed before adopting a pet, such as the amount of space available for a pet, cost of caring and medical bills, and the pet's temperament. For more information, contact [email protected].