Dear TANA Colleagues,
“Being on the front lines” has taken on new meaning during COVID-19, but as nurses, the concept of front-line patient care is not new to us. Pandemic or no pandemic, nurses of all types—bedside, OR, ER, PACU, ICU, OB, advanced practice—are the front-line providers who are with patients the most, caring for them in their times of greatest need. For the women and men who comprise the community of nurses, patient care is more than a livelihood, it’s an honor and privilege.
Tennessee’s CRNAs and SRNAs proudly work side by side with our nurse colleagues. In the operating room, nurse anesthetists, OR nurses, circulating nurses, and scrub nurses work together to ensure patients’ comfort and safety. Delivering our patients to recovery, we know they will be well cared for by vigilant PACU nurses. In the ICU, critical care nurses meet patients’ complicated healthcare needs. CRNAs and SRNAs have walked in these nurses’ shoes, as we must acquire critical care nursing experience prior to nurse anesthesia school. Finally, situated in their hospital room, patients continue toward wellness under the watchful care of bedside nurses.
In the emergency room, nurse anesthetists work with heroic ER nurses on the front lines of trauma. In OB, the labor epidurals we provide new Moms assist the nurses who help bring new lives into the world.
During National Nurses Week, the Tennessee Association of Nurse Anesthetists pays tribute to our CRNA and SRNA members and to all our nursing colleagues. Patient care is our passion!
Happy National Nurses Week!
Sincerely,
Brad Koss, DNAP, CRNA, APN
TANA President