National CRNA Week, an annual celebration of anesthesia patient safety and the nation’s nearly 54,000 nurse anesthetists, is an opportunity to educate the public about anesthesia safety, which questions to ask prior to undergoing surgery, and the benefits of receiving anesthesia care from CRNAs. For many years, the CRNAs from our department have engaged in charitable and community service activities as part of the celebration. CRNA week is also a time when different groups of department clinicians (physicians, nurses, surgical staff) express their appreciation for one another.
Many of these traditions of philanthropy and appreciation continued during this year’s CRNA Week, which took place from January 19-25, 2020:
- Our UPMC Presbyterian/Montefiore CRNAs sponsored their annual “Donut Day” Peer Appreciation Reception for the entire Surgical Services Division and all staff in the Gastrointestinal, Radiology, Cardiac Catheterization, Psychiatric, Electrophysiology, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Gamma Knife, Environmental Services, Interventional Radiology, and Bronchoscopy Labs. Donuts were even hand-delivered to off-site locations.
- Our Passavant Cranberry physicians supported CRNA Week with a celebration, cake, and lunch from a nearby restaurant.
- Our UPMC Shadyside CRNAs hosted a dinner event at the Centre Avenue Family House, a place providing affordable and accessible housing for patients seeking medical treatment in Pittsburgh and their families. They used the opportunity to connect with patients and their families about CRNA practice and how CRNAs fit into the care team at UPMC.