UNE faculty named president of American Association of Nurse Anesthetists

Cheryl Nimmo, CRNA, D.N.P., MSHSA, assistant director of the University of New England’s School of Nurse Anesthesia, was recently named president of the 50,000-member American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA). She assumed the office during the AANA Nurse Anesthesia Annual Congress September 9-13, 2016, in Washington D.C.

Nimmo has been a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) for more than 37 years. In addition to her role at UNE, she has worked at hospitals in Rhode Island, Massachusetts with experience in varied clinical settings including community hospitals, trauma centers and office practice. She has also served as a department chief and manager.

Founded in 1931 and located in Park Ridge, Ill., and Washington, D.C., the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) is the professional organization representing more than 50,000 Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and student registered nurse anesthetists across the United States. As advanced practice registered nurses and anesthesia specialists, CRNAs administer approximately 43 million anesthetics to patients in the United States each year and are the primary providers of anesthesia care in rural America. In some states, CRNAs are the sole anesthesia professionals in nearly 100 percent of rural hospitals. 

“Being a CRNA is such a rewarding career,” said Nimmo. “I’ve had the privilege of taking care of patients at one of the most vulnerable times in their lives, offering comfort, pain relief and confidence, and bringing them safely through the anesthetic and surgery. The profession of nurse anesthesia is the first nursing specialty, and CRNAs are pioneers by nature. I look forward to helping our members achieve great things in the year ahead.”

To learn more about the University of New England’s Westbrook College of Health Professions visit www.une.edu/wchp

To apply, visit www.une.edu/admissions