Welcome to Alaska, the “Last Frontier” and the 49th state of the union. It is located in the most northwestern part of North America, bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, Pacific Ocean to the south, Yukon, Canada to the east, and the Bering Sea to the west. Juneau is the state capital and Anchorage is the largest city. We became a state in 1959.
Alaska offers many locations with amazing scenery and opportunities for outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing, trapping, camping and hiking to name a few.
The Alaska Native population is culturally rich with history and tradition. The entire state embraces many Native traditions that have stood the test of time and will continue to endure into the future.
Among the Alaska Native population exists a group of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) who also hold the title of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs). CRNAs safely provide anesthesia services to the people of Alaska and its visitors in multiple clinical settings including trauma centers, outpatient surgery facilities, private offices, civilian, military and VA hospitals. We enjoy independent practice as an opt-out state and look forward to facilitating safe anesthesia care and pain treatment to our patients.
I am honored to have been chosen to serve the AKANA members as president this year. If you are interested in the practice of Nurse Anesthesia in Alaska or are considering becoming a CRNA, feel free to contact any of our Alaska Association of Nurse Anesthetists Board of Directors via email. Thank you for your interest!
David T. Kwiatkowski, CRNA, Lt Col (ret)
AKANA President
Location: Anchorage, Alaska