National CRNA Week celebrated at Bridgton Hospital

BRIDGTON — Bridgton Hospital will observe National Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist Week from January 20-26. Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) are advanced practice nurses who administer approximately 40 million anesthetics per year in the United States. CRNAs are the sole anesthesia providers at Bridgton Hospital and nearly all rural hospitals in America. They have been the primary providers to the United States military since World War I.

Thomas Nolan, CRNA, and Ibra (Chip) Ripley, CRNA, MSNA, are employed by Bridgton Hospital. As of January 3, they welcomed Sergei Pavlov, CRNA, MSNA, as the third, full-time member of the anesthesia department. The services the three CRNAs provide include anesthesia for surgery and special procedures, acute pain management, epidural analgesia for labor and delivery, intravenous access consultation and airway management for resuscitation. All services are available 24 hours a day.

Nolan, Ripley and Pavlov are members of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, the Maine Association of Nurse Anesthetists and are adjunct clinical faculty at the University of New England School of Nurse Anesthesia. Bridgton Hospital serves as a clinical practice site for UNE.

All three CRNAs are residents of the Bridgton community and are committed to providing high quality, compassionate anesthesia care to all patients referred to them. To find out more about CRNAs and the work they do, contact www.aana.com.