National Nurse Anesthetists Week is a yearly celebration occurring in the last full week in January. It began in 1999 and this year, 2012, will mark its 13th year. This year’s theme is “Quality and Excellence in Anesthesia Care.”

From the AANA website, “Established by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA), National Nurse Anesthetists Week was created to encourage CRNAs [Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists] to take the opportunity to educate the public about anesthesia safety, questions to ask prior to undergoing surgery, and the benefits of receiving anesthesia care from nurse anesthetists” (AANA).