The American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) recognizes that anesthesia providers, because of their exposure and the nature of their work, appear to be at a high risk for substance abuse. To address these concerns within the profession, the AANA established the Peer Assistance Advisors as an Ad Hoc Committee on Chemical Dependency in 1983 to serve as a resource and support for nurse anesthesia practitioners and students. Diana Quinlan, CRNA, MA served on the AANA Peer Advisors for 24 years and retired in August 2007. Diana was awarded the Agatha Hodgins Award for Outstanding Achievement at Annual Meeting 2007 in Denver.
AANA Peer Assistance - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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Front Row from left: Retired Peer Advisors Chair Diana Quinlan, Peer Advisor Heather Wilson, and former CPIA Executive Director Sandra Tunajek. Back Row from left: Peer Advisor Greg Stocks, Senior Peer Advisor Art Zwerling, 2007 Jan Stewart Memorial Wellness Speaker and author William Cope Moyers, and CPIA Wellness Advocate Brent Sommer.
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Contact an AANA Peer Assistance Advisor about chemical dependency, substance misuse, and other work-related issues like harassment, violence and fitness for duty.
The mission of AANA Peer Assistance includes:
Assessing the nature and impact of the disease of addiction on nurse anesthesia practice. Educating nurse anesthetists, students, employers and the public about addiction. Investigating the availability and effectiveness of treatment modalities. Advocating research into the education, prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery of addiction. Assisting individuals or organizations when requested in the formulation of guidelines regarding intervention, treatment, aftercare and reentry into the workplace of addicted nurse anesthetists.
New compilation of the complete collection of the Wearing Masks series
Now Available
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For additional information on the history and background see:
Wellness Milestone article:
Peer Support: Validity and Benefit
For a list of the many Peer Assistance Resources available on this website, return to the Peer Assistance Homepage
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