AANA Foundation

Meet William Edwards, Foundation Board Student Trustee

BSN, CCRN, RN-BC, WCC
Thomas Jefferson University

William Edwards has been selected as the 2019-2021 Student Representative to enthusiastically participate in his new role in the AANA Foundation Board.

Will, as he prefers to be called, started his journey in patient care as a home health aide at the age of 19 in his residing state of New Jersey. It was at this age that he somehow decided to follow his gut feeling, and often as he says, his “call” to nursing. After obtaining his Associate in Applied Science at Ocean County College in 2009, Will started working as a Psychiatric / Mental Health Registered Nurse at Monmouth Medical Center. Feeling within himself to do more and evolve himself, he later obtained positions in the ICU stepdown, ICU, and ER departments at Monmouth Medical Center, as well as of becoming certified in PICC line insertion, critical care, mental health/psychiatric nursing, and wound care, being designated with the credentials of CCRN, RN-BC, and WCC respectively.

From here, Will decided to again maximize his education and clinical experiences by attaining his Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Kean University in 2014, as well as taking critical care float pool positions at Jersey Shore University Medical Center and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. At these institutions, Will tended to patients in the CTICU, PICU, Trauma ICU, Neuro ICU, and MICU. It was at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital that he helped establish and participate in the job descriptions and tasks of the Rapid Response Team, as well as being part of the initiation of the Pediatric ECMO team.

As his desire and drive to reach self-actualization personally and professionally grew, he ultimately decided to pursue nurse anesthesia as his next phase of life in helping others. He was accepted to the Thomas Jefferson University DNP Nurse Anesthesia Program in Philadelphia, PA, where he started in the fall of 2017. Now going into his third and final year as a senior in his program, he has resolved to give his perspective, fresh insight, and personal positivity to the AANA Foundation as well as the CRNA profession at large, coming full circle to his acceptance of his Student Board position in present day.

Aside from clinical and professional growth, Will enjoys his private time in the comfortable space of family and friends. He is also an avid world traveler, touching ground in over 20 countries, with his top five countries (in no particular order) being Japan, Tanzania, India, Egypt, and Thailand. Will has participated in two mission trips, one medical in nature in Haiti after the earthquake and the second being more recent as a surgical mission in Ecuador. He intends to continue to give his time on many more occasions in this fashion.

Overall, Will is “wholeheartedly ecstatic” in his words to serve the AANA Foundation Board of Trustees. He deeply desires to be of service to all he encounters as he exemplifies a voice not only for the profession but for students as well. Will conveys the aspiration to be a “positive face” to the organization, as nurse anesthesia continues to distinguish itself through research, clinical excellence, and perpetual advancement that are imperative as the healthcare landscape evolves to promote the profession for the better.

The Emergency Educational Scholarship Program is intended to support student nurse anesthetists during times of financial hardship and natural disaster. We anticipate the funding to vary according to need (one time application per person, up to $5,000). A Spanish version of this application is available. To request a copy, please email foundation@aana.com. Note: Your Program Administrator must translate your application to English and submit with your original Spanish version.

Student Emergency Educational Scholarship Program Information & Application

Meet Kyle Martinez!
At the base of Lake Tahoe, Nevada, lies the small, rural town of Gardnerville, a close-knit farming community. Kyle Martinez was raised in this small town, and was greatly influenced by the sense of community that existed in Gardnerville. Growing up, Kyle was very involved in volunteering and community outreach. It was only natural that Kyle would pursue an education that would allow him to continue to be a role model and positive agent of change within his community and chosen profession...(see more)

We are proud that SRNAs actively participate in the greater AANA community and have featured many talented students in the AANA NewsBulletin. Click on the links below to access past articles highlighting the following individuals:

• Edward Deveau, RN, BSN
• Laci Severson Lynch, RN, BSN
• Fara Clarke, RN
• Travis Osborne, RN, BSN
• Lt. Cmdr. Robert Roadfuss, CRNA, MSN, NC, USN
• Morgan Moszee, RN
• Harold Barnwell, RN, BSN
• Faresha Sims, RN, BSN

Current Student Advocates

Foundation Student Advocate Deadline: 
Spring Application Deadline ~ March 31
Fall Application Deadline ~ October 31

The Student Advocate Program was established in FY15 and continues to expand. The current goal is to have one Student Advocate per state and ultimately one per nurse anesthesia program.

Learn more about the Student Advocate Program.

Access the application for the Student Advocate Program.

Thank you to our past Student Advocates!
 
Further Opportunities
 
We encourage you to apply for scholarships and poster sessions as a student, and take advantage of our competitive grant and fellowship program once you graduate. Refer to the Applications & Programs page for information regarding:

• Scholarship Application - Now open.
• Posters:
  • 2020 Assembly of Didactic and Clinical Educators (formerly Assembly of School Faculty) General Poster Session. Closed.
  • 2020 Annual Congress Poster Application (Oral and General Poster Presentation) - Open. Deadline: May 1

Congratulations to our 2019 scholarship winners!

Check out this list of scholarship recipients and consider applying in the future.

Whether you're interested in presenting your poster to your colleagues or singing your heart out in front of a live audience to help the Foundation raise funds, we have you covered. Attending our events is a great way to meet other SRNAs and get more involved. Please consider joining us:

• AANA Annual Congress  
  • August 14-18, 2020 San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, CA
• See all future events.

We love to see SRNAs having fun and in action at work and AANA meetings. Talented students participated in a past Foundation Fundraiser, Orlando – The Stars Come Out Again.

Watch Daniel Butts, Anagh Chohan, and Ginny Ondik show off their talents.

The AANA Foundation Student Trustee position is funded by the Resa Culpepper Fund. Culpepper was a former program director, trustee and chair who had a passion for education and helping students.

Oluwatoyin Orunja, Student Trustee 2017 - 2019
Kathryn Matkovich, Student Trustee 2015 - 2017
Chris Reed, Student Trustee 2013 - 2015
Monica Masemer, Student Trustee 2011 - 2013