In Service of Our Country

The American Nurses Association and the Department of Veterans Affairs have partnered to facilitate and coordinate a collective voice of the nursing profession in full support of "Joining Forces." Joining Forces is former First Lady Michelle Obama’s comprehensive national initiative, to mobilize all sectors of the community to give our service members, veterans, and their families the support they deserve, particularly when it comes to employment, education, and wellness.
 
The American Association of Nurse Anesthetists has pledged its support to this important initiative. Three AANA members - FY2011 AANA President Debra Malina, CRNA, DNSc, MBA; Bette Wildgust, CRNA, MSN, MS; and Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists President Kelly Wiltse Nicely, CRNA, PhD - attended the White House event on April 11, 2012. The event encourages healthcare professionals to train in dealing with conditions such as traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder common to returning Veterans.
 
How To Join
To Join Forces with the profession of nursing to inspire and prepare each nurse to recognize the unique health and wellness concerns of this population, and thereby improving their lives, please read the ANA-VA letter, pledge, and supporting documents linked in the sidebar. If you agree, go to Joining Forces and pledge your active support in this initiative.

"Have You Ever Served?" is an initiative that affects both healthcare providers and our patients. Various exposures over the course of a soldier’s service can affect his or her well being and should be considered prior to undergoing anesthesia: resulting conditions such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), respiratory illnesses, etc.

The American Academy of Nursing is seeking to improve the quality of veterans' healthcare with this simple question, and urges healthcare providers to use it in order to identify and address any healthcare issues rising from a patient's service in the military.

The campaign was launched in Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas, Virginia, and Washington, initially benefitting approximately one million veterans. Subsequently, "Have You Ever Served?" was rolled out to all 50 states over a three-year period.
 
In addition to the American Academy of Nursing (AAN), "Have You Ever Served?" is sponsored by the Veterans Support Foundation and the Connecticut Department of Veteran's Affairs.
 
Joining Forces Campaign
"Have you ever served in the military?" represents the AAN’s commitment to former First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden’s Joining Forces campaign, to mobilize all sectors of the community to support veterans and their families. Nurses, healthcare’s equivalent to the boots on the ground, are uniquely positioned to facilitate this fundamental change of ensuring vital information is obtained and recorded in order to improve the quality of healthcare provided to our veterans and their families.

Anne Penland
"An Unsung Hero: Anne Penland, Nurse Anesthetist"
Imagining in Time, AANA Journal, 2018;86(2):64-71. [PDF]

Rosalie McDonald

"There is no need to remind you that our country and our profession are in the midst of a global war so big that even keen minds cannot encompass its magnitude."

~ AANA President Rosalie McDonald (1942-1944)
 
Nurse anesthetists have administered anesthesia and cared for American soldiers throughout American combat history.

Here are some of the nurse anesthetists who served during World War II (1941-1945):
 
COL Mildred Irene Clark
"Pearl Harbor, the Korean Conflict, and COL Mildred Irene Clark"
Imagining in Time, AANA Journal,  2000;68(6):487-490.
 
Adeline Simonson
"'Don't Worry About Me': The World War II Experience of Adeline Simonson"
Nurse Anesthetist with the 95th Evacuation Hospital
Imagining in Time, AANA Journal, 2016;84(5):309-315. [PDF]

Captain Clara A. Vezina
Captain Clara A. Vezina: Cited for War Service
AANA Journal, February 1946, p. 62 [PDF]
 
Lieutenant Ruth Toenberg
Lieutenant Ruth Toenberg: Navy Nurse Cited for Meritorious Service
AANA Journal, November 1945, p. 42.
 
Marie Botsford Finegan
Marie Botsford Finegan served in the Navy Nurse Corps from 1944-1947. She was stationed at Oak Knoll Naval Hospital in Oakland, Calif. Advancing the Art and Science of Anesthesia for 75 Years: A Pictoral History of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, 2006, p. 51.