Dear Student Nurse Anesthetist:

On behalf of the Board of Directors and the more than 900 CRNAs in New York State, we welcome you to the New York State Association of Nurse Anesthetists (NYSANA). As a student in one of the four Nurse Anesthesia programs in our state, you join a respected profession at a very exciting time in our history.

The purpose of this letter is to acquaint you with some of the resources available to you and also to encourage you to become an active member of this organization. As you know from your involvement in other groups, the strength of an organization such as NYSANA is drawn from active members. You are cordially invited to be one of them.

The following information is provided as a reference for the coming year. Please mark your calendars and save this letter for future use:

NYSANA Meetings: There are two general meetings of NYSANA held each year, one in the Spring and then in the Fall.

Students are invited to attend at a reduced fee and NYSANA provides ONE HOTEL ROOM for each nurse anesthesia program per meeting. Students who wish to attend out-of- town meetings can share this hotel room.

I. COMMITTEES: Students hold positions on several of the committees of NYSANA including the Government Relations Committee, Public Relations Committee, Educational Districts Committee, Finance Committee, Impaired Practice Committee, Professional Practice Committee, Program and Social Committee, Publications Committee, Student Liason Committee and the Bylaws Committee. The time requirements are minimal for a majority of these committees. Please consider a position on one of these committees.

II. www.nysana.com : Please visit the NYSANA web site often for updates and information concerning our state organization.

III. www.aana.com : The American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) maintains a web site that will provide you with information on national meetings and keeps you informed on various political issues affecting the practice of nurse anesthesia. There is also a section for student nurse anesthetists.

IV. Goldie Brangman Award: Each year, the Goldie Brangman Award Committee solicits scholarly papers from nurse anesthesia students throughout New York State. A cash award and the opportunity to present this paper at the NYSANA Fall meeting are afforded to the winner of this competition.

You will be invited to periodically write to your state and federal legislators regarding issues, which are important to our profession. Please help to keep our legislators informed by writing letters and meeting with them.

The Board of Directors of NYSANA again wishes to welcome you and to encourage your involvement in the activities of NYSANA. Please accept our best wishes to you as you pursue your career in Nurse Anesthesia. We look forward to meeting each of you at the next meeting.

Sincerely,

NYSANA Board of Directors