Newswise — Park Ridge, Ill. – Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the appointment of Toni Schmittling, DNAP, MBA, MS, CRNA, president of the Michigan Association of Nurse Anesthetists (MANA), to the Michigan Board of Nursing. Schmittling will serve a four-year term, beginning July 1, 2021.
The Michigan Board of Nursing establishes qualifications of nurse licensure, standards for education, criteria for continued competency, and it takes disciplinary action when the health, safety and welfare of the public has been adversely affected. The Board of Nursing consists of 23 members, including a minimum of one Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) and seven public members. Appointments are subject to the advice and consent of the Michigan governor.
“It is a great honor to serve the profession and the state of Michigan as a member of the Board of Nursing,” Schmittling said. “I appreciate the support of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, (AANA), MANA, and my employers for providing me with the resources and time to advocate for CRNAs and all nurses.”
Schmittling is the president and owner of Collaborative Anesthesia Staffing Solutions in Farmington, Michigan. She is also a staff CRNA at Sinai Grace Hospital in Detroit, where she is a member of its Peer-Review Committee, and a clinical anesthesia instructor at Wayne State University Nurse Anesthesia program and the University of Detroit School of Anesthesia. From 2000 to 2007 Schmittling served in the U.S. Army Reserves, reaching the rank of major.
In addition to her role as president of MANA, Schmittling has served on its Government Relations Committee. In 2018, Crain’s Detroit Business named her to its “Notable Women in Healthcare” list.
Schmittling received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Detroit and a Master of Science in anesthesia from its Graduate Program of Nurse Anesthesia. She earned a Master of Business Administration Degree from the University of Michigan, Flint School of Management and a Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice degree from the University of Michigan, Flint School of Anesthesia.
As advanced practice nurses, CRNAs are members of one of America’s most trusted professions according to Gallup. CRNAs provide anesthesia care across all settings and in all patient populations and are the primary anesthesia providers in rural and underserved areas and on the battlefield in forward surgical teams.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, nurse anesthetists across the country have been essential in addressing the deadliest part of the disease in addition to providing top-of-the-line anesthesia care. They have served as experts in airway management, hemodynamic monitoring, management of patients on ventilators, and overall management of critically ill patients.
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