Bette Wildgust, MS, MSN, CRNA, clinical associate professor, received the 20th Annual Program Director of the Year Award by the Board of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA). The Award recognizes “an individual’s commitment to the profession of nurse anesthesia and to the advancement of educational standards that further the art and science of anesthesiology and result in high quality patient care.” The Award was presented to Wildgust on August 5, 2012 during the Opening Ceremony of the AANA Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
She is a certified nurse anesthetist and is program director for the Villanova University College of Nursing-Crozer Chester Medical Center School of Nurse Anesthesia. She also serves on the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s State Board of Nursing.
Wildgust has over 30 years’ experience in teaching nurse anesthesia students and the administration of anesthesia programs. She started her career as a program director 1979 when she began the first nurse anesthesia program at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden, N.J. Her commitment to the profession of nurse anesthesia and to the advancement of educational standards that further the art and science of anesthesiology and result in better patient care has been recognized with the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists (PANA) Didactic Instructor of the Year Award and the PANA Program Director of the Year Award.
