Here at National, Christmas is a time of great celebration. The building is adorned with festive decorations from floor to ceiling; with a ten foot tall Christmas tree as the centerpiece. In the days leading up to Christmas, we exchange daily Secret Santa gifts and enjoy a delicious Christmas luncheon, which is followed by even more gift-giving. Mindful of our own good fortune, this year we also bought a selection of gifts for two residents of Grace Centers of Hope, a local recovery and rehabilitation center for homeless people who have been victims of abuse or addiction. We were delighted to be able to give our two adopted residents not only some basic necessities, but also a few luxury items.

This month, our article "Wireless Anesthesia Headsets Show Promise" looks at the advantages - and disadvantages - of a device that allows anesthesia providers to monitor vital signs without looking away from the patient.

For our fun facts section, we bring you a trivia quiz to test your knowledge of some of our favorite Christmas movies. Testing out the quiz around the office was great fun; we hope you enjoy it too. If you happen to have some downtime over the Holidays, why not pit your wits against your co-workers? Just be sure to tell them about National, and suggest they sign up to receive their own copy of our newsletter!

Now that Christmas is over and we're heading into a New Year, we're confident that 2012 will be yet another successful year for National. As you fill out your brand new planner or wall calendar, don't forget to call us to help you fill in the gaps! And if your New Year's resolutions should inspire you to travel or even to relocate, our website features lots of exciting positions across the nation. Visit us at www.nationalanesthesia.com for more details.

Wishing you a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year,
Stephen Read, President
National Anesthesia Services, Inc. and National Physician Staffing, Inc.

"Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect. "

---- Oren Arnold

*Lackland AFB, long-term locum CRNA needed - please call Christi for details.

Connect with us today at 1-800-642-1999!

On Thursday, December 15th National had its annual Christmas luncheon. Although every day is great one here, the Christmas celebration always seems to be a staff favorite. We started out the afternoon with fabulous appetizers followed and a wonderful lunch (filet seemed to be a popular menu choice). After that came the always-entertaining White Elephant gift exchange. Some of this year's gifts included a silver platter, a snow scraper, a wine accessory kit and a cozy Christmas package that included a warm blanket, hot cocoa and popcorn. It was a great day and gave us all the chance to collectively reflect on 2011's accomplishments and set our company goals for 2012. We hope you all had just as merry of a Christmas as we did and wish you nothing but health, happiness and prosperity in the coming year.

National Anesthesia prides itself on cultivating a company culture focused on giving back, and has worked with such wonderful organizations as Operation Iraq: Spirit of Christmas, Joint Aid Management and Kids Against Hunger Coalition. Last year a group of National Anesthesia employees volunteered their time serving a meal at a local homeless shelter, Grace Centers of Hope. We had such a great experience working with them that we came up with a creative way to spread some cheer and help out one of our favorite local charities. In the spirit of the holiday season each employee donated $5 a week for a "jeans day" on Friday. After five Fridays we raised over $200, which National Anesthesia generously matched! With the money raised we were able to sponsor two people's Christmas wish lists, and provide the program with an extra $200 donation. Grace Centers of Hope provided us with lists that consisted of two needs and two wants. We were able to sponsor a 41-year-old father of two, and a 26-year-old woman new to the Grace Centers of Hope program. Due to National Anesthesia and its employees' generosity we not only fulfilled, but exceed their wishes! Often older residents are overlooked in the sponsorship program, as so many people are eager to sponsor young children, so helping out these two was extra special for us! They both received their gifts December 16 at the Grace Centers of Hope Christmas party.

Anesthesia providers may soon be able to wear head-mounted displays that project patient data into their line of vision, letting them observe patients without looking away at vital signs monitors, according to research appearing in the journal Anesthesia & Analgesia.

Go to full story in Outpatient Surgery at http://www.outpatientsurgery.net/newsletter/eweekly/2010/04/13

General Disclaimer: The materials have been compiled by National Anesthesia Services. Inc. from internal and external sources. However, while we have attempted to provide accurate information in this publication, no representation is made or warranty given as to the completeness or accuracy of the Materials. In particular, you should be aware that the Materials may be incomplete, may contain errors, or may have become out of date. You should therefore verify information obtained from this publication before you take any action upon it.