Board Member Elections

President Elect Candidate (click to view)
Secretary-Treasurer Candidates (click to view)
Board Member Candidates (click to view)

President Elect Candidate: Ted Morris

Ted Morris

I am from Ogden originally I graduated from Weber State University school of nursing in 1993 and earned a BSN from Weber State in 1997. I then moved to Rochester, Minnesota in 1998 to attend anesthesia school at the Mayo Clinic. I graduated in March 2001 with my masters in anesthesia from Mayo School of Health Related Sciences. I stayed on staff for eight months in Rochester and worked in cardiac anesthesia. I then moved to Pleasant Grove, Utah and worked with Lone Peak Anesthesia for five years before I moved back to Ogden to work with Rocky Mountain Anesthesia for the past six years. I currently work at Ogden Regional Hospital and love it here. I have a beautiful wife Amber of 18 years and four beautiful children.

I have had the opportunity to serve as a board member and Secretary/Treasurer for the last 4 years for the UANA. I wanted to get involved in our state association but was reluctant because of time commitments with work and family. Because of modern technology and mentorship I am glad that I have been elected and served with the UANA over the last 4 years. I have been able to meet some great people and meet with them regularly through computer generated meetings that I could do on my own time and at my convenience. I have learned so much about government and how much it affects our practice here in Utah as well as nationally. I want to continue what I started and do what I can to help the future of our practice and be able to return the favor and mentor more CRNA’s in our state to do the same. I want to keep the relationships with legislators and lobbyists that I have created to help protect our practice.

Secretary-Treasurer Candidates: Rock Harper and Kirk Nichols

Rock Harper

I was born and raised in Taylorville Utah, I earned my ADN from Salt Lake Community College and while working as an RN in the Neuro ICU at the University of Utah Hospital, I attended the U of U and earned my BSN. I attended Texas Wesleyan University for nurse anesthesia school and fulfilled my residency requirement in Southern California. Shortly after, I started working at Ogden Regional Medical Center where I have been practicing for the last 8 years. I’ve been married for 15 years to my best friends sister and we have 3 kids. I enjoy this area for all that it recreationally has to offer.
I was anonymously nominated for this position. I am interested in learning more about what the UANA board does. I want to help further the progress that has been made with regards to the anesthesia community in Utah. I would also like to understand more where our money goes! I think this position is a good jumping off point for further responsibilities in the UANA organization. Thanks for your consideration!

Kirk Nichols

My name is Kirk Nichols. I grew up in Roy, Utah. I received my RN and BSN degrees at Weber State University. I worked as an RN at McKay Dee Hospital in Ogden where I worked in the Emergency Room, ICU, and CVTU. I attended Nurse Anesthesia school at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. I graduated with my Masters of Nurse Anesthesia degree in 2002. I currently work at Ogden Regional Medical Center where I have practiced general anesthesia and OB anesthesia for the past two years. Before that, I was employed for 10 years at Lone Peak Anesthesia in Utah County. In 2011 and 2012 I went on humanitarian trips to the Philippines and Vietnam with the International Children’s Surgical Foundation. I provided anesthesia on children during cleft palate and cleft lip surgeries.
For the past two years I have been a UANA board member. I believe it’s important to be involved in the UANA and to play a role in directing the growth of the nurse anesthesia profession in Utah. I enjoyed working with other CRNA’s at the State Capital to promote UANA interests. I believe that nurse anesthetists in Utah are extremely professional and well equipped to handle all types of anesthesia care. I want to ensure that the profession continues to maintain these high standards and that nurse anesthetists have access to resources that will help them in their profession.

Board Member Candidates (Two will be elected): Matt Adams, Ryan Blaney, Colby Jacobson, and Art Shimata

Matt Adams

My name is Matt Adams. I grew up in Layton, Utah. I attended Weber State University where I received my RN and BSN degree. I worked as an RN in the Emergency Department at Davis Hospital and Medical Center in Layton. I also worked at LDS Hospital on the Medical/Surgical Intensive Care Unit. I went to graduate school at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. I received a Master of Nurse Anesthesia degree in 2002. I worked for the Mayo Clinic, St. Mary’s Hospital for about 9 months after graduating until I moved to American Fork, Utah. I have worked for Lone Peak Anesthesia at American Fork and Orem Community Hospitals for the past 11 years. I just recently became an independent contractor and work the majority of my time at Central Utah Surgical Center in Provo. I have been married for 16 years and am the happy father of 3 boys.

I love working as a Nurse Anesthetist and love our profession. I believe that as CRNA’s, we provide the highest quality of care that is possible. For this reason, I would love to be involved as a Board Member for the UANA. I believe that we can work in a positive manner to ensure the progression of our profession, and to maintain good relationships with all members of the medical community. I would like to play a role in advancing the growth of nurse anesthesia in Utah to ensure that there is ample opportunity to practice in this state. I will do all I can to help maintain the high standards we employ as Nurse Anesthetists, and ensure that we will have access to all essential resources needed to practice safely and effectively in our profession.

Ryan Blaney

Colby Jacobson

I would like to take the opportunity to introduce myself in the prospect of being a UANA board member. The opportunity to work with the UANA and subsequently the nurse anesthetists of Utah is appealing to me primarily because I’d like to put actions behind words.

As a newer graduate I have had the recent opportunity to work in many areas across the west. Currently I work with Lone Peak Anesthesia doing all types of anesthesia in Utah and Salt Lake counties. My past experience includes 16 years as a nurse working primarily in Thoracic ICU and PRN as a shift supervisor, Life Flight nurse, mechanical support nurse and IABP team lead for Intermountain Health Care at Intermountain Medical Center. I have also served on many educational, state, and national boards and been elected to several positions in support of nursing and more recently anesthesia.

The challenges and changes that we all face are of particular interest to me. Although many of our practice situations may be different, there are challenges that are, or at least should be, of everyone’s concern. We face challenges brought on by our federal government as well as ongoing concern with local and or state policy that serve to affect all of us. I believe that the rapidly changing CRNA market in particular should be addressed with added urgency.

I love the practice of anesthesia for all of its attributes including the competency at which we provide care, the attributes it brings to consumers and health care in general, and the career it provides all of us. I believe that there are challenges being brought to all of these areas. And I’d like to do what I can to secure and promote a bright future for all of us.

Art Shimata

Hello fellow CRNAs. I know many of you from our UANA meetings, however I wanted to give you a little background on myself. I am originally from Hawaii, I joined the Air Force 1986, and started my medical career as a flight medic. After Desert Storm/Shield, I got out of the military and went to nursing school at Weber State here in Utah. After practicing as a registered nurse for several years, I decided to attend anesthesia school. I attended Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington and became a CRNA in 2002. Since then my practice has included everything from teaching, to locums, to solo practice, to combined CRNA/MDA practices. Since 2011, I have been serving on the UANA as the Federal Political Director where we have been successful in several endeavors. Among these endeavors are: reversing the Noridian decision to not pay Nurse Anesthetist, Solidifying the changes in the Veterans Administration handbook to acknowledge CRNAs as licensed independent practitioners, and many other items that keep our profession from being limited. I feel that I know the issues that go along with most all of our practices, and I am willing to listen and understand the personal issues that befall us all in our various practices.

I am not seeking election for any misanthropic reasons. I seek election because I feel an obligation to protect and enhance my career. My hopes are to encourage members to voice their concerns. I fully realize the sensitive matter of CRNAs in collaborative practices, and opt out issues. I feel that we can get there in a professional manner, all the while, shielding those members from retaliatory efforts of those few that would concert their efforts to fight against issues that would further our practice as CRNAs. I believe that we also have to be aware of the growing retaliatory efforts of MDAs and their encouraging AA programs. I believe we should strongly fight any efforts on this particular front. Last but certainly not least, I want you to know the power you possess. I know many are busy with their profession, and personal lives, but as a fellow CRNA and member of this great profession it is vital that we all be involved. One letter from one constituent to one senator can and will make the difference. Thank you for all of your efforts to this magnificent profession.