Few people in our profession represent what it means to be a CRNA more than Yana Krmic, MSN, CRNA, APRN. Born in Ukraine and raised in Siberia before moving to the United States 25 years ago, Krmic overcame many challenges to become a CRNA and eventually rise to the position of president of the New York State Association of Nurse Anesthetists. Her story is an inspiration to us all and one we’ll share on the podcast today along with her feelings on what’s happening in her home country.
Check out the timestamps below to help you navigate through the many topics we discussed.
On This Episode:
We all take a unique path to become a CRNA, and one of the best stories we’ve heard is the one that Yana Krmic, MSN, CRNA, APRN can tell.
Born in Ukraine and raised in Siberia, Krmic was first introduced to healthcare while being raised by her grandmother. She eventually got the opportunity to move to New York thanks to a green card lottery that her father won, and overcame all types of challenges but ultimately found her purpose. She’s risen through the profession and most recently served as the president of the New York State Association of Nurse Anesthetists.
It’s an incredible story and one we wanted to share with those that haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Krmic yet. Even though she’s made her mark on the United States, she still has family back in Ukraine and has kept a close watch on everything that’s happening. So we’ll talk about all of that on the show today, which we think you’ll really enjoy.
As you get started on the episode, keep an ear out for these topics:
- Stories about growing up in Ukraine and Siberia.
- How she decided to get into healthcare coming from an artistic family.
- The challenge of not speaking English and living in New York.
- Why she chose to become a CRNA.
- The importance of advocacy
- What it was like for her working during COVID with a respiratory specialty.
- Her thoughts on what’s happening in Ukraine and how resilient the country is.
Check out the interview at the top of the page and use the timestamps to help you navigate through the many topics we discussed.
[4:02] – Introducing our guest
[5:24] – Yana’s professional background
[6:58] – Growing up in Ukraine
[10:22] – Mom moves to New York
[12:21] – Yana moves to Siberia
[15:43] – Getting into healthcare
[17:50] – Green card lottery
[19:21] – Determination and assertiveness
[20:18] – Her mother’s upbringing
[22:08] – Arriving in America
[24:56] – Adjusting to a new world
[28:08] – Getting a degree and moving into healthcare
[35:21] – Experience during COVID
[39:53] – Driving more advocacy
[46:00] – Her perspective on Ukraine
[52:24] – Ukrainian resilience
[57:17] – Her identity became clear
[1:02:15] – Final thoughts
“Without that upbringing, I wouldn’t have that determination, that assertiveness, and that drive to do something great, to be a part of something bigger.”
-J. Dru Riddle, PhD, DNP, CRNA, FAAN
