Role of CRNAs
As one of the first nursing groups to specialize beyond general nursing, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) represent a long-standing commitment to high standards in a demanding field. They provide one-on-one care to their patients before, during and after the operation by delivering quality anesthesia services for surgical and obstetrical procedures combined with a personal concern for the health and welfare of the individual.
An estimated 20 million anesthetics are given in the United States each year, and CRNAs administer more than half of them in a variety of procedures, including obstetric, pediatric, neurosurgical and cardiovascular, all with a high rate of success.
Once a student has completed his/her educational work, they are eligible to take a National Certification Examination. The examination is administered in testing centers located throughout the country. Successful completion allows graduates to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). Nurse anesthesia is the only anesthesia care profession, which has traditionally advocated specialty certification as a requirement for practice.
CRNAs may practice in a number of settings in addition to the operating room. They may work in psychiatric wards, emergency rooms, or intensive care areas. Nurse anesthetists may also be employed by dentists, dental specialists, podiatrists, plastic surgeons and by the increasing common ambulatory surgical centers, health maintenance organizations (HMOs), preferred provider organizations (PPOs), and other alternative care facilities.
In urban areas, CRNAs constitute approximately half of the professionals qualified to administer anesthesia: in rural settings, this percentage increases.
Currently, 47 percent of all CRNAs are employed by hospitals, and 38 percent by
physicians, while 12 percent contract their services independently, all working in a variety of practice settings. Still others serve in the U.S. Military and Veterans Administration system. CRNAs are legally licensed as registered nurses in all 50 states and certified nationally in the specialty of anesthesia.
The rewards of being a nurse anesthetist are many. There is the opportunity to get involved in research that advances the science of anesthesia, the chance to broaden clinical knowledge and the potential to teach others about anesthesia. CRNAs also receive a great deal of satisfaction with the knowledge that they have made a direct hands-on contribution to their patients' well-being. Finally, the nurse anesthetist practices in one of the highest paid nursing specialties.
The American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) was founded in 1931. Today, AANA represents more than 25,000 CRNAs nationwide (over 90 percent) and is one of the nation's most dynamic health care professional organizations. In addition to offering educational workshops at its many conventions and regional meetings, AANA represents the interests of CRNAs in Congress. A bill was signed into law in 1986 making nurse anesthetists the first nursing specialty to be accorded direct reimbursement rights under Medicare's prospective payment system. AANA's effectiveness as an organization is evident in the fact that more than 98 percent of nurse anesthetists in America today belong to the AANA.
