Anesthesia Provision in The US - Anesthesia Providers - Nurse Anesthetists

Nurse Anesthetists

In the United States, advanced practice registered nurses specializing in the provision of anesthesia are Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs). As of 2007 CRNAs represent 50% of the anesthesia workforce in the United States, with 36,000 providers, according to the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, and administer approximately 27 million anesthetics each year. Thirty-four percent of nurse anesthetists practice in communities of less than 50,000. CRNAs begin their education with a Bachelors of Science degree and at least 1 year of critical care nursing experience. After appropriate preparation, they gain a masters degree in nurse anesthesia and must then pass a certification exam. CRNAs may work with podiatrists, dentists, anesthesiologists, surgeons, obstetricians and other professionals requiring their services. CRNAs administer anesthesia in all types of surgical cases, and are able to apply all of the accepted anesthetic techniques—general, regional, local, or sedation. Nurse Anesthetists are able to practice anesthesia independently in some states, as well as in Anesthesia Care Teams.