What is a Nurse Anesthetist?

What is a Nurse Anesthetist?

Administering Anesthesiology

A nurse anesthetist is a specialty-trained registered nurse who administers anesthesia to patients who are undergoing surgeries or special procedures.

Nurse anesthetists have a unique approach to patient care, grounded in a nursing perspective. The job isn’t just about pharmacology and physiology, but caring for the human spirit while patients receive an anesthetic.

Nurse Anesthetists

Nurse anesthetists work in a wide variety of settings, including hospitals, surgery centers, pain management clinics, and military installations.

CRNAs administer approximately 32 million anesthetics to patients in the US each year. They are the primary anesthesia providers in rural America and in some states, they are the sole providers in nearly 100% of the rural hospitals.

Growing Need

Currently, the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists reports there are 44,000 nurse anesthetists and student nurse anesthetists in the nation

The need for additional CRNAs and anesthesiologists is projected to continue in order to help assure adequate access to care for all Americans.

History

Nurses have been providing anesthesia care to patients since the creation of the science and art of anesthesiology in the late 1800’s. As pioneers in advanced practice nursing, nurse anesthetists collaborate with physicians and surgeons, other nurses and the entire health care team to ensure a safe and comfortable perioperative experience for the patients entrusted to their care.