Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) are advanced practice nurses who safely provide more than 32 million anesthetics for surgical, obstetrical and trauma care each year in the United States. They administer every type of anesthetic, work in every type of practice setting and provide care for every type of operation or procedure – from open heart surgery to pain management programs.
CRNAs provide anesthetics to patients in collaboration with surgeons, anesthesiologists, dentists, podiatrists and other qualified healthcare professionals. As advanced practice registered nurses, they are given a high degree of autonomy and professional respect.
Nurse anesthetists have been providing anesthesia in the United States for over 125 years, beginning with their care of wounded soldiers during the Civil War. There currently are more than 36,000 nurse anesthetists in the United States – approximately 45% of whom are men (as compared with 8% men in the nursing profession as a whole). CRNAs are the sole providers of anesthesia in approximately two thirds of all rural hospitals in the United States, enabling these healthcare facilities to offer obstetrical, surgical and trauma stabilization services. In some states, CRNAs are the sole providers in nearly 100% of rural hospitals.
For more information about becoming a CRNA, see the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists website.