A Nurse Anesthetist:

• is a registered nurse who has specialized in the administration of anesthesia. If a nurse anesthetist's qualifications have been certified as appropriate and proper, the individual may use the initials CRNA after his or her name.

What does CRNA mean?

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist

• It is an abbreviation. The nurse anesthetist has the right to use this professional designation as regulated by the Council on Certification, a special certifying body for CRNAs.

CRNAs

• Over 27,000 CRNAs provide quality anesthesia care to more than 65% of all patients receiving anesthesia care in the United States every day.

Who Are We?

• High School Diploma
• B.S. Degree in Nursing
• One Year's Experience in Critical Care
• Graduation from Accredited Nurse Anesthesia School-graduating with a Masters Degree in Nurse Anesthesia
• Successfully pass national certification exam
• Maintain mandatory recertification every 2 years

Where do CRNAs Work?

• Hospital Employed
• Group Practice Employed
  • All CRNAs
  • CRNAs and Anesthesiologists
• Independent Practice
  • Contract services to:
    • Hospitals
    • Clinics
    • Private Offices

What Do We Do?

• Administer anesthetics of all types
  • General
  • Regional
  • Local
• Provide anesthesia to patients having procedures or surgery
• Select techniques or drugs based on each individual patient
• Continually monitor and treat problems that arise
• Manage emergence and recovery from the anesthetic

How Do We Do It?

• Pre-Operative:
  • conduct personal interviews
  • Discuss Anesthesia Choices, risks, benefits
  • Obtain consent and answer question
• Intra-Operative:
  • General
  • Regional
  • Local
• Post-Operative:
  • Evaluate and treat patients for problems/complications
  • Provide consultation
  • Release patients from post-anesthesia care unit

Who Do We Do It To?

• Boys, Girls
• Men, Women
• Children, Adults
• Elderly

Personal Qualifications:

• Inquisitive
• Good Social Skills
• Kind
• Dependable
• Precise
• Diligent
• Patient Oriented
• Science Oriented

Anesthesia Education:

• CRNA programs range from 45 to 75 graduate semester credits, to include 30 semester credit hours of:
  • In-depth studies of
    • Anatomy & Physiology
    • Pathophysiology & Pharmacology
    • Chemistry & Biochemistry
    • Physics
  • Anesthesia courses provide content such as
    • Airway management
    • Anesthesia pharmacology
    • Anesthesia for obstetrics, geriatrics, and pediatrics
    • Use of anesthesia machines and other biomedical equipment
• A minimum of seven (7) calendar years of education and training is involved in the preparation of a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist.

Continuous Education:

• Continuous new equipment
• Constant updating of new medications
• Learning New techniques
• 40 CEUs every two years to maintain Certification
• Life time of education

Anesthesia Duties:

• Pre op Patient Assessment
• Patient Anesthetic:
  • Local
  • General
  • Regional
• Recovery Room
• Post-Op Patient Evaluation
• Patient Discharge