Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
Established in the late 1800s, nurses were the first professional group to provide anesthesia services in the United States. Nurse anesthesia has since become recognized as the first clinical nursing specialty. The discipline of nurse anesthesia developed in response to requests of surgeons seeking a solution to the high morbidity and mortality attributed to anesthesia at that time. Surgeons saw nurses as professionals who could give their undivided attention to patient-care during surgical procedures (History). Serving as pioneers in anesthesia, nurse anesthetists became involved in the full range of specialty surgical procedures, as well as in the refinement of anesthesia techniques and equipment. Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) are anesthesia specialists. They personally administer approximately 65% of all anesthetics given to patients each year in the United States (Nurse). Nurse anesthetists must acquire many qualifica...