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Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
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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 qualifications before they are accepted for a position in any hospital, clinic, or university, but the benefits and end results are worth the wait. The nurse anesthesia profession is known for its highly respected educational system and its strong commitment to quality education. There are more than 90 nurse anesthesia educational programs in the United States today, all affiliated with, or operated by, universities. Approximately one-half of these programs are housed in schools of nursing, while the rest are in schools of health science or other appropriate graduate schools (Nurse). Education and experience required to become a CRNA include a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or other appropriate baccalaureate degree, a current license as a registered nurse, at least one year’s experience in an acute care nursing setting, and graduation from an accredited graduate school of nurse anesthesia (these educational programs range from 24-36 months, depending upon university requirements, and offer a master’s degree) (Qualifications). This sophisticated educational system provides over 2,000 enrolled students a graduate level science foundation along with clinical anesthesia experience to prepare them to become competent nurse anesthesia providers. The Council on Certification of Nurse Anesthetists (CCNA) is the certifying body that administers the national certification examination (Nurse). Each graduate of a nurse anesthesia program must pass the national certification examination before he or she can be certified as a CRNA (Qualifications).
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