Certified registered nurse anesthetists provide competent care in the operating room | PennLive letters

Published: Jan. 12, 2025, 10:00 a.m. by PennLive.com

Patients undergoing surgery or procedures requiring anesthesia are safe when cared for by a physician anesthesiologist, a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), or both. The perceived shortage of anesthesia providers (“Pennsylvania doctors are sounding the alarm over health insurers putting profits above patient care,” Jan. 3) relates to outdated and restrictive laws that prevent CRNAs from practicing to their fullest scope.

Certified registered nurse anesthetists are the hands-on providers of anesthesia care, practicing in every setting where anesthesia is administered. In fact, nurse anesthetists are usually the last person a patient sees before a surgical procedure begins, and the first they see when they awake. They are with their patients for every breath during the procedure.

Because of their training and experience – the average nurse anesthetist completes an average of 9,369 clinical hours of training prior to becoming a CRNA – numerous medical studies show there is no statistical difference in patient outcomes when a nurse anesthetist provides treatment compared to a physician anesthesiologist, even for rare and difficult procedures.

Physician anesthesiologists’ concerns about safety are undermined by attempts to push regulations that would allow a new category of unlicensed and unproven anesthesia providers, posing serious liability concerns for health-care facilities, driving up health-care costs, and doing absolutely nothing to increase access to anesthesia care in rural and underserved areas, where CRNAs are the primary providers of anesthesia care, often practicing independently.

As health-care demands grow, empowering CRNAs to practice to the fullest extent of their education and training is key to containing costs while maintaining the highest level of care.

Jodie Szlachta, Ph.D., CRNA, President-elect, Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists

Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month: Featuring SRNA Jorge Alvarez

Jorge Alvarez is a 3rd year student at Villanova University Nurse Anesthesia Program at Villanova University, where he will graduate in December 2022. He won the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists’ 2022 Student of the Year Award. The upcoming celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month allowed him to reflect on the path he has taken to reach his goal of becoming a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA):

“This Hispanic Heritage Month I am reflecting on the journey that, in a few short months, will lead me towards my career as a CRNA. My mother brought us to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic when I was eight years old. As a single mother, she worked multiple jobs to make ends meet so that my sister and I would have a chance at a better education and life than she did. My mom set a strong example of what work ethic means and how your attitude and perseverance contribute to your success. I keep my heritage alive by honoring my family’s sacrifices for their children, always remembering our humbling beginnings, and the privilege that it is to have an opportunity at higher education. As Hispanic SRNAs and CRNAs, we are united as one extended family. My hope for the future of anesthesia in PA is that we continue to bring representation to the profession so that we may reduce stereotypes while simultaneously validating and inspiring other Hispanic and underrepresented youths along the way.”

🩺💙 For additional #HispanicCRNA stories in our#HispanicHeritageMonth blog series, click here.

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Letter to the Editor: State needs to recognize certified registered nurse anesthetists

To the Times:

Surgery and anesthesia can be intimidating. Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) are advanced practice nurses who specialize in anesthesia and are required to be experienced critical care nurses. CRNAs provide continuous care during anesthesia. We’re usually the last people patients see before a procedure begins and the first to greet them when they awaken. Frequently, anesthesia includes amnesic agents and often, our patients do not remember us or even realize they were cared for by a nurse anesthetist.

During this pandemic, many CRNAs served as front line health-care workers, fulfilling critical roles inside and outside the operating room. CRNAs were uniquely able to utilize their specialized skill set, which includes critical care experience, to care for critically ill patients suffering from this respiratory pandemic in intensive care units or operating rooms.

CRNAs are recognized only as registered nurses, not nurse anesthetists, in Pennsylvania, despite their advanced education and training because there is no definition for nurse anesthetists under Pennsylvania’s Professional Nursing Law. Pennsylvania remains one of only two states that fail to formally recognize CRNAs. This roadblock forces Pennsylvania CRNAs to obtain credentials from other states to provide mission, volunteer, and military work.

Pennsylvania legislators should act to provide CRNAs with the title recognition they need and have earned.

Jodie Szlachta CRNA, Ph.D, Program Director, Crozer-Chester Medical Center / Villanova University Nurse Anesthesia Program

Source: DelcoTimes