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CRNAs continue to be the nation’s leader in the administration of anesthesia services. In fact, there are more than 59,000 nurse anesthetists in the United States (including CRNAs and student registered nurse anesthetists). CRNAs are Advanced Practice Registered Nurses who have completed rigorous academic and clinical training in order to provide their patients with safe, high quality, and affordable anesthesia care. CRNAs continue to provide over 50 million anesthetics to patients each year in the United States and continue to be the primary anesthesia provider to rural Georgians and Americans.
CRNAs practice in every setting where anesthesia is delivered including hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, physician offices, obstetrical delivery rooms, in the Department of Veterans Affairs facilities, and in the United States military. When anesthesia is administered by a nurse anesthetist, it is recognized as the practice of nursing; when administered by a physician anesthesiologist, it is recognized as the practice of medicine. Regardless of whether their educational background is in nursing or medicine, all anesthesia professionals administer anesthesia the same away.
As early as 1916, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) were providing anesthesia at Grady Hospital in Atlanta. In 1938, seventeen CRNAs established the Georgia Association of Nurse Anesthetists (GANA). Spearheading the formation of the GANA was Rosalie C. McDonald, who became its first president. Ms. McDonald later served as the sixth president of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA), our national organization. More than 90% of U.S. nurse anesthetists are members of the AANA.
Today, the GANA has grown to represent over 1300 members and is among the oldest and largest CRNA state organization in the United States. CRNAs are committed to caring for Georgia by providing vigilant, high-quality, and cost effective anesthesia services. Nurse anesthesia is safe anesthesia.
CRNAs in Georgia practice in every setting in which anesthesia is delivered: traditional hospital surgical suites and obstetrical delivery rooms; critical access hospitals; ambulatory surgical centers; the offices of dentists, podiatrists, ophthalmologists, plastic surgeons, and pain management specialists; and U.S. military, Public Health Services, and Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare facilities.