What is a CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist)?

A Nurse Anesthetist, or Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), is a licensed professional nurse who provides the same anesthesia services as an anesthesiologist (MD). After completing extensive education and training, CRNAs become nationally certified; they may then practice in all 50 states.

Working closely with other health care professionals such as surgeons, dentists, podiatrists and anesthesiologists, a CRNA takes care of a patient's anesthesia needs before, during and after surgery or the delivery of a baby by:

• Performing a physical assessment
• Participating in preoperative teaching
• Preparing for anesthetic management
• Administering anesthesia to keep the patient pain free
• Maintaining anesthesia intraoperatively
• Overseeing recovery from anesthesia
• Following the patient's postoperative course from recovery room to patient care unit

Nurse Anesthetists stay with their patients for the entire procedure, constantly monitoring every important body function and individually modifying the anesthetic to ensure maximum safety and comfort. CRNAs administer approximately 65 percent of the 26 million anesthetics given to patients in the United States each year.