Kudos to Victoria Goode and her team for the execution of a Collaborative Research Agreement between the Duke University School of Nursing and National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists entitled “Ensuring Patient Safety through CRNA Knowledge and Continued Professional Certification.” This agreement is for a three-year period with a start date of Feb. 2018.

"This research collaboration established with the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA) and Duke University School of Nursing Collaborators seeks to establish a research program that will provide ongoing analysis of both the process of certification and continued certification for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and its relationship to the competence of care and the promotion of patient safety," says Goode. "The NBCRNA has an extensive database related to its credentialing programs, which will be used to guide the development of this research program. The NBCRNA - Duke Collaboration aims to inform the implementation of the  continued certification program for CRNAs to ensure patient safety in surgery through CRNA knowledge and competence."

This research program seeks to determine factors that ensure the knowledge and competency of CRNAs as evaluated through the certification process. This research will influence changes in the nurse anesthesia certification process and the influence of the newly adopted continued professional certification program requirements. It may also ultimately impact surgical outcomes.

The National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA) is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to promoting patient safety by enhancing provider quality in the field of nurse anesthesia. It has an extensive database and is in the position to immediately use the results of the research conducted through the Collaborative Agreement to inform credentialing program evaluation.