National CRNA Week Celebrated January 19-25

National CRNA Week (January 19-25) is the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists' annual celebration of anesthesia patient safety and the nation’s nearly 54,000 Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists and student registered nurse anesthetists who safely and cost-effectively provide more than 49 million anesthetics each year. This event helps patients, hospital administrators, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and others become more familiar with the CRNA credential and the exceptional advanced practice registered nurses who have earned it.

CRNAs are the primary providers of anesthesia care in rural America, offering surgical, obstetrical, pain management, and trauma services to medically underserved areas. CRNAs 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. In 2019, CRNAs administered more than 49 million anesthetics to patients in the U.S. The cost-efficiency of CRNAs helps control escalating healthcare costs, but numerous research studies have demonstrated that there is no difference in the quality of care provided by CRNAs and their physician counterparts.