The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology is calling on the Department of Veterans Affairs to allow CRNAs to practice autonomously.
Military-certified registered nurse anesthetists are the primary providers of anesthesia care in the U.S. military and sometimes the only providers of anesthesia at forward operating bases, according to a Nov. 11 press release.
CRNAs are the only advanced practice registered nurses in the VA without the ability to practice without physician supervision, according to the release.
CRNAs work autonomously within the surgical team in the Army, Navy, Air Force and the Indian Health Service.
"AANA maintains that both physician anesthesiologists and CRNAs must be available to provide direct patient services, and that VA facilities should be afforded the ability to choose the best anesthesia delivery model that meets their needs," the AANA wrote in the release. "With full practice authority for CRNAs, physician anesthesia providers and CRNAs alike are available to care for veterans."