The District of Columbia's health department is considering allowing certified registered nurse anesthetists to use the title "nurse anesthesiologist." Organizations representing healthcare professionals have argued for and against the title change.
In a letter to the department, the American Medical Association said the title is "misleading and confusing to patients," adding that "anesthesiologist" has been, and should be, reserved for physicians. The organization also outlined the differences in education, with physician anesthesiologists logging 15,000 clinical training hours and CRNAs recording only 2,600 hours.
Jan Setnor, MSN, CRNA, president of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology, contested this statistic. She told Becker's post-graduate anesthesia programs provide nearly 10,000 additional hours of clinical experience.
The AANA changed its name in 2021 to clarify the roles of "advanced practice registered nurses who are experts in the science and art of anesthesiology," according to its website. The organization said it will defend the use of the title, both within the district and other legislative areas nationwide.
"Anesthesiologists are healthcare specialists who administer anesthesia — nurses have administered anesthesia for more than 150 years, therefore making 'nurse anesthesiologist' an appropriate title," Ms. Setnor said.
The AMA disagrees, claiming that the proposed title change does not support the health, safety and public welfare of patients.
"Nurse anesthesiologists play a critical role in addressing challenges within the healthcare system by increasing access to, maintaining quality of, and decreasing costs of healthcare," Ms. Setnor said. "Instead of supporting solutions for patients, physician groups continue to use fearmongering to protect physicians' padded paychecks at the expense of patient care."