American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology

History

In 1931, a group of 48 nurse anesthetists, with Agatha Hodgins at the helm, gathered in a classroom at Cleveland’s University Hospital of Cleveland Lakeside. There, on June 17, they launched the National Association of Nurse Anesthetists, or NANA. The group’s first annual meeting was held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from September 13 to 15, 1933, with 120 people in attendance; Hodgins was chosen as the first president. From the start, the organization focused on two goals: creating a national qualifying exam and setting up an accreditation system for schools training nurse anesthetists.

The first certification exam took place in June 1945, with 90 test-takers. The AANA started accrediting nurse anesthetist programs in 1952, and the U.S. Department of Education recognized it as an accrediting body in 1955. In 1975, this accreditation work shifted to the independent Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA).

Name change

In August 2021, the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists rebranded itself as the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology and endorsed the term "nurse anesthesiologist." This move drew condemnation from several physician groups, including the American Medical Association and the American Society of Anesthesiologists, who argued it misappropriates the anesthesiologist title and misleads patients.

Did You Know?

• The AANA Journal serves as the official publication of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology.
• The name change in 2021 does not imply that CRNAs are medical doctors or anesthesiologists.