Nurse anesthetist association name change sparks criticism

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The professional association representing nurse anesthetists is facing backlash after changing its name from American Association of Nurse Anesthetists to American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA). Critics say the move is misleading for patients and misrepresents the education of nurse anesthetists.

Last Saturday’s announcement was part of a year-long branding effort focused on advancing the science of nursing anesthesiology and supporting certified nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), said the AANA.

“When anesthesia is administered by a nurse, it is recognized as a nursing practice,” AANA President Steven Sertich, CRNA, MAE, JD, Esq said in a statement. “Our new name tells the story of who we are, what we do and what we stand for.”

The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) quickly issued a response condemning the name change. “Across the medical and nursing communities and certification boards, ‘anesthesiology’ and ‘anesthesiologist’ are accepted as terms of a medical specialty and a physician,” they said in a statement. They call the name change “misuse of medical title” which distorts the education and training of CRNAs.

Dr Beverly Philippe

“I have great respect for nurse anesthetists; it’s a great profession that we work well with most of the time,” ASA President Beverly Philip, MD, told Medscape Medical News. “But there is nonetheless a difference in patient safety between what a physician does and is trained to do, and what the education and training of nurses is.”

This is not the first time that the two groups have clashed. Previously, they wondered whether CRNAs should be allowed to practice without the supervision of a physician. The ASA has also argued that changing the AANA title and encouraging members to use the term “nurse anesthetist” “will confuse patients and create discord in care, ultimately endangering health. patient safety ”.

The AANA responded to criticism from the ASA, saying the new name “communicates with precision and force that the AANA represents members of the nursing profession who are experts in anesthesiology,” AANA told Medscape in an email. The ASA’s argument that the organization’s name change will cause confusion and potential security concerns is “absurd at best,” AANA said, and “incendiary fear-provoking at worst “.

“As advanced practice nurses, CRNAs pride themselves on being part of the most trusted profession in the United States – they do not assimilate or present themselves as physicians,” said the AANA.

But on Twitter, anesthetists also criticized the AANA announcement. “Let’s be honest and clear about our duty to patients,” wrote Kitae Chang, MD, a sophomore resident in anesthesiology at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. “Just as doctors can’t change his title to be what they aren’t, neither can our nursing colleagues.”

Standing FIRMLY and OPENLY behind this message.

Let’s be honest and clear in our duty to patients. In the same way physicians cannot change his/her title to be something they are not, our nurse colleagues cannot either.

Let’s work together in our respective roles. https://t.co/hNJHPzODSY

— Kitae Chang, MD (@tyechang) August 15, 2021

Ed Mariano, MD, professor of anesthesiology at Stanford University School of Medicine in California, urged patients and colleagues on Twitter to “ask your anesthesiologists where they went to medical school and did their residency. L ‘AANA is trying to cheat you. “

Dear patients and colleagues, please ask your anesthesiologists where they went to med school and did residency. AANA is trying to fool you. https://t.co/Oc63MAQSHq @pppforpatients @RBlockMD @DocStrange_1 @drdanchoi @DeannaMarie208 @fuzzymittens @garyschwartzmd @DrPanMD

— Ed Mariano, MD, MAS, FASA 🇺🇸🇵🇭 (@EMARIANOMD) August 14, 2021

“Their worry died when they arrived,” said Mikhail Nekhamis, a CRNA in Vancouver, Wash. And AANA member. “No one in my field of nurse anesthetist is going to introduce themselves as an anesthesiologist. If anyone wants to introduce themselves as an anesthesiologist – which we are not – we’re going to say a nurse anesthetist.”

Nekhamis also added that AANA does not tell its members to use the term “nurse anesthetist”, claiming that “it is just an accepted term to use for those who wish.”

Mikhaïl Nekhamis, CRNA

The specific term “nurse anesthetist” does not appear anywhere in the AANA announcement. The AANA noted that the rebranding of the organization does not change the professional titles of members, although the organization recognizes “nurse anesthetist” and “certified nurse anesthetist” as credentials for nurse anesthetists.

“It is important to note that it is the responsibility of each ACC to stay current and comply with the legal requirements of any state or facility in which it practices,” AANA said, as the use of certain titles may be limited under different state laws.

But Philip is skeptical that these clarifications still occur in care facilities. “We believe that patients should be given a choice and should know as part of informed consent who really cares for them and what their education and training is,” she said.

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