The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA), previously named the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, is a

professional association A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) is a group that usually seeks to advocacy, further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in ...

for

nurse anesthetist A nurse anesthetist is an advanced practice nurse who administers anesthesia for surgery or other medical procedures. They are involved in the administration of anesthesia in a majority of countries, with varying levels of autonomy. Nurse anesth ...

s in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The organization states that it has a membership of more than 62,000 and represents approximately 90% of CRNAs in the United States. The AANA headquarters is currently located in

Rosemont, Illinois Rosemont is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, located immediately northwest of Chicago. As of the 2020 census, the village had a population of 3,952. The village was incorporated in 1956, though it had been settled long before ...

, a suburb of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

History

On June 17, 1931, 48 nurse anesthetists, led by Agatha Hodgins, met in a classroom at the University Hospital of Cleveland Lakeside in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

. During this meeting, they founded the National Association of Nurse Anesthetists (NANA). The association held its first annual meeting in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, from September 13 to 15, 1933. The meeting drew 120 attendees and saw Agatha Hodgins elected as the inaugural president. As a new organization, it had two main objectives: establish a national qualifying exam, and establish an accreditation program for nurse anesthetist schools. The first national certification exam was held in June 1945, with 90 candidates sitting for the exam. The AANA began accrediting nurse anesthetist programs in 1952 and was recognized as an accrediting body by the

U.S. Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a United States Cabinet, cabinet-level department of the federal government of the United States, United States government, originating in 1980. The department began operating on May 4, 1980, havin ...

in 1955. In 1975, the accreditation of nurse anesthesia educational programs transitioned from the AANA to the autonomous Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA).

Name change

In August 2021, the organization changed its name from "American Association of Nurse Anesthetists" to "American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology" as part of a rebranding effort. This name change, along with the organization's endorsement of the descriptor "nurse anesthesiologist", was subsequently condemned by many

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

s' groups, including the

American Medical Association The American Medical Association (AMA) is an American professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students. This medical association was founded in 1847 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Membership was 271,660 ...

(AMA),

American Society of Anesthesiologists The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is a professional association of physicians in the field of anesthesiology. As of 2024, the organization included more than 57,000 national and international members and has more than 100 full-tim ...

(ASA),

American Board of Medical Specialties The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) is a non-profit organization established in 1933 which represents 24 broad areas of specialty medicine. ABMS is the largest and most widely recognized physician-led specialty certification organi ...

American Osteopathic Association The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) is the representative member organization for the more than 197,000 osteopathic medical doctors ( D.O.s) and osteopathic medical students in the United States. The AOA is headquartered in Chicago, Illi ...

American Board of Anesthesiology American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, ...

, and

American Osteopathic Board of Anesthesiology The American Osteopathic Board of Anesthesiology (AOBA) is an organization that provides board certification to qualified Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) and non-osteopathic (MD and equivalent) physicians who specialize in the administratio ...

. These organizations state that the name change is misappropriating the anesthesiologist title, and that it is deceptive, misleading to patients, and causes confusion in care settings.

''Journal of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology''

The ''Journal of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology'' (''AANA Journal'') is a peer-reviewed, bimonthly

academic journal An academic journal (or scholarly journal or scientific journal) is a periodical publication in which Scholarly method, scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. They serve as permanent and transparent forums for the ...

serving as the official publication of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology. First published in 1933, it focuses on disseminating scholarly articles relevant to the practice of nurse anesthesiology.

References

External links

AANA Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Nursing organizations in the United States Advanced practice registered nursing Medical and health organizations based in Illinois Perioperative nursing Health industry trade groups based in the United States 1931 establishments in Ohio