Nurse anesthetists help people heal with anesthesia

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – If you need anesthesia while you’re at the hospital, you may have been treated by a CRNA, or a certified registered nurse anesthetist.

Brent DuBois is a CRNA, and he has also served in the army.

His time in the military allowed him to come back home and help people in the hospital.

He says usually he administers anesthesia through gas, which puts you to sleep before a medical procedure.

DuBois was also awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart while he was deployed in Iraq.

It was established in the late 1800s as the first clinical nursing specialty.

Nurse anesthesia developed because of the growing need for anesthetists.

Nurse anesthetists have been working for nearly 150 years.

As anesthesia specialists, CRNAs take care of patients before, during and after surgery.

Nurse anesthetists stay with their patients for the entire procedure.

They constantly monitor every important body function and change the anesthetic to make sure it’s safe and comfortable.

Today, more than 49,000 CRNAs provide high-quality patient care that is essential to America’s health care system.

CRNAs are the sole anesthesia providers in more than two-thirds of all rural hospitals in the United States, giving about 70 million rural Americans access to anesthesia.

CRNAs work in inner cities as well.

CRNAs are qualified and can practice in every state of the nation, including Georgia.

During surgery, the patient’s life often rests in the hands of the CRNA.

This awesome responsibility requires CRNAs to see every aspect of their anesthesia education, nursing skills, and scientific knowledge.

CRNAs monitor the patient’s vital signs, regulate the anesthetic, analyze situations, make decisions, communicate
clearly with the other members of the team, and respond quickly in an emergency.

Head over to the Georgia Association of Nurse Anesthetists website for more information.