March 23, 2005

To: Region 5 CRNA's

From: Evan Koch

Dear Region 5 CRNAs:

Happy Nurse Anesthetist’s Week, Happy Super Bowl Sunday, Happy Valentine’s Day, Happy St Patrick’s Day, and happy whatever else you can come up with. Here is some news for you from your association.

The CRNA-PAC telemarketing campaign is under way as of Feb. 1, 2005. For the next few weeks, staff of our vendor Captel will be contacting CRNAs via email and phone urging their support for the CRNA-PAC. The focus of the message from PAC Chair Larry Hornsby is the importance of keeping a strong voice in Washington, to address policy issues important to CRNAs. For the first time, and at the direction of the CRNA-PAC Committee, this year's campaign will promote the rewards and recognitions available through new giving levels -- the Congressional Club for (more than) $200, and the Presidential Club for (more than) $1,000 this calendar year.

The Toronto Star reports that Canada is contemplating implementing CRNAs to alleviate a chronic shortage of anesthesia providers. That’s got to be good thing. Eh? The New Jersey Supreme Court has stayed the implementation and enforcement of restrictive provisions of the office anesthesia rules pending the outcome of the legal proceedings in that court. Recall that the NJ Board of Medicine had implemented rules that essentially restricted office based anesthesia to anesthesiologists. The NJ Association of Nurse Anesthetists appealed the decision, and it looks as though the Supreme Court may accept their appeal. More on that later.

The Council on Certification of Colleges of Nursing is moving towards adoption of rules that would restrict advanced practice nursing to nurses who hold a doctoral degree. As you might suspect this is a very contentious subject, especially among nurse anesthesia educators. For the second year in row, the Assembly of School Faculty will devote much time to it, considering its merits and caveats. Here again, stay tuned for further updates.

If you have not yet seen the article “Medicine’s Turf Wars” on advance practice nursing in the January 31 issue of US News, by all means check it out at www.aana.com. The portion devoted to CRNAs is objective and positive. While at www.aana.com please also visit the page describing an article in Smart Money entitled "Ten Top Things Your Plastic Surgeon Won't Tell You " in the February 2005 issue. Unfortunately this one is not so objective nor is it positive. CRNAs are requested to write the editor. Please take a moment and do so.

On the positive side, while at www.aana.com you can also see how other CRNAs celebrated Nurse Anesthetist’s Week. There are some pretty creative people out there.

Last, I want to thank all of you for reading your state bulletin and my periodic articles. CRNAs ask me all the time: “What can I do to help my profession? ”Keeping apprised of professional affairs is a very important part of being a responsible CRNA. If you read the bulletin, vote in AANA elections, and pay your dues you deserve a pat on the back. If do all that plus you attend one CRNA sponsored meeting each year, you deserve at least two pats on the back. So thanks for two great years as your Region 5 Director. I do hope to see you at an AANA meeting some time soon. As always, I welcome your calls and emails.

With best wishes…
Evan Koch CRNA MSN