Latest News

CANA Welcomes Federal Action Restoring Higher Student Loan Limits for Advanced Nursing Students

Today, Kristen Roman, DNAP, CRNA, President of the California Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (CANA), issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Education’s interim guidance recognizing eligible graduate nursing programs as professional degree programs for federal student loan purposes:

California Association of Nurse Anesthesiology Responds to Preliminary Injunction Protecting Advanced Nursing Education

Today, Kristen Roman, DNAP, CRNA, CANA President, issued the following statement in response to the June 24, 2026, court order temporarily blocking the U.S. Education Department’s rule, which was set to go into effect on July 1.

CANA Responds to California Attorney General Bonta and Multistate Coalition for Defending Student Loan Pathways for Nurses

Today, Kristen Roman, DNAP, CRNA, President of the California Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (CANA), issued the following statement responding to the lawsuit filed May 19, 2026 by a coalition of 24 attorneys general, including Attorney General Bonta, and the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania.

Patient Information

Who can administer anesthesia? What are the different types of anesthesia? Is anesthesia safe? Find answers to commonly asked questions here.

Welcome to CANA

Nurse anesthetists have been administering anesthesia to patients in the United States for over 150 years, ever since the Civil War.

The credential CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist) came into existence in 1956. CRNAs are anesthesia professionals who safely administer more than 40 million anesthetics to patients each year in the United States, according to the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) 2017 Practice Profile Survey.

Donate to CANA

There are a number of ways to support CANA and its activities on behalf of the nurse anesthesia community.

Latest Video

CANA has released a public service announcement about CRNAs — have you seen it? Watch Now!