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Latest News

CANA Commends California Board of Registered Nursing

CANA President Emily Francke, CRNA today issued the following statement commending the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) for their unanimous vote in support of AB 876 (Flora) during their board meeting on March 20, 2025…

CANA Hosts Successful Lobby Day 2025

On March 11, 2025, CANA made history with our most successful and well-attended Lobby Day to date. CRNAs and nurse anesthesia residents from across the state gathered in Sacramento, demonstrating the strength of our profession and our unwavering commitment to the patients we serve.

A Brief History of Nurse Anesthesiologists

When we think of medical breakthroughs, discoveries like penicillin or the polio vaccine often come to mind. Anesthesia is another transformative advancement, turning once-impossible surgeries into routine procedures. At the heart of this progress are Certified Registered Nurse Anesthesiologists/Anesthetists (CRNAs) — advanced practice providers who have been administering safe, expert anesthesia care and pain management services for more than 150 years.

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!