By the end of 2025, all newly graduating certified registered nurse anesthetists in the U.S. will be required to obtain doctorate degrees, a move that was first announced in 2009.
Here are eight things to know about the new licensing requirements:
1. In 2009, the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs voted to require new CRNAs to complete a three-year doctoral program by 2025.
2. Currently, CRNAs are required to complete a four-year bachelors degree and a two-year masters degree in nurse anesthesia.
3. CRNAs graduating in 2025 and beyond must hold a doctor of nurse practice, a doctor of nurse anesthesia practice, a doctor of philosophy, a doctor of education, a doctor of nursing science or a doctor of management practice in nurse anesthesia.
4. A white paper from workforce management company Medicus Healthcare Solutions predicts that by 2025 the U.S. will see a shortage of 450,000 nurses, including CRNAs. The white paper warns that new licensing requirements may exacerbate the current CRNA shortage by delaying the entry of new CRNAs into the workforce.
5. It also warns that new requirements may deter potential candidates from pursuing a career as
a CRNA.
6. CRNAs represent more than 80% of anesthesia providers in rural counties and administer more than 50 million anesthetics to patients each year in the U.S.
7. It is estimated that 30,200 new advanced practice registered nurses in master’s and doctoral programs will be needed each year until 2031 to meet the rising demands for care.
8. CRNA schools have an average acceptance rate of 24%.
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