AANA Applauds Minneapolis Veteran Affairs Medical Center's Decision to Allow CRNAs to Practice to the Top of their Training

ROSEMONT, Ill., Aug. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) applauds and supports the Minneapolis Veteran Affairs Medical Center's (VAMC) recent decision to adopt a proven, patient-focused anesthesia care model that will ensure that veterans continue to receive the care they deserve.

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists consistently demonstrate their safety, competence and expertise in providing anesthesia services. As advanced practice registered nurses, CRNAs work autonomously within surgical teams in the Army, Navy, Air Force, the Indian Health Service, and in countless facilities across the country, delivering high-quality anesthesia care to nation's veterans and other populations with complex needs.

"Decades of peer-reviewed research have proven that CRNA provided anesthesia is just as safe as anesthesia provided by anesthesiologists," stated former AANA president Jan Setnor, MSN, CRNA, Col. (Ret), USAFR, NC. "The decision by the Minneapolis VAMC will protect access to care for veterans at a time when the VA is seeing rapidly increasing shortages of physician anesthesiologists, which have led to delays and cancelations of essential procedures for veterans."

The recent VA Office of Inspector General report shows a 38% increase in facilities that cite a severe shortage of anesthesiologists. VA's continued use of inefficient anesthesia models is no longer tenable, and the decision by the Minneapolis VAMC is the right one for veterans who deserve anesthesia care without delay. AANA and our members are proud to serve our nation's veterans by providing an outstanding level of care.

For more about CRNAs, visit https://www.aana.com/about-us/about-crnas/.

SOURCE American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology