The Vermont Association of Nurse Anesthetists is committed to inform our Membership and Political Leaders on CRNA related Issues for the benefit of our State and Profession.

A message from VANA President Carroll Ruhlman

Mark Green (President Elect) and I recently returned from the 75th annual meeting of the AANA held in Minneapolis. It was a great opportunity to represent Vermont CRNA’s as we networked with CRNA’s from all over the country.  We had the pleasure of meeting the current board members as well as the newly elected board.  There are some impressive people committed to our profession and keeping it strong and making sure that nurse anesthetists continue to be in the forefront of healthcare, with no restrictions or changes to our scope of practice.  Jackie Rowles, newly elected AANA President is going to be a strong advocate for our profession. At the business meeting, a presentation was given by the Commission on Anesthesia Economics and Reimbursement. This 13-member commission was charged last year with examining the current and projected future health economic trends that may affect the delivery of anesthesia care by nurse anesthetists. A full copy of the report is available on the AANA homepage under the member section and is a very interesting and important document to read. Mark and I made the opportunity to talk with our Region Director Steve Alves, along with Senior Director State Government Affairs Mitch Tobin, JD and Assistant Director of State Government Affairs, Jana Conover regarding something that is happening at the Board of Nursing level in Vermont. Recently a letter was sent out advising that on August 12, there would be public comments on a draft proposal. All APRN’s would have been among the recipients of the letter. This draft is titled “Proposed Draft Amendment to Administrative Rules”. It is important to read this document. It can be found at the following link under “laws” http://www.vtprofessionals.org/opr1/nurses/ The Board of Nursing is re-examining the language and requirements for licensing APRN’s.  The proposed draft amendment changes the Core Standards for all categories of APRN’s From :            The APRN performs medical acts independently within a collaborative practice with a licensed physician under practice guidelines which are mutually agreed upon…” To:            The APRN performs medical acts independently under practice guidelines approved by the Board of Nursing…with criteria for professional collaboration… Our concern is that of the four categories of APRN, the only group who must still name a collaborating physician will be Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists. Practice guidelines for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists shall also include the name of at least one anesthesiologist or surgeon who will be routinely utilized for professional collaboration, consultation. The other proposed change that we are concerned about is the two years of “mentored practice” for APRN’s subsequent to passing the certification exam. Requiring a restriction of this nature on CRNA practice after a CRNA has passed the certification exam is restrictive and unnecessary. Nurse anesthesia education includes a substantial supervised clinical component within the educational program itself. Mark and I wrote position statements that Jon Bennet read at the Board of Nursing hearing on August 12. Since we would be at the AANA meeting on that date, we wanted to make sure our concerns were heard. Mark is on the BON APRN Advisory Committee and will keep us posted. In the recent AANA elections, of the 49 active CRNA’s in Vermont, we had 15 ballots cast. That sounds uninspiring, however it was 30.6 percent, which made us the 4th highest voter turnout. So I make a challenge to all Vermont CRNA’s…next year lets wow them with 100% ballots. Please contact any board member onany issues you have concerns about. VANA is YOUR organization The Vermont Association of Nurse Anesthetists is committed to inform our Membership and Political Leaders on CRNA related Issues for the benefit of our State and Profession. We’d love your involvement! What you might not know about the VANA.            We have a lobbyist in Montpelier keeping an eye on things for you            We have a new web master and web site            We have a scholarship fund for students            We sponsor board members to attend AANA meetings            We can fund a research project (contact us) Carroll Ruhlman CRNA President VANA

VANA President-Elect Mark Green with AANA current President Wanda Wilson, AANA newly elected President Jackie Rowles, and VANA President Carroll Ruhlman At 75th National AANA Meeting

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