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17December2024

What is the 2-year Check-in? Under the former “re-certification” program, CRNAs came back every two years. That check-in and billing timing stays the same under the Continued Professional Certification (CPC) Program. Though the continuing education periods in the CPC Program are divided into two 4-year cycles, you will check in every two years to continue the timing that has worked for CRNAs in the past. View the 2-year Check-in flyer (PDF) The 2-year Check-in will be a simple, online process to: validate your state licensure* confirm continuing practice** update your contact information review your progress towards CPC Program compliance and make plans for the next two years pay the $110 credentialing fee (the same amount as in the past) What your fee supports The first CPC Program 2-year Check-in window will open on April 3, 2018 for most CRNAs that recertified or initially certified in 2016. The deadlines chart on the right includes specific deadlines for your 2-year Check-in. Click here to download the deadline chart. “We know CRNAs have demanding schedules, which is why the 2-year Check-in process was designed to be a quick and easy way to maintain CPC compliance,” said John Preston, NBCRNA Chief Credentialing Officer. “Most certificants should be able to complete this important first step in under 10 minutes, and they can access the Check-in portal from their smart phone or computer.” All CRNAs are urged to make sure their contact information is current, as NBCRNA reported that in recent years, they couldn’t connect with more than 5,000 certificants who had outdated contact information to provide important credentialing information. The NBCRNA website will serve as a valuable resource for all certificants, providing regular updates on the 2-year Check-in to ensure a seamless process. Reminders also will be sent with a link to the Check-in portal. Visit…

22August2017

VTANA Fall Meeting

VTANA Fall Meeting The Vermont Association of Nurse Anesthetists (VTANA) invites you to join us for our annual VTANA Fall Meeting! The meeting will be held on Saturday, Sept. 23 at the Stoweflake Resort and Conference Center from 10am-4pm. This event will include lunch and a presentation by VTANA’s strategic planning consultants. Please RSVP by Sept. 10 to Ashley Norris, President-Elect and Treasurer, at [email protected].

16February2017

VTANA Celebrates National CRNA Week

National CRNA Week was held Jan. 22-28 across the nation. In Vermont the VTANA held its annual Legislative Day at the Vermont Statehouse. The Vermont House of Representatives recognized the work that CRNAs do in Vermont with a Concurrent House Resolution that also honored National CRNA Week. VTANA members helped distribute important information to lawmakers during the event. Left Photo, from left: Kim Cotnoir, CRNA; Tenylle Critchlow, CRNA; John Stitt, CRNA; and Nicole Stone, CRNA. The House Resolution is pictured on the right. National CRNA Week is AANA’s annual celebration of anesthesia patient safety and the nation’s 50,000+ CRNAs and student registered nurse anesthetists who safely and cost-effectively provide approximately 43 million anesthetics each year. Known as National Nurse Anesthetists Week as recently as 2014, the new name for this popular event helps patients, hospital administrators, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and others become more familiar with the CRNA credential and the exceptional advanced practice registered nurses who have earned it.

01December2016

Turn the Tide – A Call to End the Opioid Crisis

Dear Colleague: Vermont – like other states across the nation – has been struggling with an epidemic of opioid use disorder. This epidemic is caused in part by mis-prescribing or over-prescribing opioid drugs to treat pain. All the evidence now shows that opioids can be addictive even when prescribed for legitimate pain, and even with the first dose taken. In Vermont, we are seeing lives damaged and lives lost – more than 400 deaths from opioid overdose since 2010. We must stop this now. I ask you to join U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, MBA and me in pledging your commitment to reverse this deadly trend. Please, take the pledge at www.turnthetiderx.org. Know how to treat pain safely and effectively. Screen every patient, every time. And treat opioid use disorder as the chronic disease that it is. Harry Chen, MD Vermont Commissioner of Health

24August2016

It’s Time to Renew!

It’s Time to Renew Your AANA Membership Did you know that renewing your AANA membership supports our profession at both the state and national levels? By choosing to remain an AANA member, you’ll automatically remain a member of the Vermont Association of Nurse Anesthetists (VTANA) as well. In fact, 36 percent of your AANA dues go directly to support our state association, allowing us to protect your ability to practice at the state and facility level. Here are some of the ways that the VTANA benefits you directly: Discounted CE opportunities at VTANA-sponsored education meetings to meet licensure and recertification requirements Legislative advocacy working to advance and protect the profession in Vermont Networking and employment opportunities at VTANA-hosted events Dedicated website with resources for nurse anesthetists and patients In addition to state benefits, here are some other ways that AANA membership can help both your career and the profession as a whole: Starting this fall, members will receive an exclusive code that can be used for up to six online courses worth 1 Class A CE credit each on www.AANALearn.com Exclusive to AANA members, AANA Connect is the private virtual environment devoted to CRNA interaction and community development and collaboration Enjoy discounted rates for AANA educational opportunities, including workshops and meetings, the AANA Nurse Anesthesia Annual Congress, and the convenience of online learning on AANA Learn Select member-only benefits such as malpractice insurance, disability insurance, health and life insurance. We look forward to serving you throughout your career. VTANA and AANA will always be there when you need us most to provide consultative assistance on employment practices, clinical practice issues, quality of care issues, and much more. By renewing your membership, we will continue working to protect CRNA practice rights, ensure patient access to high-quality nurse anesthesia care, and…

31May2016

VA Publishes Proposed Rule Recognizing VHA CRNAs, APRNs to Full Practice Authority

VA Publishes Proposed Rule Recognizing VHA CRNAs, APRNs to Full Practice Authority To Expand Veterans Access to Quality Healthcare, Veterans Administration Publishes Proposed Rule Recognizing Veterans Health Administration CRNAs, APRNs to their Full Practice Authority Long-awaited, AANA-backed action triggers 60-day public comment period; CRNAs urged to prepare to participate in advocacy campaign Please take action now, by clicking below. Your AANA Login is required. To expand Veterans access to quality healthcare, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on May 24 published a proposed rule extending Full Practice Authority to CRNAs and other Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) serving in the Veterans Health Administration, triggering a 60-day public comment period. The AANA and its coalition partners have long sought this outcome – and much more work remains to be done to make it final. The VHA proposal appears here, and is anticipated to appear in the Federal Register on May 25. The rule would establish Full Practice Authority in VHA facilities for CRNAs, NPs, CNSs and CNMs. It defines Full Practice Authority as meaning APRNs working within the scope of VA employment would be authorized to provide services as described without the clinical oversight of a physician, regardless of state or local law restrictions on that authority. Under the rule, a CRNA in the VHA would have Full Practice Authority to provide a patient’s anesthesia care and anesthesia related care, including planning and initiating anesthetic techniques (general, regional, local) and sedation; providing postanesthesia evaluation and discharge; ordering and evaluating diagnostic tests; requesting consultations; performing point-of-care testing; and responding to emergency situations for airway management. It defines APRN as a person who has successfully completed an accredited graduate-level educational program in one of the four distinct APRN roles (CRNA, CNP, CNS and CNM), has passed a national certification exam, and possesses licensure. “The AANA…

27April2016

Take Action on Veterans’ Access to Health Care

Dear Fellow CRNAs, Please take action regarding Veterans’ access to high-quality healthcare. Several sample letters have been provided for your convenience. By submitting a letter, you agree to having your information posted online to Regulations.Gov once this policy has been released for public comment. Thank you for taking action! CRNA’s can go directly to the login page by clicking the button below to take action! Please help support our Veterans!

12April2016

VTANA Members on Capitol Hill

Veterans’ access to timely, quality healthcare was the focus of a rally held today on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol by approximately 500 nurse anesthetists from around the country. Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) have been outspoken in their support of a plan proposed by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to expand veterans’ access to healthcare by allowing advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), including CRNAs, to practice to the full extent of their education and licensure. The policy, recommended by a major Independent Assessment of the VHA as well as by the Institute of Medicine and already in place in America’s military and Indian health systems, would help eliminate the dangerous wait times for needed care that America’s veterans currently endure. By updating its regulations to include APRN/CRNA full practice authority, the VHA will make use of an already existing workforce that ensures veterans have access to essential surgical, obstetric, emergency, and pain management healthcare services without needless restrictions or having to travel long distances for care. “Because more veterans need care today, long wait times for appointments or procedures—sometimes a month or more just to receive basic health services—are the unacceptable norm veterans routinely encounter,” says American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) President Juan Quintana, DNP, MHS, CRNA. “Delays are not justified after these honorable men and women have already put their lives on the line while serving our country.” This was the second year in a row that CRNAs and student registered nurse anesthetists have rallied on Capitol Hill in support of patient care improvements. The rally was organized by the AANA, which represents more than 49,000 nurse anesthetists nationwide. More than 6,000 APRNs, including 900 CRNAs, work in VHA facilities across the country. In addition, the AANA’s National Health Leadership Award was presented during the…

20March2016

NEANA Spring Meeting Registration Now Open

NEANA Spring Meeting Registration Now Open! The New England Assembly of Nurse Anesthetists will hold its annual Spring Meeting on April 15-17 at the Boston Burlington Marriott in Burlington, MA! This is an action-packed 3-day event that will feature some of the nation’s leading instructors, trending course topics, and an opportunity to earn 20 continuing education credits. This is also a great opportunity to network with your peers throughout the New England area. Registration is now open! Click here for more information.

VTANA Members (Private)

What is the 2-Year Check-In?