81R5616 JNC-D
By: King of Taylor H.R. No. 184
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Nurse anesthetists were the first professional
health care workers to provide anesthesia in the United States, and
they compose the oldest recognized group of advanced-practice
registered nurse specialists in this country; and
WHEREAS, These registered nurses have completed a rigorous,
graduate-level course of academic and clinical study in a
nationally accredited program of nurse anesthesia; following
graduation, they are qualified to take the national certifying
examination; and
WHEREAS, All graduates of nurse anesthesia educational
programs receive a master's degree, and those who successfully pass
the certifying exam may use the title certified registered nurse
anesthetist (CRNA); and
WHEREAS, According to the American Association of Nurse
Anesthetists, more than 65 percent of all rural hospitals rely on
CRNAs to provide anesthesia care; without these advanced-practice
nurses, some 1,500 facilities would be unable to maintain trauma
stabilization, surgical, and obstetrical capabilities, a
circumstance that would force many rural Americans to travel long
distances to obtain such services; and
WHEREAS, Each year, CRNAs working in hospitals, ambulatory
surgical centers, physicians' offices, and medical facilities of
the U.S. military, Department of Veterans Affairs, and Public
Health Service are the hands-on providers of approximately 65
percent of all anesthetics given to patients in the United States,
and in rural communities the percentage is even higher; and
WHEREAS, The delivery of health care in this country is
dependent, in large measure, on the work of certified registered
nurse anesthetists, and it is indeed fitting that they be honored
for the crucial role that they fulfill; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas
Legislature hereby recognize January 26-31, 2009, as Nurse
Anesthetists Week in Texas and extend deep appreciation to all
certified registered nurse anesthetists for the great skill and
dedication they bring to their challenging vocation.