H.R. No. 1181
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, In the early 1960s, leaders in the medical specialty
of anesthesiology recognized the existence of staffing shortages,
and to meet growing demands and accommodate the increasing
complexity of anesthesia and surgery, a group of anesthesiologists
proposed the precursor to what is now the health care occupation of
certified anesthesiologist assistant; and
WHEREAS, Certified anesthesiologist assistants are highly
skilled health professionals who work under the direction of
licensed physician anesthesiologists to implement anesthesia care
plans and work exclusively within the Anesthesia Care Team model,
as described by the American Society of Anesthesiologists; and
WHEREAS, All CAA students must have earned a baccalaureate
degree with premedical coursework to be admitted into a CAA
training program and must complete a comprehensive didactic and
clinical program at the graduate level; and
WHEREAS, CAA training programs must also include a minimum of
24 months in a master's level program accredited by the Commission
on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs and must be
based at, or work in collaboration with, a university that has a
medical school and academic anesthesiologist physician faculty; as
part of their CAA training, students are typically required to
successfully complete an average of 600 hours of classroom and
laboratory education and 2,600 hours of clinical anesthesia
education; they are also required to administer a total of more than
600 anesthetics and to gain experience in all types of surgery; and
WHEREAS, Certified anesthesiologist assistants are trained
extensively in the delivery and maintenance of quality anesthesia
care as well as advanced patient monitoring techniques; they
perform tasks such as administering drugs, obtaining vascular
access, applying and interpreting monitors, establishing and
maintaining patient airways, and assisting with preoperative
assessment; and
WHEREAS, In 2010, Dr. Carin Hagberg, in her role as the chief
of anesthesiology for The University of Texas Health Science Center
at Houston, developed a partnership with Case Western Reserve
University to start a CAA program in Houston; it received initial
accreditation in 2010 from the Commission on Accreditation of
Allied Health Education Programs and the Accreditation Review
Committee for the Anesthesiologist Assistant; that same year, 16
graduate students were enrolled in the program, and they completed
their studies in 2012; and
WHEREAS, In 2019, under the guidance of program director
Kenneth Maloney, CAA, the Case Western Reserve University
Anesthesiologist Assistant Program expanded to provide clinical
rotations in Central Texas at Baylor Scott and White Health in North
Austin; and
WHEREAS, Certified anesthesiologist assistants currently
provide anesthesia within an anesthesia care team at many major
hospitals in Texas, including the Heart Hospital of Austin, Baylor
Scott and White Health, Children's Medical Center Dallas, Methodist
Hospital, Memorial Hermann Orthopedic and Spine Hospital, Memorial
Hermann Southwest, Memorial Hermann The Woodlands, Memorial
Hermann Sugar Land, St. David's Hospital System in Austin, and
Texas Heart Institute at Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center; and
WHEREAS, Certified anesthesiologist assistants practice in
19 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Territory of Guam;
they also practice within the Medicare system and provide
anesthesia services for a multitude of medical procedures every
year in the United States; they have practiced in Texas since 1997,
when Dr. John Zerwas of Greater Houston Anesthesiology brought them
into the practice to address the shortage in anesthesia providers;
and
WHEREAS, The Texas Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants is
dedicated to the ethical advancement of the CAA profession and to
creating a better future through innovation, cutting-edge
medicine, advocacy, and education; the academy is ably led by
president Tasha Krueger, CAA, Tim Goodridge, CAA, and secretary
Thao Nguyen, CAA, as well as board members Frank Trzaska, CAA, Jana
McAllister, CAA, and Paul McHorse, CAA; and
WHEREAS, Certified anesthesiologist assistants have
dedicated their careers to serving the citizens of Texas, and they
are indeed deserving of special commendation; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas
Legislature hereby recognize the week of February 20 through
February 24, 2023, as Certified Anesthesiologist Assistant Week in
Texas and encourage residents of the Lone Star State to pay tribute
to these invaluable professionals.
Oliverson
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1181 was adopted by the House on April
28, 2023, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House