The Virginia Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (VANA) represents more than 1,9700 Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists (SRNAs) across the Commonwealth. We are the Virginia chapter of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA), and we have been advocating for safe, accessible anesthesia care in Virginia since 1933.
This page provides an overview of who we are, what CRNAs do, and where we stand on the issues that matter most to healthcare access in Virginia.
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) are advanced practice registered nurses who specialize in anesthesia care. They are among the most highly trained healthcare professionals in the country — completing a minimum of seven to eight years of education and clinical training before earning their certification.
In Virginia, CRNAs administer anesthesia in hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, and physician offices — delivering care for surgical, obstetrical, trauma, and pain management procedures. In many rural communities across the Commonwealth, CRNAs are the primary or sole anesthesia providers, ensuring that patients in underserved areas can access essential care close to home.
Nationally, CRNAs administer approximately 58 million anesthetics each year. They have been recognized as Medicare Part B providers since 1986, and their safety record is well established across decades of peer-reviewed research.
VANA believes that Virginia’s patients deserve the highest quality anesthesia care, and that removing unnecessary barriers to CRNA practice is essential to achieving that. Virginia’s current supervision requirements restrict the ability of fully trained, certified CRNAs to practice to the full extent of their education — without any corresponding improvement in patient safety outcomes.
A growing body of peer-reviewed research demonstrates that CRNAs practicing independently deliver outcomes equivalent to those of any other anesthesia provider. Removing the supervision mandate would expand access to care, particularly in rural and underserved communities where anesthesiologist coverage is limited or unavailable.
VANA supports legislation that reflects the evidence: that CRNAs are safe, capable, and ready to serve Virginia patients without administrative restrictions that exist nowhere in the clinical literature.
We are working on the following issues in the Virginia General Assembly. Click on any initiative below to learn more.
In many of Virginia’s rural counties, CRNAs are the primary anesthesia providers available. Restricting their practice does not improve safety — it reduces access for the patients who have the fewest alternatives.
Virginia’s CRNAs hold master’s or doctoral degrees in nurse anesthesia. More than 75% of Virginia CRNAs are VANA members — a professional community committed to continuing education, safe practice, and the highest standards of care.
Decades of peer-reviewed research have established that CRNAs deliver safe, high-quality anesthesia care. Outcomes data does not support the clinical case for mandatory supervision requirements — the evidence points in the other direction.
For questions about specific legislation or VANA’s policy positions:
