My husband is a combat injured veteran. My parents both served in the Marine Corps.

In our household, November is a special month.

Governor. Ron DeSantis declared Florida Veterans Appreciation Month and, in conjunction with Federal Veterans Day, provided an opportunity for all Americans to come together to share their appreciation for those who fought to keep our country the beacon of hope and freedom around the world.

I hope that Floridians and all Americans will also take the time to recognize a select group of veterans who have served on the front lines of war for more than 150 years – highly skilled Certified Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs).

Americans and military families deserve access to these professionals who administer critical anesthesia care from rural Florida to hospitals nationwide and military bases around the world. CRNAs practice in all branches of the U.S. military, and it is time for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to allow CRNAs, also known as nurse anesthetists or nurse anesthetists, to practice to the full extent of their training, education and licensing.

More than 1.4 million veterans call Florida home, the third largest group of veterans in the country. Whether seeking medical care at a VA facility or elsewhere, veterans like my husband deserve the best treatment possible.

This is why it is also time for Florida to eliminate barriers and allow CRNAs, who are intensive care providers, to practice to the full extent of their education and training without illusory supervision from ‘a doctor.

It is critical that our state legislators modernize our statutes to allow CRNAs to provide a full range of care. This would be an important step toward solving our state’s healthcare worker shortage.

The roots of CRNAs date back to the battlefields of the Civil War. They remain a vital part of military health care – with full practice authority in the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force – working on the front lines, on ships, planes and bases around the world. They are the primary anesthesia providers on forward surgical teams and in combat support hospitals, where CRNAs make up 90% of forward surgical teams.

Approximately 63,000 CRNAs nationally and more than 6,700 in Florida practice in all settings where anesthesia is administered. They perform anesthesia in medical settings ranging from surgery to obstetric delivery rooms. Chances are, if you received anesthesia in Florida, a CRNA provided it to you.

This is an elite group. To earn certification, graduates must complete eight to 10 years of healthcare and anesthesia training with more than 12,000 hours of clinical training and pass a rigorous national exam. Graduates must pass the national certification exam before being hired.

Our veterans, the men and women who have protected their freedom around the world, deserve access to the best medical care possible. The VA can take a step in this direction by removing barriers to allow all advanced practice providers, including CRNAs, to provide much-needed emergency care to those who have served.

This will expand access to quality health care for veterans and reduce wait times for veterans needing immediate care, while reducing the cost of that care to the VA and taxpayers. It would also allow the VA to better serve rural facilities and providers working across state lines.

Let’s eliminate the backlog of Veterans seeking treatment by allowing every independently trained professional to provide the critical anesthesia care they are trained to provide. The backlogs are real and have a profound impact on veterans. Delays in my husband’s care led to months of being back in a wheelchair and loss of mobility, for which he fought so hard. It was debilitating and demoralizing. Let’s make sure our veterans receive care when they need it!

These simple, common-sense steps will ensure our veterans and all Floridians get the care they need and deserve. You can help us by visiting anesthesiafacts.com act at the federal level and visit the Florida Association of Anesthesiology Nurses Website to learn more about the statewide impact of CRNAs.

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Laura MolinaDNP, APRN, CRNA, is president of the Florida Association of Nurse Anesthesiology. Dr. Molina has served on the Association’s Board of Directors since 2021 and is a locum tenens certified nurse anesthetist working in multiple states and practice models.

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