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AANA Update - November 2018
Dear Colleagues,
On behalf of the AANA Board of Directors, I am sending this communication to inform our members of recent interactions with the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA). In the spirit of transparency, we want to assure you that the AANA continues to meet and communicate with the NBCRNA to represent the voice of the AANA membership.
On Nov. 11, 2018, at the Practice Leadership Assembly in Chicago, the full boards of directors for both organizations met in a meeting facilitated by Sort Sol, the same consulting firm that spearheaded the AANA’s successful Cultural Assessment earlier this year. During this meeting, we engaged in critical dialog that focused on the CPC program. We acknowledge that this is one of the top concerns of CRNAs in relation to our profession. The AANA can, and does, loudly and clearly represent its members’ points of view on sensitive issues such as the exam and having alternative pathways for recertification. Both organizations want what is best for the profession—unfortunately, negotiations on some issues start miles apart, and take a considerable amount of time, energy and cost to close the gap.
Your AANA Board of Directors laid on the table numerous issues repeatedly cited by the membership during open forums, hallway conversations at national and state meetings, emails, and phone calls. The issues discussed: alternate pathways to testing, which NBCRNA vows it is exploring in depth; CRNAs retiring earlier than planned specifically due to the exam, which further squeezes the workforce pipeline; member fears of failing the exam; the exam timeline; transparency about Beta test results to date; and of keen interest, how much the exam will cost. The NBCRNA’s answers to these and other questions were far from concrete at this point in time. What was concrete were the AANA Board’s stated expectations for resolving all existing challenges related to the exam and other CPC matters of importance to our membership.
Additional meetings lie ahead. I will keep you informed as the meetings occur and issues are resolved. In the meantime, the AANA Board of Directors welcomes your feedback at [email protected].
Sincerely,
Garry Brydges, DNP, MBA, ACNP-BC, CRNA, FAAN
AANA President |