More than 1,000 CRNAs work with the Veterans Health Administration and they can’t operate with full practice authority like their counterparts serving in every branch of the military. The Association of Veterans Affairs Nurse Anesthetists is working to change that despite significant pushback, and former president Diane Boettger, CRNA, joins the show to talk about her time on the board and the work the organization is doing to push CRNAs forward.

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Today's Key Topics: 

2:17 – Background on this topic

3:18 – Why this is important

4:25 – How AVANA is structured

8:59 – Establishing full practice authority

13:33 – Different standards while serving

16:20 – How veterans have been affected

20:15 – What changed during COVID

22:57 – Why the huge pushback

25:55 – What can CRNAs do to help?

29:41 – Opioid crisis

31:37 – How to help AVANA

31:57 – Closing message