Thank you to the more than 1,200 loud and proud nurse anesthesiology advocates who joined us in D.C. last week at the Mid-Year Assembly. We were impressed and inspired by the CRNAs, RRNAs, and RNs we met and their dedication to advancing our profession.
Our thanks and appreciation go to the AANA Advocacy Team for delivering a blend of expert speakers and focused content that prepared attendees to confidently and effectively meet with legislators and regulators on CRNA issues.
Student Loan Update
On Thursday, April 30, the Department of Education (ED) released its final rule implementing changes to student loan programs. (See AANA’s statement below.) The rule explicitly excludes nursing degrees, including those for nurse anesthesia education, from the definition of professional degree, which has a student loan cap of $50,000 annually and $200,000 in aggregate.
This means that RRNAs pursuing their degrees will be limited to the graduate loan cap of $20,500 annually and $100,000 in aggregate, effective July 1, 2026. AANA remains committed to pursuing all avenues to ensure that future CRNAs can finance their education. Our Federal Government Affairs team is working on next steps including Congressional action and is also working with coalition partners on these efforts.
Happy National Nurses Week
As National Nurses Week begins this Wednesday, May 6, we offer our deepest respect and gratitude to our members and nursing colleagues around the world. This year’s theme, "The Power of Nurses," reminds us that, individually and together, we have a powerful impact.
AANA Issues Statement on Department of Education Final Rule on Student Loan Caps and Advanced Nursing Degrees
FY27 Appropriations Work Continues
Kudos to MYA Award Winners
AANA Regulatory Team Launches Redesigned Reimbursement Webpage
In Memoriam: LaRayne K. Oltz, CRNA (1946-2026)
Bylaws & Resolutions Virtual Hearing
Seeking Your Input - AANA 2026 Member Profile and Compensation & Benefits Survey Open Now
Join the CRNA Challenge Team
A Trauma Case That Defied the Odds
Advocacy Updates
AANA Issues Statement on Department of Education Final Rule on Student Loan Caps and Advanced Nursing Degrees
Statement from the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) President Jeff Molter, MSN, MBA, CRNA.
“AANA is deeply concerned by the consequences of the U.S. Department of Education’s decision to limit federal student loan access for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and other advanced practice nursing degrees. This policy will have real and damaging effects at a time when demand for care is growing nationwide. The department acknowledges that nurse anesthesia programs meet the requirements for inclusion. However, it excludes future CRNAs based on a fundamental misunderstanding of physician supervision requirements and fails to consider the impact on the workforce and access to care.
Patients will ultimately bear the consequences of this policy as it constricts the anesthesia workforce pipeline, resulting in decreased access and longer delays for essential procedures such as cancer screenings, childbirth, and surgery. These impacts will be felt most acutely in rural and underserved communities where CRNAs are often the primary or sole anesthesia providers. The Department’s final rule moves us in the wrong direction and reverses the Administration’s prior recognition of the essential role CRNAs play in delivering safe, high-quality anesthesia care. This decision also ignores the data showing that CRNAs and advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) provide one of the best returns on investments for federal loans, carrying the lowest debt-to-income ratio of any of the professional designated degrees, highest employment rates, and predicted growth for demand.
On average, students in doctoral-level nurse anesthetist programs will be forced to find more than $77,000 in additional private loans – funding that some will be unable to secure at all. The data is clear: 75% of prospective nurse anesthesia applicants said that education would no longer be financially feasible under the loan caps, and 80% were very concerned about securing private loans to complete their training. For many qualified nurses, that simply will not be an option.
AANA stands united with current and future CRNAs and the patients who depend on our profession and urges the Trump Administration and Congress to reconsider this approach and protect access to nurse anesthesia education and the care it makes possible.”
Fiscal Year 2027 Appropriations Work Continues
As the Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) Appropriations process continues, AANA’s Federal Government Affairs team is working to advocate for CRNA priorities. With the release of the President’s Budget and hearing announcements from committees, AANA is working to ensure funding for nursing programs and pro-CRNA language where able, including for today’s hearing with the House Appropriations Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee.
In the coming months, cabinet officials from Health and Human Services, the Education Department, Labor, and others will come before committees for hearings on the FY27 budget, including the President’s proposal to eliminate most Title VIII Nursing Workforce Programs. AANA will engage throughout the hearings to highlight the issues with Title VIII, as well as the importance of supervision removal, and the need for CRNAs and other APRNs to have access to professional level loans.
Kudos to MYA Award Winners
Each year, achievements in advocacy and contributions to health policy are honored at the AANA Mid-Year Assembly.
Jennifer Andersen, MSNA, CRNA, accepts the Daniel D. Vigness Federal Political Director of the Year Award from President Jeff Molter.
Chuck Tabber, CRNA, APRN, and Kellie Deeter, CRNA, CNP, accept the Excellence in State Government Relations Award.
The MYA is also a time to honor individuals at the federal government level who have made significant contributions to the formation of national health policy. Congratulations to Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Oregon), this year’s recipients of the AANA Excellence in Health Leadership Award. The award recognizes individuals who support the vital role of CRNA/nurse anesthesiologists in providing access to cost-effective, high-quality anesthesia services.
AANA Regulatory Team Launches Redesigned Reimbursement Webpage
The AANA Regulatory Team’s redesigned Reimbursement webpage offers policy analyses and educational resources created since the beginning of 2025, including:
We encourage you to bookmark the Reimbursement home page and explore and use the resources available!
Significant News
In Memoriam: LaRayne K. Oltz, CRNA (1946-2026)
LaRayne K. Oltz, CRNA, of Whitefish, Montana, passed away peacefully on April 14, 2026, surrounded by family and friends.
In 1980, she and her husband, Tafford Oltz, CRNA, began a 14-year federal court battle, the verdict of which helped CRNAs preserve their jobs throughout the United States. The court case, Oltz v. St. Peter’s Community Hospital et al., centered on the fact that an exclusive contract of anesthesia services damaged competition and consumers and constituted an illegal restraint of trade under antitrust law. In separate appeals, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld liability and work-life damages. Read more.
Bylaws & Resolutions Virtual Hearing
Join us for a virtual hearing on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. CT to learn more about the proposed bylaw amendments and resolutions. This meeting will provide an opportunity to review the proposed changes, learn more about the recommendations, and ask questions. Additional information can be found here.
Seeking Your Input - AANA 2026 Member Profile and Compensation & Benefits Survey Open Now
We invite you to participate in the AANA 2026 Practice Profile and Compensation & Benefits Member Survey, which takes approximately 20 minutes to complete. The survey is anonymous, and responses are analyzed only in aggregate. Upon completion, you may request a complimentary electronic copy of the final report by submitting your contact information through a separate form.
How Does This Help You and Your Profession?
The survey gathers essential demographic, practice, compensation, and benefits data from CRNAs in clinical practice. AANA uses this information to identify trends across geographic regions and practice settings. CRNAs, employers, and healthcare leaders rely on these data to better understand compensation and employment practices nationwide.
Your participation helps strengthen the accuracy and credibility of this report, ensuring that stakeholders rely on data collected directly from AANA members. Higher response rates lead to more meaningful insights and a stronger representation of our profession.
When a 22-year-old man arrived in the emergency room at a Long Island hospital after a motorcycle crash last September, Caitlin Eyerman, DNP, CRNA, knew the situation was dire.
“We were looking at a very unstable situation hemodynamically,” she said. The patient was already intubated and had chest tubes in place. His blood pressure was around 40/20. The team had to move quickly to stabilize him so the surgeons could operate safely. Read more.
The following is an FEC required legal notification for CRNA-PAC. Gifts to political action committees are not tax deductible. Contributions to CRNA-PAC are for political purposes. All contributions to CRNA-PAC are voluntary. You may refuse to contribute without reprisal. The guidelines are merely suggestions. You are free to contribute more or less than the guidelines suggest and the association will not favor or disadvantage you by reason of the amount contributed or the decision not to contribute. Federal law requires CRNA-PAC to use its best efforts to collect and report the name, mailing address, occupation, and the name of the employer of individuals whose contributions exceed $200 in a calendar year. Each contributor must be a US Citizen.
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