December 8, 2025

Dear Colleagues, 

As this busy, tumultuous year comes to a close, the AANA remains dedicated to supporting our members and our profession.  

We will continue to monitor and advocate for our profession and keep you informed about any new developments related to our advocacy priorities, including proposed federal student loan caps, provider nondiscrimination, reimbursement hurdles, and supervision requirements. Please watch your inbox, the AANA website, and AANA social media channels for updates and calls to action. 

Next year is shaping up to be full of opportunities for AANA members to learn, connect with our community, and support our profession. There’s much to look forward to in early 2026, including National CRNA Week, Jan. 18-24, and the premier gathering for nurse anesthesiology educators: EDGE: Educate. Develop. Grow. Engage. on Feb. 4-7.  

The holiday season, with all its beauty and joy, can also bring stress. The AANA offers a wealth of health and wellness resources—including the AANA Helpline at 800-654-5167, available 24/7. 

As always, thank you for all you do to keep patients safe and our profession strong.   

Sincerely, 

The AANA Board of Directors

In This Issue

• Proposed Student Loan Cap Puts Nurse Anesthesia Education and Patient Care at Risk 

• Nominate a Leader in Federal Advocacy  

• Applications Now Open: 2026 Fellows of the AANA (FAANA)   

• Where Community Meets Care: A CRNA’s Calling to Rural Health 

• CRNA Brings Hope and Healing to Rural Patients Facing Chronic Pain 

Advocacy Updates 

Proposed Student Loan Cap Puts Nurse Anesthesia Education and Patient Care at Risk

The nation’s anesthesia workforce will face a devastating blow if the U.S. Department of Education (ED) moves ahead with plans to cap unsubsidized student loans for future CRNAs at just $100,000. The move stems from provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the ED’s draft definition of “professional degrees,” which excludes the nurse anesthesiology profession as written and subjects student registered nurse anesthetists to the lower loan cap.  

The draft definition is a notable departure from the Trump administration’s consistent support for the CRNA and APRN workforce. The ED’s current draft rule stymies this momentum and jeopardizes the future anesthesia workforce and patient access to care, particularly in rural and underserved communities.   

“The Department of Education’s current draft definition creates an anticompetitive environment among anesthesia providers,” said the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) President Jeff Molter, MSN, MBA, CRNA. “Critical care nurses pursuing careers as CRNAs could be pushed away from the profession if access to unsubsidized federal loans is capped, all while physician anesthesia residents continue to receive the full $200,000 loan allotment.” Read more.  

Nominate a Leader in Federal Advocacy  

The Daniel D. Vigness Federal Political Director Award honors a CRNA/nurse anesthesiologist who has advanced AANA’s federal advocacy efforts through strong grassroots engagement, relationship-building with federal officials, and increasing advocacy participation in their state.   

The award is presented at the AANA Mid-Year Assembly, and each recipient is added to a permanent recognition plaque in the AANA Federal Government Affairs Office in Washington, D.C.  

Nomination deadline: Jan. 15  

Submit a nomination  

Significant News

Applications Now Open: 2026 Fellows of the AANA (FAANA) 

The Fellows of the AANA (FAANA) represent the highest level of achievement in nurse anesthesiology. These distinguished leaders advance the profession through clinical excellence, education, research, and advocacy — shaping the future of patient care and practice.   

Applications are now open to join their ranks as a 2026 Fellow. Applications are due by Feb. 2, 2026, at 12 p.m. CT. The application process takes time and thoughtful preparation. Start now to get ahead of the New Year and ensure your achievements are recognized among the most accomplished in nurse anesthesiology. Learn more and apply  

Member Highlights

Where Community Meets Care: A CRNA’s Calling to Rural Health

Rural anesthesia sits at the edge of two worlds—the clinical and the familiar—and Jen Chastek, DNAP, CRNA, ARNP, navigates them with practiced grace. One evening, that balance became strikingly clear. She was called to the emergency department for a trauma case: a construction worker who had fallen nearly 20 feet and was in critical condition. When she reached the bedside, she realized the patient was her close friend’s husband.  

In rural life, the hospital is never far removed from school pick-ups, grocery aisles, or the people you gather with for backyard parties. But Chastek knew how to shift. Standing beside her friend, she stepped into her serious, clinical side—the part of her that thinks in physiology and precision. Later, her friend would tell her, “I had so much peace knowing that you were there." Read more. 

CRNA Brings Hope and Healing to Rural Patients Facing

Chronic Pain

When Ben Campbell, MS, CRNA, NSPM-C, Lt COL (Ret), USAR, FAANA, first stepped into an operating room as a college student, he thought he was destined to follow in his father’s footsteps as a surgeon. He was assisting his father during surgery, but he couldn’t help noticing the CRNAs at the head of the bed.  

“I thought, ‘Who are they and what are they doing?’” he said. “A lightbulb went off. That was the moment I knew I wanted to be a CRNA.”  

That day in his father’s OR set Campbell on a career path that would span decades of anesthesia practice, military service, and chronic pain management. Today, he’s helping patients in rural Arkansas—and from across the country—find opioid-free relief from chronic pain.  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.