PRINTER'S NO. 395
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
60
Session of
2023
INTRODUCED BY CULVER, MARCH 6, 2023
REFERRED TO RULES AND EXECUTIVE NOMINATIONS, MARCH 6, 2023
A RESOLUTION
Designating the week of February 20 through February 26, 2023,
as "Certified Anesthesiologist Assistant Week" in
Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, In the early 1960s, physician leaders in the medical
specialty of anesthesiology recognized the existence of staffing
shortages; and
WHEREAS, To meet growing demands and to accommodate the
increasing complexity of anesthesia and surgery, three
anesthesiologists proposed the precursor to what is now the
certified anesthesiologist assistant (CAA); and
WHEREAS, CAAs are highly skilled health professionals who
work under the direction of licensed physician anesthesiologists
to implement anesthesia care plans and work exclusively within
the Anesthesia Care Team model described by the American Society
of Anesthesiologists; and
WHEREAS, All CAA students must have earned a baccalaureate
degree with premedical coursework to be admitted into a CAA
training program and must complete a comprehensive didactic and
clinical program at the graduate school level; and
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WHEREAS, CAA training programs must include a minimum of 24
to 27 months in a Master's level program accredited by the
Commission for the Accreditation of Allied Health Educational
Programs which must be based at, or in collaboration with, a
university that has a medical school and academic
anesthesiologist physician faculty; and
WHEREAS, An average of 600 hours of classroom/laboratory
education, 2,600 hours of clinical anesthesia education, and the
administration of more than 600 anesthetics, including all types
of surgery, are typically required to successfully complete CAA
training; and
WHEREAS, CAAs are trained extensively in the delivery and
maintenance of quality anesthesia care, as well as, advanced
patient monitoring techniques; and
WHEREAS, CAAs perform such tasks as administering drugs,
obtaining vascular access, applying and interpreting monitors,
establishing and maintaining patient airways and assisting with
preoperative assessment; and
WHEREAS, In 1989, the National Commission for Certification
of Anesthesiologist Assistants was established to create a
national certification process; and
WHEREAS, Since 2002, there has been a significant expansion
of CAA education programs in the United States; and
WHEREAS, CAAs are authorized to practice in 19 states, the
District of Columbia, the United States Territory of Guam and
the Medicare system; and
WHEREAS, CAAs provide anesthesia services for a multitude of
medical procedures every year in the United States; and
WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Academy of Anesthesiologist
Assistants is dedicated to the ethical advancement of the CAA
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profession and to creating a better future through innovation,
cutting-edge medicine, advocacy and education; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate designate the week of February 20
through February 26, 2023, as "Certified Anesthesiologist
Assistant Week" in Pennsylvania.
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