Founded in 1931, the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) is the professional association representing more than 40,000 Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and student nurse anesthetists. CRNAs are advanced practice nurses who are the hands-on providers of approximately 32 million anesthetics given in the United States each year. They administer every type of anesthetic, work in every type of practice setting, and provide care for every type of surgery or procedure, from open heart to cataract to pain management.