Local nurse anesthetist spreads awareness during National CRNA Week

OAKLAND COUNTY — January 19-25 marked National Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) Week, a field that dates back to the Civil War, when nurses provided anesthesia to soldiers on the battlefield.

“We are close to 74,000 strong across the nation, and we are one of the largest organized nursing groups,” said Julie Staczek-Marx, who works as a CRNA at Henry Ford Providence in Southfield.

She explained that CRNAs play a unique yet critical role at the head of the bed, particularly in rural settings, such as in northern Michigan and in the thumb.

She shared that in 2021, Michigan became the 20th state to allow CRNAs the ability to work independently and collaboratively with physicians when Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed House Bill 4359, which opted out of Medicare regulations that require physician supervision.

By opting out, this increased access to anesthesia care by qualified anesthesia providers and allowed for facilities in rural areas to continue operating.

Staczek-Marx is a Bloomfield Hills resident of over 20 years and a 1997 graduate of the University of Detroit Mercy’s nurse anesthesia program. She serves as the federal political director of the Michigan Association of Nurse Anesthetists, a role she has held for four years.

Staczek-Marx got her start as a nurse in 1988, working in an emergency room, a trauma intensive care unit and a post-open heart cardiovascular intensive care unit.

She explained that CRNAS are with their patients “every second, every breath, every heartbeat,” providing comfort and care to ensure they are adequately sedated or asleep for their procedure and awake comfortably.

Staczek-Marx shared that CRNAs deliver more than 50 million anesthetics to patients, operating in every setting where anesthesia is administered, from Level 1 Trauma centers to endoscopy or infertility suites, to dental offices and more.

“There is not a place where CRNAs cannot practice, where other providers can,” Staczek-Marx said. “So physician anesthesiologists can relieve us for breaks and lunches, we relieve them. We are providing the same service, using the same medications, using the same epidural trays. There is just one standard of care for anesthesia.”

According to Staczek-Marx, the 3,200 CRNAs practicing in the state of Michigan make up 70.4% of the anesthesia providers in the country, and over 580 reside and work in Oakland County.

“Few people really understand what CRNAs do or the amount of education and training they obtain to do their jobs. CRNAs are not just providers, they are specialists with critical care experience before they begin formal anesthesia education, making them uniquely equipped to handle complex cases,” Staczek-Marx said.

She shared that five accredited programs in Michigan offer CRNA training, including Wayne State University, the University of Detroit Mercy, Michigan State University, Oakland University, and the University of Michigan-Flint, all of which filter through Henry Ford Providence, where Staczek-Marx serves as a preceptor for CRNA residents.

Andrea Bittinger, the primary clinical coordinator for the Oakland University-Beaumont Graduate Program of Nurse Anesthesia, said, “This program is one of just a few programs around the country that is operated under what we call shared authority. So it is owned by both Oakland University and William Beaumont University Hospital.”

“COVID really caused a huge influx of nurses coming into nurse anesthesia. Number one, they saw what nurse anesthetists were capable of doing because we were the ones going up to the floor and putting the breathing tube in patients and acting quickly with patients who were decompensating quickly,” Bittinger said.

She added that CRNAS were working side-by-side with RNs because operating rooms were not working during COVID. She also shared that nurse anesthetists returned to the ICU to provide assistance, which helped more nurses become familiar with the profession.

Bittinger explained that some nurses looking to move away from bedside care while still working in a high-acuity environment opted to transition to nurse anesthesia.

“I mean, our numbers jumped astronomically, almost doubled, the amount of applicants we had,” she said.

According to Bittinger, the program has grown exponentially, as there were 873 applicants in 2024, which is more than double the number of applicants there were in 2020.

Upon completing a CRNA program, students will have 36 months of training, with 9,000 hours of anesthesia training on top of their four-year Bachelor of Science in nursing studies, and at least one year of ICU experience.

“As we celebrate National CRNA Week, it is important to recognize not only the exceptional care CRNAs provide, but also to continue raising awareness about their vital role in our healthcare system. We thank Oakland County and all Michigan residents for placing their trust in CRNAs every day,” Staczek-Marx said.

For more information on the Michigan Association of Nurse Anesthetists, visit www.miana.org.

To learn more about Oakland University’s CRNA program, visit www.oakland.edu/nursing/graduate-programs/DNP-NA/.