SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 111

WHEREAS, In the early 1960s, leaders in the medical specialty of anesthesiology recognized the existence of staffing shortages, and to meet growing demands and accommodate the increasing complexity of anesthesia and surgery, a group of anesthesiologists proposed the precursor to what is now the health care occupation of certified anesthesiologist assistant; and

WHEREAS, Certified anesthesiologist assistants 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, as 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 level; and

WHEREAS, CAA training programs must also include a minimum of 24 months in a master's level program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs and must be based at, or work in collaboration with, a university that has a medical school and academic anesthesiologist physician faculty; as part of their CAA training, students are typically required to successfully complete an average of 600 hours of classroom and laboratory education and 2,600 hours of clinical anesthesia education; they are also required to administer a total of more than 600 anesthetics and to gain experience in all types of surgery; and

WHEREAS, Certified anesthesiologist assistants are trained extensively in the delivery and maintenance of quality anesthesia care as well as advanced patient monitoring techniques; they perform tasks such as administering drugs, obtaining vascular access, applying and interpreting monitors, establishing and maintaining patient airways, and assisting with preoperative assessment; and

WHEREAS, In 2010, Dr. Carin Hagberg, in her role as the chief of anesthesiology for The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, developed a partnership with Case Western Reserve University to start a CAA program in Houston; it received initial accreditation in 2010 from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs and the Accreditation Review Committee for the Anesthesiologist Assistant; that same year, 16 graduate students were enrolled in the program, and they completed their studies in 2012; and

WHEREAS, In 2019, under the guidance of program director Kenneth Maloney, CAA, the Case Western Reserve University Anesthesiologist Assistant Program expanded to provide clinical rotations in Central Texas at Baylor Scott and White Health in North Austin; and

WHEREAS, Certified anesthesiologist assistants currently provide anesthesia within an anesthesia care team at many major hospitals in Texas, including the Heart Hospital of Austin, Baylor Scott and White Health, Children's Medical Center Dallas, Methodist Hospital, Memorial Hermann Orthopedic and Spine Hospital, Memorial Hermann Southwest, Memorial Hermann The Woodlands, Memorial Hermann Sugar Land, St. David's Hospital System in Austin, and Texas Heart Institute at Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center; and

WHEREAS, Certified anesthesiologist assistants practice in 19 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Territory of Guam; they also practice within the Medicare system and provide anesthesia services for a multitude of medical procedures every year in the United States; they have practiced in Texas since 1997, when Dr. John Zerwas of Greater Houston Anesthesiology brought them into the practice to address the shortage in anesthesia providers; and

WHEREAS, The Texas Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants is dedicated to the ethical advancement of the CAA profession and to creating a better future through innovation, cutting-edge medicine, advocacy, and education; the academy is ably led by president Tasha Krueger, CAA, Tim Goodridge, CAA, and secretary Thao Nguyen, CAA, as well as board members Frank Trzaska, CAA, Jana McAllister, CAA, and Paul McHorse, CAA; and

WHEREAS, Certified anesthesiologist assistants have dedicated their careers to serving the citizens of Texas, and they are indeed deserving of special commendation; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 88th Legislature, hereby recognize the week of February 20 through February 24, 2023, as Certified Anesthesiologist Assistant Week in Texas and encourage residents of the Lone Star State to pay tribute to these invaluable professionals.

Whitmire

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President of the Senate

I hereby certify that the above Resolution was adopted by the Senate on February 7, 2023.

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Secretary of the Senate

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Member, Texas Senate