History of Early Anesthesia: From the Early 1840s to Nowadays

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Role of early anesthetists
Anesthesia leaders Alicia Magaw and Sister Mary Bernard
History of nurse anesthetist’s education up to the present
Present job roles of the nurse anesthetists
Grounds for disciplinary proceedings
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Administration of anesthesia on patients undergoing surgery started in the early 1840s and gained a lot of impact in 1946 when William Morton used ether on gilbert as anesthesia at Massachusetts hospital in Boston. Before its discovery, surgery was very agonizing and was only done as a last resort to save a life. The efficiency of a surgeon then was determined by his or her speed as many patients did not survive the agony experienced because they used alcohol and morphine to reduce the pain. Latter, chloroform was used but caused liver damage in spite of its good work and popularity. Today anesthesia has achieved objectives like causing patients to get asleep faster and in a pleasant process, as well as the development of local anesthesia. Nowadays, surgeons have enough time to be more accurate, especially on complex procedures. They are also well trained, and anesthesia is very safe, with an estimated number of 1 death in 250,000. (Bankert, 2005 pp 23-35).

Role of early anesthetists

Catherine S. Lawrence became the first nurse to provide anesthesia with the assistance of other nurses during the civil war between 1861 to 1865, but just a little of the medicine was administered as it was considered too unsafe. However, Sister Mary Bernard was the first nurse to be officially recognized in1878 when she was practicing as a nun at St. Vincent’s Hospital. The roles of the early anesthetists were to find out if the patient was fit for the process and gave the framework for a professional assessment. They did all the tests required ahead of the surgery and checked the outcomes of the screening. They also explained the effects of anesthesia to the patients for them to make the final decision. (Thatcher, 2004 pp 4550).

Anesthesia leaders Alicia Magaw and Sister Mary Bernard

Alicia Magaw became the most popular anesthetist and was recognized as the mother of anesthesia of the 19^th century because of her effectiveness in her work, especially in the use of open-drop inhalation using ether and also because of the publishing of her research. However, the earliest records regarding the care of anesthesia patients showed the works of Sister Mary Bernard, who was also a Catholic nun at St. Vincent hospital.

History of nurse anesthetist’s education up to the present

In America, the education of anesthetists is monitored by the American association of nurse anesthetist’s council through the established programs. The education and titles awarded vary depending on the state of the trainee where he receives a degree or a certificate after meeting all the requirements for the program. By 1982, registered nurses were required by AANA to be baccalaureate and have a master’s in anesthesia program. After the study, anesthetists practice in countries that are developed as the undeveloped ones do not have adequate knowledge, although this is to the disadvantage of the developing countries. (Ganado, 2005 pp 25-36).

Present job roles of the nurse anesthetists

The anesthetist cares for the patient throughout the process and even after by carrying out the assessments and offers preoperative teachings to the patient as well as making preparations for the process management. They also administer the medicine to free the patient from pain and oversee his or her recovery through the postoperative process in the care unit.

Grounds for disciplinary proceedings

Health is the most important aspect of human life. With poor or unstable health, one becomes weak and unable to perform most of the basic activities. That is why the health personnel is required to master their work so well to avoid occurrences that may lead to loss of life. To ensure that nurses are well conversant with their jobs, the syllabuses that they are to handle tend to cover all relevant areas that they expect to meet in the field through class presentations, lab demonstrations, and numerous exercises. To conduct a program or a curriculum of nursing and prepare students to register as nurse anesthetists without any accreditation of that particular syllabus by the board is considered a legal offense.

Legislation, therefore, has been put in place to ensure the protection, safety, and welfare of the public, with its primary purpose to promote, preserve and protect the public. No person is allowed to practice or perform any duty of a registered nurse anesthetist without a legible license that is approved by the board. The licenses are valid for only a specified period, after which they need to be renewed; failure to do so after an expiry period has lapsed calls for stern action from the board. The penalties of such an offense, as well as other instances of any breach of the law, are varied. In a case of a violated rule by a practicing nurse, the board may decide to revoke, suspend, probate, or limit the nurse’s license. They may also impose fines, and those who are still in the process of their studies may be barred from entering or advancing to the next clinical phase of their education. Such penalties can also be imposed in a case of detected negligence, inability to practice because of lack of skills, or when rendered so by drug abuse, for instance, alcohol-that leads to mental incompetence. Other actions that are considered an offense against a nurse’s ethics include any licensee found selling a license or falsely obtaining the same. Only the board has the authority to approve, revoke or renew a license or revise rules, and all appointments by the administrators to govern a department are subject to confirmation or approval by the senate.

For anyone who is not satisfied by the decision by the board to revoke his/her license, they are free to challenge that decision by appealing in court, but such appeals have to be done within thirty days after the mailing of the notice of the decision by certified. On the other hand, the board can obtain a restraining order which is not subject to release upon the bond; this order can then be converted into a permanent injunction.

Conclusion

The impact of nurse anesthetist’s today is that they are the only providers in more than 67% of all hospitals in the U.S serving more than 70 million patients. They are allowed by the law to practice anywhere in the states as long as they are registered. An average certified nurse in America earns about $ 140, 000 which is a registered scale arrived after a survey in several human resource departments in almost all types of employers. Current issues in the field of nurse anesthesia include serving the community with competent service and extend their participation to the leadership that supports their profession. Anesthetists have made a major breakthrough in healthcare trends by finding solutions to major challenges and offering safe care to patients. The life of a patient under surgery largely depends on the anesthetist, and therefore they need the application of every bit of knowledge and skills learned in college.

References

Bankert M. (2005): A history of American nurse anesthetists: continuum New York Pg. 23-35.

Ganado T. (2005): History of anesthesia: Churchill Livingstone Pg. 25-36.

John J. Nagelhout & Karen L. Zaglaniczny: “Nurse Anesthesia”: 3^rd Edition.

Thatcher V. (2004): History of anesthesia with emphasis on nurse specialists: JB Lippincott. Pg. 4550.

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