The history of the nurse anesthesia profession

Despite the fact that anesthesia was discovered in the United States, we believe that both physicians and nurses are largely unaware of many aspects of the development of the nurse anesthetist profession. A shortage of suitable anesthetists and the reluctance of physicians to provide anesthetics in the second half of the 19th century encouraged nurses to take on this role. We trace the origins of the nurse anesthetist profession and provide biographical information about its pioneers, including Catherine Lawrence, Sister Mary Bernard Sheridan, Alice Magaw, Agatha Cobourg Hodgins, and Helen Lamb. We comment on the role of the nuns and the effect of the support and encouragement of senior surgeons on the development of the specialty. We note the major effect of World Wars I and II on the training and recruitment of nurse anesthetists. We provide information on difficulties faced by nurse anesthetists and how these were overcome. Next, we examine how members of the profession organized, developed training programs, and formalized credentialing and licensing procedures. We conclude by examining the current state of nurse anesthesia practice in the United States.