In response to recent questions about the matter, the New York State Education Department has clarified its interpretation of what role Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) may have in outpatient dental anesthesia.

The Education Dept has posted new guidance on this in their Q&A page on dental anesthesia (#13) on their website : HERE.

They state the following:

Can New York State licensed RN or nurse practitioner administer anesthesia to a dental patient in a private dental office under the supervision of a New York State licensed dentist if the nurse is also a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)?

Yes, under the following specified conditions:

• The supervising dentist must be currently certified by NYSED to administer the same level/type of anesthesia that will be provided to the patient (8 NYCRR §61.10(d)); and
• The nurse is a licensed and registered RN AND a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA):
  • Acute care nurse practitioners (with more than 3,600 hours of nurse practitioner experience) who are CRNAs may order, prescribe, and administer anesthetic agents to dental patients in the private dental office. The supervising dentist must be physically present in the office while the CRNA provides anesthesia care to a dental patient. The CRNA may also provide anesthesia to a dental patient for a dentist who may not have NYSED anesthesia certification as long as the supervising dentist (anesthesia certificate holder) is also physically in the office.
  • In cases where the CRNA is not a nurse practitioner, the supervising dentist must order or prescribe anesthetic agents and other medications and remains medically responsible for the anesthesia care rendered to the patient, including the patient’s response to the anesthesia. For this reason, the supervising dentist must be present and immediately available to intervene in the event of an adverse outcome while the patient is receiving anesthesia care from the CRNA. The supervising dentist may not assume any duties that interfere with this function (such as administering anesthesia to a different patient).

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