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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, First Regular Session
AMENDED
appropriations; anesthesia; rotations
Purpose
Establishes the Student Registered Nurse Anesthetist Clinical Rotation Program (Program) to expand the capacity of preceptor training programs for nurse anesthetist students and appropriates $3,000,000 from the state General Fund (state GF) in FY 2026 to the Arizona State Board of Nursing (AZBN) for Program administration.
Background
Statute authorizes the AZBN to certify registered nurses as certified
registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) if the nurse: 1) submits a
Board-prescribed application; 2) has completed an anesthesia program that is
accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational
Programs (Council) or another national certifying body recognized by the AZBN;
3) has received certification by the Council or certifying body; and 4) has
paid the applicable certification fee (A.R.S.
§ 32-1634.03).
CRNAs are authorized to administer anesthetics under the direction of and in the presence of a physician or surgeon in connection with preoperative, intraoperative or postoperative care of a patient or as part of a procedure performed by a physician or surgeon in a health care institution, ambulance or an office of a medical or osteopathic physician, podiatrist or dentist. The scope of practice of CRNAs includes: 1) issuing medication orders, including for controlled substances, to be administered by a licensed or certified health care provider; 2) assessing the health status of an individual as the status relates to the risks associated with anesthetic management; 3) obtaining informed consent; 4) ordering and evaluating laboratory and diagnostic test results and performing point-of-care testing that the CRNA is qualified to perform; 5) ordering and evaluating radiographic imaging studies that the CRNA is qualified to order and interpret; 6) identifying, developing, implementing and evaluating an aesthetic plan of care for a patient; 7) taking necessary action in response to an emergency situation; and 8) performing therapeutic procedures that the CRNA is qualified to perform (A.R.S. § 32-1634.04).
Preceptorship means a mentoring experience in which a nursing preceptor provides a program of personalized instruction, training and supervision to a graduate student to enable the student to obtain an advance nursing degree and become licensed as an advance practice registered nurse (A.R.S. § 32-1607).
S.B.1446 appropriates $3,000,000 from the state GF to the AZBN in FY 2026.
Provisions
1. Establishes the Program, for FY 2026, within the AZBN to expand the capacity of preceptor training programs at health care institutions for nurse anesthetist students.
2. Requires the AZBN to develop a grant program to distribute appropriated Program monies, for FY 2026, to licensed health care institutions to pay for the direct and indirect costs to expand or develop clinical training placements for nurse anesthetist students, with preference given to expanding or developing clinical rotations in obstetrics, pediatrics, cardiovascular, thoracic and neurological care.
3. Allows grant monies to be used to fund a clinical training placement through:
a) an anesthesia provider group who is contracted with a health care institution;
b) an authorized preceptor; or
c) a health care institution directly.
4. Prohibits more than 20 percent of a grant award from being spent on the indirect costs of expanding or developing clinical training placements.
5. Specifies that awarded grant monies are intended to supplement, not supplant, existing training program expenses covered by the health care institution grantee.
6. Requires grant monies to be distributed to grantees before the expenses for expanding or developing clinical rotations are incurred.
7. Requires grantees to return all unspent grant monies to the AZBN.
8. Requires the AZBN to establish an application process for Program grants and to consider prescribed factors when determining grant awards, including:
a) the geographic and population distribution;
b) the number of nurse anesthetist students expected to be trained and retained; and
c) the cost of the proposal for the number of nurse anesthetist students expected to participate and be retained, compared to other proposals.
9. Appropriates $3,000,000 from the state GF in FY 2026 to the AZBN for administration of the Program.
10. Exempts the appropriation from lapsing.
11. Defines terms.
12. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Amendments Adopted by the Health and Human Services Committee
1. Adds clinical rotations in thoracic and neurological care to the list of preferred clinical rotations for grant distributing purposes.
2. Allows grant monies to be used to fund clinical training placements through an anesthesia provider group who is contracted with a health care institution or an authorized preceptor, in addition to funding placements directly through the health care institution.
3. Defines authorized preceptor.
4. Makes conforming changes.
Senate Action
HHS 2/12/25 DPA 7-0-0
APPROP 2/18/25 DP 8-0-2
Prepared by Senate Research
February 21, 2025
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