anesthesiologist constitutes the practice of medicine. According to the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists and state law in all fifty states, anesthesia care provided by a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthesiologist is considered the practice of nursing. Certain aspects of physician directed anesthesia care may be delegated to other trained and credentialed professionals, including anesthesiologist assistants and CRNAs. Laws regarding anesthesia provision It has been established that, under US law, anesthesia is practice of both medicine and nursing. Frank v. South, Chalmers-Francis v. Nelson and other court decisions determined that anesthesia was the practice of Nursing as well as Medicine. As such, the practice of anesthesia in the US may be delivered by a physician anesthesiologist, an anesthesiologist assistant or a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthesist. The decisions have not been challenged since the Dagmar Nelson case. In addition to legal decisions, individual hospital and surgical facility policies also regulate the granting of anesthesia clinical privileges and are often based on contractual agreements with provider groups. See also ASA physical status classification system References Anesthesia