CRNA != Nurse in the same sense as a registered nurse in an ICU or med-surge department.
CRNA is the Nurse Practitioner version of Anesthesiologists.
They're paying for less anesthesiologists and hiring more Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist because they're cheaper, perform a sweeping majority of the same function, and multiple can be supervised by an anesthesiologist who is on hand to fill the small gap between theirs and the CRNA scope of practice.
