An Exploration of Potential Gender Differences in the Discipline of Nurse Anesthetists

Abstract

Great diversity exists in the US population, therefore the US Department of Health and Human Services [HHS] has called for increased diversity among healthcare professionals as a means of improving public health outcomes. Males are consistently a minority group within the nursing profession and are disproportionately disciplined. The disproportionate discipline of male nurses and the loss of licensure often resulting from censure may have an impact on efforts to diversify the nursing sector of healthcare. Among certified registered nurse anesthetists [CRNAs], the ratio of males to females is more equal and little data exists examining the characteristics of disciplined CRNAs. The purpose of this study was to describe formal licensure discipline against CRNAs practicing in select states during a 33-year period (1983-2017). This descriptive study is a retrospective cohort study involving secondary data analysis of public records information. Disciplinary list data was generated via the database tools accessible on the government websites provided by each state department of health and/or BON. The disciplinary list data was then cross-referenced against the Nursys database maintained by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) for greater detail and analysis. Of the CRNA licenses in the sample (n=4401), the rate of sanction was 1.20% (n=53). Males (n=26) were disciplined more often than women (n=27) at a ratio of 1.6:1. CRNAs in this study were six times more likely to commit an infraction related to substance abuse than any other single infraction type at 66% (n=35). Loss of licensure in some form resulted in approximately 51% (n=27) of cases.