Protect Your Scope of Practice by Understanding Legal and Political Challenges

The political and legal landscape of nurse anesthesia is constantly shifting for CRNAs and the threats to our autonomy are real. But so are the opportunities, and that’s why we wanted Elizabeth Bamgbose, PhD, CRNA to join us for this conversation.  She’s a CRNA, educator, practice owner, and a fierce political advocate, and we’re going to break down everything CRNAs must understand about scope of practice, opt-out rules, bylaws, credentialing, and how power structures shape your daily practice more than most realize.

Here’s some of what you’ll hear in this episode:

🏛️ Know Your Regulators - State Nurse Practice Acts, Boards of Nursing, and CMS rules all affect scope — and don’t always agree.

📜 Bylaws = Your Real Power - Institutional bylaws can override practical independence, even in opt-out states.

🗳️ Opt-Out Isn’t a Free Pass - Federal opt-out removes supervision defaults but hospitals can still require supervision internally.

🧭 Political Literacy Matters - CRNAs who avoid politics still live inside political decisions. Knowing the system protects your practice.

🤝 Use Your Practice Division - Your state practice division and lobbyists are crucial allies when your institution or regulators push back.

 

About our guest: https://keck.usc.edu/faculty-search/elizabeth-blu-bamgbose/

Visit us online: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/

The 1099 CRNA Institute: https://aana.com/1099

Get the CE Certificate here (and directly submit to the NBCRNA): https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Beyond-the-Mask-CE-Cert-FILLABLE.pdf

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Now you can watch the show on YouTube! Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCknrmkRxiwtYk7LUjSV6wmw?sub_confirmation=1