The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is an educational, research and scientific association of physicians organized to raise the standards of the medical practice of anesthesiology and to improve patient care.
As of 2023, the organization included more than 57,000 national and international members and has more than 100 full-time employees.
History
Anesthesiology's roots date back to the mid-19th century. On March 30, 1842, Crawford Long, M.D. administered the first ether anesthetic for surgery and operated to remove a tumor from a patient's neck. After the surgery, the patient revealed that he felt nothing and was not aware the surgery was over until he awoke. This was the start of a specialty critical to modern medicine, anesthesiology.[citation needed]
In 1905, nine physicians (from Long Island, N.Y.) organized the first professional anesthesia society. In 1911, the Society expanded to 23 members and became the New York Society of Anesthetists. Over the next 25 years, involvement in anesthesia-related issues grew and attracted other interested physicians nationwide. In 1936, the Society changed its name to the American Society of Anesthetists. In 1945, the organization moved to become the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). In 1960, the ASA established an Executive Office in Park Ridge, Illinois to meet growing membership and patient-care demands. In 2014, the ASA opened new headquarters in Schaumburg, Illinois.[3]
The ASA also maintains an active resident component, medical student component as well as an anesthesiologist assistant component. Non-physician providers of anesthesia care (anesthesiologist assistants, nurse anesthetists, dentist, veterinarians, APRNs) can join as educational members.[4]
Governance
ASA is governed by its House of Delegates. The House of Delegates is composed of ASA delegates and directors (designated by geographic distribution), ASA officers, all past presidents, the Editor-in-Chief of the journal, the chairs of all sections, the chair of the ASA delegation to the American Medical Association House of Delegates and each member of the Resident Component Governing Council not to exceed five members and a non-voting member of the Medical Student component. The House of Delegates meets each year during the Society's Annual Meeting.[citation needed]
Meetings
Meetings are held annually and are based on scientific progress in the anesthesiology fields.|[5]
Publications
The Society publishes multiple academic resources in the following categories:[6]
Practice Management
Practice Parameters
Continuing Education
Patient Education
Patient Safety/Risk Management and Quality Improvement
While all anesthesiologists complete a minimum of eight years of medical training after college, some anesthesiologists have additional training (called a fellowship) in a specific area of anesthesiology. The ABA offers specific certifications in some of these areas. Anesthesiologists are not required to subspecialize, but many do focus on one area of care to further hone their expertise. These specialty areas include, but are not limited to:[citation needed]
