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The survey question asked about the respondents’ plans to retire from anesthesia practice. Because CRNAs are professional anesthesia providers, they likely will not leave the field until they reach retirement at around age 60 years, which is in line with the general Korean popula-tion. It is clear that the number of practicing CRNAs will decline severely as the current workforce reaches retire-ment age and is not replaced by the educational system. If366 AANA Journal n October 2017 n Vol. 85, No. 5 www.aana.com/aanajournalonlineComponent of care χ2 P valuePerformance of a preanesthesia assessment 7.133 .008Obtaining consent for anesthesia .655 .003Collaborating with the anesthesiologist to create the anesthetic plan 39.361 < .001Administering anesthetic drugs 4.958 .026Airway management 173.863 < .001Management of emergence from anesthesia 139.224 < .001Postanesthesia management of airway and pain 9.598 .002Perform regional anesthesia blocks 15.992 < .001Documentation in the anesthesia record 96.568 < .001- 2. Significant Performance Differences Between CRNAs and Anesthesia Registered NursesAbbreviation: CRNA, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist.universities do not train CRNAs at a rate commensurate with the attrition by retirement, CRNAs will eventually cease to exist as a part of the medical services workforce.On the other hand, many ARNs are not locked into anesthesia as a professional career. Some may choose to continue until retirement age, whereas others may opt to return to other nursing specialties before final retirement. Many of the ARNs surveyed cited lack of educational opportunities and lack of legal protection as their greatest professional concerns. On average, ARNs are likely to work equally long hours as CRNAs. These factors taken together may contribute to the lower rate of job satisfaction among ARNs.ConclusionThe authors conclude there is support for greater work satisfaction among CRNAs than ARNs and that the in-creased satisfaction may be related to a more autonomous level of practice experienced by the CRNA. Studies in the United States demonstrate that highly educated nurse anesthetists can provide reliable, safe, and cost-effective anesthesia care.14,15 However, no studies could be located that address the relative safety of anesthesia services in South Korea, whether provided by ARNs, CRNAs, or anesthesiologists.