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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Legislature gave final passage Friday to a bill allowing anesthesiologist assistants to work in the state.
SB121 creates a license for anesthesiologist assistants. It has prompted debate in medical communities about whether it would help fill shortages or serve as an anticompetitive measure for nurse anesthetists, who receive more training.
The bill would require anyone who gets the license to graduate from a certified program and pass a certification exam offered by the National Commission for Certification of Anesthesiologist Assistants.
Anesthesiologist assistants receive a master's degree with a 24- to 28-month program. They are licensed to work in 17 other states.
"I think our job as legislators is to play referee but it's not necessarily up to us to decide who gets to play in the game, if all of them have the necessary skill set to play in the game," bill sponsor Sen. Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork, has said.
The bill passed the Senate 21-4 on Friday. It awaits Gov. Spencer Cox's signature before becoming final.
