Objective To explore mangement, practice, and education status of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) in America through interviewing with American nurse anesthetists, and to support development of CRNAs in China. Methods Descriptive qualitative research design with purposive sampling was used. Data were collected by semi-structured interviews and analyzed by Colaizzi's content analysis. Results Twenty-four American CRNAs were interviewed. After analzing the interview contents, the researchers fully understood the management model of CRNAs in America, which the anesthesia physicians surpervised team-work model with focus on practicing anesthesia nursing. The training model was LACE (licensure, accreditation, creditation, and education) model, which was organized by professional organizations to address the practice competency and legal issues. Conclusion The health system and laws are totally different between America and China. To identify the role of CRNAs in China should be based on the current laws and status of China, and the status of CRNAs in America is helpful for China. The team-work spirit of anesthesia nurses and physicians could improve the anesthesia risk. Identifying the role and standardizing the education for the nurse anesthetists could be beneficial for quality and safety of anesthesia service.