Excerpt:
In 1980 the American Society of Post Anesthesia Nurses (ASPAN) was born of the need for education specific to perianesthesia care. ASPAN has continued to prosper with membership over 5,600 in 1989. Through ASPAN other avenues of growth have occurred which include a bimonthly journal devoted to perianesthesia nursing, a bimonthly newsletter, annual conferences, and an opportunity to become certified in this specialty of nursing.