The effects of a shortage of anesthesiologists could be improved if specially trained nurses were allowed to provide anesthesia care — something they do in the United States, nursing advocates say.

But physicians’ groups have pushed back against the idea in at least two provinces since it was raised more than 25 years ago, even as surgical wait times have grown since the pandemic.

Now nurse associations, and some Canadian nurses working in the U.S. as nurse anesthetists, are calling attention to how effectively they could solve the dearth of anesthesia care providers in this country.