Advancing the practice and securing the future of anesthesiology through medical education, creation and dissemination of new knowledge, improvement of patient care, and legislative and regulatory advocacy.

Membership - members of asa include md/dos who are licensed physicians and have completed a training program in anesthesiology, as well as medical students interested in anesthesiology, residents enrolled in an anesthesiology training program. Anesthesiologists practicing outside the us and scientists involved in anesthesia research may become affiliate members. Educational members include nurse anesthetists and anesthesiologist assistants. The society has 52,000 members. The society manages individual and group dues invoicing and processing for asa members, as well as for 9 component societies. The society maintains a comprehensive member and customer database tracking all sales and transactions with the society. publications - asa produces statements, guidelines and standards which focus on ways of improving the practice of anesthesiology. Additional publications provide information on the various aspects of anesthetic care for both medical personnel and the lay public. A distinguished scientific journal, 'anesthesiology', is published monthly, as is the official newsletter which provides general information and news on current issues affecting anesthesiology. continuing education - asa sponsors continuing medical education via online courses, tangible products, and live meetings that are designed to advance physician anesthesiologists' current knowledge and build skills on newest clinical developments, technology advancements, and research. Self study courses include two based on a question and answer format: anesthesiology continuing education (ace),and the self-education and evaluation (see), that are used to assess professional knowledge and prepare for maintenance of certification and licensure. Other self-study courses include a journal cme program using articles from "anesthesiology, refresher courses in anesthesiology" an expansion of annual meeting courses, patient safety, ethics, and a variety of e-learning programs on clinical topics. Asa in-person education programs include an annual meeting, the world's largest education program for physician anesthesiologists, offering a variety of sessions and workshops that cover the current topics and emerging science. The 2014 annual meeting number of attendees was the following:members 6,884non-members 1,424exhibitors 2,408guest/spouse 1,591for a total of 12,307 attendees. Other annual programs include conference on practice management, anesthesia quality meeting, legislative conference and the certificate in business administration. office of governmental affairs - asa's office of governmental affairs (oga), located in washington, d. C. , monitors legislative and regulatory activities at the state and federal level; particularly those issues that affect the practice of anesthesiology and the delivery of quality medical care in the united states.