Career Profile: Nurse Anesthetist

Job Title: Nurse Anesthetist

What is a Nurse Anesthetist?

A nurse anesthetist is simply a nurse that administers anesthesia during medical procedures.

What does a Nurse Anesthetist do?

A nurse anesthetist is an advance practice nurse that does exactly what an anesthesiologist, a doctor, does; s/he determines how much, what type and how anesthesia, that dose of magic that knocks us out during painful procedures, patients should receive. S/he performs pre- and post- anesthesia patient visits, informs doctors and surgeons of their patients’ condition during anesthesia and take notes on patients condition and response to the anesthesia.

In rural hospitals, where patients don’t always have access to the full range of medical services or the large number of doctors we enjoy, nurse anesthetists are the primary anesthesia providers. They are responsible for the delivering the same level of safety and care that a doctor might.

In other hospitals and surgical centers, nurse anesthetists work collaboratively with surgeons, anesthesiologists, dentists, podiatrists, and other qualified healthcare professionals to deliver anesthesia.

For whom might a nurse anesthetist work?

Nurse anesthetists work in hospitals, surgical centers, obstetrical delivery rooms, critical access hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, and the offices of dentists, podiatrists, ophthalmologists, plastic surgeons, and pain management specialists. And, due to the lower costs associated with using nurse anesthetists, HMOs employ them.

Nurse anesthetists are the primary providers of anethesia care to the soldiers of the U.S. military. They are also employed by health care facilities operated by Public Health Services and Department of Veterans Affairs.

Finally, many nurse anesthetists work independently, contracting their services to surgeons, doctors and hospitals.

How much does a nurse anesthetist earn?

Nurse anesthetists earn a very good living. Even starting salaries can be six-figures. Median salary for all nurse anesthetists is $134,820. Move up in the world. Get promoted to Chief Nurse Anesthetist and the median salary jumps to $156,421.

To make the real money, nurse anesthetists must be certified by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA). Depending on the type of employer for whom the nurse anesthetists works, the size of the business, the number of employees and the number of years the nurse anesthetist has worked, they can earn as much as $200,000 per year. That’s as much or more than some doctors. This is fair given that, in certain situations, nurse anesthetists are solely responsible for administering anesthesia, and for ensuring that patients are safe during and after the procedure.

What about this career do(es)n’t suck?

Needless to say, this career scores highly on our WorkYourWay Meter. The Nurse Anesthetist career scores a whopping 87.3% due chiefly to the fact that the job is in high demand, offers great job security, autonomy, and even flexibility (the skills are in great demand, so you can demand work arrangements). Additionally, nurse anesthetists earn a relatively high salary (six-figures) and great benefits, including healthcare benefits and five-figure bonuses.

Because nurse anesthetists enable rural, urban and military hospitals and clinics to offer better medical care to underserved patients, they score highly on the GoodWorks Factor.

The only deductions we took here were for the stress associated with the heavy responsibility of ensuring that everyone who goes under comes out of it safely, and the fact that the career requires at least a master’s level degree (nursing anesthesia programs), a state board certification and an additional CRNA certification.

To break in, you’ll need…

To practice you’ll need to be certified as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). To earn the certification, you’ll need the following:

A Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN) or other appropriate baccalaureate degree.
A current license as a registered nurse.
At least one year’s experience in an acute care nursing setting.
Graduation from an accredited graduate school of nurse anesthesia. These educational programs range from 24-36 months, depending upon university requirements, and offer a master’s degree.
All programs include clinical training in university-based or large community hospitals.

Pass a national certification examination following graduation.

It takes a minimum of seven calendar years of education and experience to prepare a CRNA. The average student nurse anesthetist works at least 1,694 clinical hours and administers more than 790 anesthetics.

To find current openings…

The bad news is that the health care system needs an overhaul. The good news is that nurse anesthetists are in great demand. You could live in just about any city in the U.S. and earn a fabulous living.

Nurse Anesthetist Jobs

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