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Nurse Anesthetist

By Heather Hutchins, NursingSchools.com Contributing Writer

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) are one of the best-kept secrets of the nursing profession, and unless people work in the surgical field or know someone who does, they probably don’t even know that this is a nursing specialty.

In the United States and other developed countries, it is most often physicians who deal with anesthesia, but in rural areas and developing countries, patients depend on nurse anesthetists .

According to the International Federation of Nurse Anesthetists (IFNA), CRNAs participate in 80 percent of worldwide anesthesia and are solely responsible for providing 60 percent of anesthsia.

In the United States, CRNAs administer most of the anesthesia in maternity wards and for military personnel. They can work alongside physicians or act autonomously in a clinic or hospital setting. CRNAs work in a variety of settings, including ambulatory surgical centers, dentist offices, plastic surgery clinics and public health services. They are licensed to practice in all 50 states.

The American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) is an educational and legislative group that represents over 31,000 CRNAs. One major issue facing this specialty is that various groups are asking that CRNAs be required to earn a Doctorate of Nursing degree to be accredited after 2015.

Benefits

Because of the additional responsibility and training CRNAs possess, their earning power is greater than that of registered nurses. On average, CRNAS can earn from $125,000 to $140,000 per year, depending on the clinical setting. The national average salary was $128, 127 in a recent survey.

In addition to salary, CRNAs receive paid vacation, professional liability insurance, paid sick time, medical, life and dental insurance. Some facilities also offer reimbursement for educational expenses.

Education

To become accepted into a CRNA program, students must be registered nurses with at least one year of critical care experience. About half the programs require students to be RNs and half require students to be RNs with a bachelor of science degree in nursing (BSN). The accredited programs range from two to three years of training, and graduates earn a Master’s degree in nursing. Graduates must pass a national examination and re-certify themselves every two years.

Job Prospects

Employment opportunities for CRNAs are promising. The National Institutes of Health estimate that as many as 6,000 new CRNAs will be needed by 2010. This is a 40 percent increase over the number practicing now.