Is this job (nurse anesthetist) really as good as Im reading or no?

No, that's about right, but the programs are very competitive and hard to get into, not to mention very difficult...and it's a ridiculous amount of responsibility once you start working. But if you can get in and get through it, yeah, thats what it is.

From what I see:
- it is more commonly much more than 36 h/week;
- the demand is much lower than people think.

Most crnas work 40 hr weeks, but it is possible to work 36. The demand is down just a little right now, but no new grad is jobless if they are willing to move, or wait several months if they dont move. Only certain areas are oversaturated, mainly large cities with anestgesia programs. Locals go to school there and dont move after graduation.It is a great career, but dont do it just for the money. Honestly, Obamacare is going to bankrupt health care within the next ten years, no one in healthcare will get paid then. Unless they actually fund the program with a sustainable flow of income.

No it will not! Plenty of organizations and insurance companies have implemented the policies structured around the Affordability Care Act BEFORE the last election and they are not going bankrupt. They have more customers and are getting paid to care for more rather than dealing with people who are uninsured that do not pay their bills. If you think that the status quo (having a system of uninsured who cannot pay bills flooding the ED and hospitals everyday) has not bankrupted Health Care, then you should definitely not think that insured people through the Affordability Care Act will bankrupt anybody.

Nurse anesthesia is a great career-but the salary should be the last thing you consider. There are much easier ways to make 150k a year. Also if working less than 40 hrs/wk is important to you, I think you could be very disappointed. I've always worked full time salary, and maybe a couple of weeks per year it's 36 hours, mostly it's around 45, and at the end of the year 50 hour weeks are common. As money in health care gets tighter, work hours per week are not going to decrease.

You should pick a career based on your particular strenths and weaknesses-not 150k for 36hr/wk. Do you like high stress environments? Do you always want to keep learning? Can you live with the fact that if you make a mistake/misjudgement you could cause harm? Are you really good at science? Can you learn a lot of information really quickly? Can you physically handle long days in the OR cheerfully? Can you stick with something (anesthesia school) and put in a lot of effort even when you think you might fail? Can you put the patient's best interest ahead of your own and stay to finish the case until 7 pm even though you worked 40/hours already this week? A good CRNA will not count the hours.

Well said loveanesthesia, u hit the nail on the head.

Oh Yeah? Like what??

The salary should be the last thing one considers? If this were true, I guess I should have stuck with the rock and roll band I played in after high school...

And you have been a CRNA for how long that you are giving advice on the nursing profession with the highest addiction rates and one of the highest stress rates.....You may want to consider what someone that has lots of years as a CRNA is trying to tell you before jumping in with your opinion that you have little to no first hand experience with.