Yes, another question about CRNA pay?

Nursing Students SRNA

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Hello!

I'll be starting my RN program come August with the hope of eventually becoming a CRNA at some point down the line. Earlier today I was talking with a friend of mine whose aunt is a surgical nurse in South Bend, IN. According to this friend of mine, his aunt said that CRNAs actually don't make very much money (relatively speaking), especially once you subtract out the cost of the . The figure that she gave was around 105k/yr for a full-time CRNA. Now I'm assuming that since she's a surgical nurse of some sort, and she works with CRNA's on a daily basis practically that she knows what she's talking about.

However, when I go onto websites such as gaswork.com and whatnot, the base starting salaries they have posted for full-time CRNA's are quite a bit higher, and quite a few of the postings there even say that they cover the malpractice insurance. Am I missing something here? Do CRNAs actually "only" make 105k/yr after malpractice insurance is subtracted from their earnings (or maybe even before the malpractice insurance)? Is her information very case specific, and descriptive only of a small Midwestern city in Indiana? I mean, either way I'd be more than willing to become a CRNA just based on the information I have so far for it. But, I'd just like to hear some more feedback on this, particularly from those of you who are already CRNAs.

Thanks in advance for any insight you might offer!:)

Is it off by being too low or too high?

Not sure what is going on in South Bend, but there is an MDA job posting there for 130-150. However, other parts of the state have postings for MDAs up to 600. In contrast, other areas of the state are offering W2 CRNA's up to 220.

As for TN, in a state with one of the most expensive CRNA programs with tuition over 100... to accept a job which compensates only 105 seems ridiculous -- especially when there are MDA job postings in the area for 350+

Again, why would you take a job that pays 1/3 what an MDA is making for providing the same services, level of care and same outcomes? There is somewhere else that will give you just as good of an experience and compensate you competitively.

What if you can't find another job? You take what you can find.

Specializes in Anesthesia.
Is it off by being too low or too high?

Too low.

Specializes in Internal medicine/critical care/FP.

i used to live in TN. totally flooded with crnas. just move to where it pays better. God forbid having to move for a job. I mean its 2014. Learn to be mobile. Ive moved all over the place out of necessity.

What if the experience is good. What if you can't find another. What if you have to move. What if... Not a fun way to live life.

What if you could make great money, have great benefits, be close to family, have tons of vacation and get great experience. That's crazy talk isn't it...

NP's are starting out more than 105. Air traffic controllers are doing better than that - and basically the same thing right? Sitting all day in a cool room. Long periods of boredom with the occasional butt clinch. Lives in your hands. No call either.

It all depends on where you live, how hard you want to work, and what type of practice you are in. My main job is with a private group in Cincinnati (not a bad city but definitely would not put it in the highly desirable bracket) My malpractice is covered by the group and base salary plus 2 - 3 days per month of call is 190K. The group also pays 100% of medical premiums and contributes to an HSA, continuing education, and a cafeteria plan. I also moonlight as an independent contractor at some plastic and GI centers 2-3 days a month and make roughly another 30-40k /year doing that. If i didn't take call and didn't moonlight it would about 150K which is probably average across most states. I also have friends in rural wyoming making 300k + per year and friends in Colorado making 110K. I dont believe the person who said they were making 105 in indiana...its a pretty crna unfriendly state but I know people there making 150 -180's depending on the area. All that being said I would not recommend this job to anyone doing it for the money. There are plenty of jobs out there where you can make better money with less stress. Plus with Obamacare I doubt our incomes will stay where they are and if they do roughly 40-50% will be taken in taxes anyway.

Specializes in Anesthesia.

Approximately 170K, per the AANA, is annual median salary for CRNAs.

...I would not recommend this job to anyone doing it for the money. There are plenty of jobs out there where you can make better money with less stress...

Hello.

Just curious.You say plenty of jobs, can you elaborate?...thanks.

What if the experience is good. What if you can't find another. What if you have to move. What if... Not a fun way to live life.

What if you could make great money, have great benefits, be close to family, have tons of vacation and get great experience. That's crazy talk isn't it...

NP's are starting out more than 105. Air traffic controllers are doing better than that - and basically the same thing right? Sitting all day in a cool room. Long periods of boredom with the occasional butt clinch. Lives in your hands. No call either.

I'm not a CRNA so I have no dog in this fight, so to speak. I just thought I'd provide some information and perspective regarding NPs. My sister is an NP and I look at job postings all the time for the hospitals in my area. NPs here don't get anywhere near $105/hr. New NPs are offered in the $30-$40 range. My sister makes approximately $50/hr (not sure the exact amount) and she has several years of experience. I live in the northern Midwest, not the south as you might expect with such low wages.

Added: I just realized that you must have meant $105/year, which is somewhat more reasonable. But new NPs still fall $20-$40K short of that. I make more than that as an RN.

Hello.

Just curious.You say plenty of jobs, can you elaborate?...thanks.

Air traffic controller

Petroleum engineer

Network/ IT manager

Real estate broker

Investors

Certified landman

The master tech / shop foreman at Infiniti (where I worked before nursing) made 6 figures.

Every job has a certain amount of stress.

Specializes in Anesthesia.
I'm not a CRNA so I have no dog in this fight, so to speak. I just thought I'd provide some information and perspective regarding NPs. My sister is an NP and I look at job postings all the time for the hospitals in my area. NPs here don't get anywhere near $105/hr. New NPs are offered in the $30-$40 range. My sister makes approximately $50/hr (not sure the exact amount) and she has several years of experience. I live in the northern Midwest, not the south as you might expect with such low wages.

Added: I just realized that you must have meant $105/year, which is somewhat more reasonable. But new NPs still fall $20-$40K short of that. I make more than that as an RN.

I am not sure how this is even applicable to CRNAs at all.

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