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by
Kyle Oliver, BSN, RN (Columnist)
Whether you're a seasoned registered nurse (RN) considering advancing your career or a student mapping out your education, we've provided everything you need to know to pursue a career as a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA).
Read more about the job description, responsibilities, salary expectations, and steps to becoming a CRNA.
Job Description
CRNAs are advanced practice registered nurses (ARPNs) qualified to administer anesthesia and care for patients recovering from anesthesia.
Integral to healthcare systems, CRNAs can find themselves working in various settings with their advanced knowledge and experience. Their job prospects can range from an "easy-going setting,” like a dental clinic, to a more high-stakes, less predictable one, such as in the ICU.
Overall, CRNAs must still demonstrate the ability to provide safe patient care and effective communication skills with the patients they care for and those they work directly with.
Practice Settings
CRNAs typically work in:
- Hospitals (e.g., surgical units, emergency departments, intensive care units, and labor and delivery rooms)
- Outpatient care centers
- Physician offices or other healthcare practitioners
- Private practices (e.g., cosmetic surgery clinics)
- Dental offices
- Universities and Professional Schools
Important Skills and Qualities
- Principles of local and general anesthesia administration, monitoring, and management
- Attentiveness to monitoring and understanding vital signs, including ECG monitoring, ventilator settings, and lab results.
- Arterial line placement
- Tracheal intubation
- Epidurals
- ACLS
- Strong communication and leadership skills
- Ability to work independently and collaborative
- Proficiency in surgery principles, airway management, postoperative care, teaching, critical care, and patient care.
- Comprehensiveness in legal aspects of nurse anesthesia practice
CRNA Responsibilities
The type of work CRNAs perform significantly differs from that of a nurse working bedside on a general medicine unit, as they're accountable for a patient's life under the influence of full anesthesia.
The CRNA must be privy to specific conditions or diagnoses that may put a patient at high risk when under (e.g., history of smoking/alcoholism, sleep apnea, hypertension, etc.). If an acute event occurs, they must be knowledgeable and vigilant and act quickly to stabilize the patient.
More generally, CRNA responsibilities include:
- Patient Assessment
- Anesthesia Plan Development
- Administering Anesthesia
- Patient Monitoring
- Post-Anesthesia Care
- Patient Education
- Emergency Management
- Record Keeping
- Collaboration and Leadership
CRNA Salary
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), CRNAs earn:
- Mean Hourly Wage: $98.93
- Mean Annual Wage: $205,770
Top-Paying States:
- North Dakota: $246,510+
- California: $246,510
- Connecticut: $240,580
- New York: $238,710
- Illinois: $238,440
Highest-Paying Industries:
- Outpatient Centers: $246,980
- General Hospitals: $217,570
- Office of Physicians: $200,280
- Colleges and Universities: $199,460
- Offices of Other Health Practitioners: $143,790
Ultimately, the earning potential of a CRNA will vary depending on several factors, including practice setting, location, experience, and more.
How to Become a CRNA
Becoming a CRNA is a significant commitment that requires several years of education and clinical experience. Although the pathway may vary in length and degree steps, the following five steps provide a general overview of how to become certified.
1. Earn a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing (BSN)
Earning a BSN can be achieved in several ways, including a Traditional four-year program or a bridge program for practicing nurses who earned an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN). A BSN provides the foundational knowledge and skills to practice and excel in post-graduate studies.
2. Become an RN
If a future CRNA achieves their Traditional BSN over four years of study, they must pass the National Council for Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) to become licensed.
3. Gain Experience
Gaining experience in a critical care setting is a typical requirement for admission into a CRNA program, with a usual minimum of one to two years. While gaining experience, RNs should aim to develop a strong understanding of disease processes and advanced skills such as hemodynamic monitoring, mechanical ventilation, and vasoactive drug administration.
4. Earn a Doctoral Degree from an Accredited Program
Accredited nurse anesthesia programs provide the specialized training and education needed to practice as a CRNA. These programs include coursework and clinical experiences.
CRNAs have historically become certified with an MSN; however, to comply with requirements from the Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA), doctoral education will be required for entry into nurse anesthesia practice by 2025.
5. Become Certified
After graduating from a CRNA program, you must pass the National Certification Examination (NCE) administered by the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA).
Once certified, CRNAs must follow state licensure requirements, complete continuing education, and undergo periodic recertification.