Why Do Crna Gets Paid So Much?

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have anyone ever check out the salary chart for certified registered nurse anethesia, they get pay ALOT ! more then a pharmacist but why? they only have master degree....and NPS are the same! but way less then theM! http://www.crnajobs.com/crna-careers/main.aspx if you click the 2007 salary report they are getting paid like 120-190k a year WHAT! and NP ranges from 80-110k!

The shortest CRNA program in existance is 24 months...most are 28-36 FULLTIME!

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You have to be kidding right....

Did you make all of your decisions independently?

Who do you think anesthetize these sick children in the OR after they have lost more than half of their blood volume? The child is beyond sick at his point...they are dieing!

I don't think you can truly understand the value of a CRNA until you have walked in their shoes. The sacrafices they made to get where they are. The knowledge they have....I can go on but it will be pointless

While I agree that from a revenue standpoint the CRNA could be considered more important but I fail to see the difference from a care standpoint. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely admire what CRNA's have to go through to even get the certification, you guys are more woman than I but as an earlier poster stated I think this really highlights the problem that comparitively there are other nursing paths that are grossly underpaid. For example, guess what I did last night...read the bold print above. Oh and we also rendered the child unconscious and insensible, the only difference is they were sick to begin with and we were doing it outside of the hospital. Now, do I think that makes me worth more than the PICU nurse who took the patient? Absolutely not, but...I am required to have more certifications, more education, more annual competencies, more responsibility and a more dangerous work environment yet we are paid regular nursing salary which at my hospital is significantly lesss than the surrounding areas. If the OP was originally commenting on soley their monetary worth to the hospital then she was absolutely correct and I took it wrong because I was in a crabby mood...for that I apologize. But the follow up posts weren't speaking of revenue they were speaking of what CRNA's do and I don't think we can qualify which nursing career is more or less important. Nor should we.
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Specializes in SRNA.

All of these points of view about the value and worth of the different specialties is interesting but, as we all know, salaries are driven by market forces and have little to do with what one "deserves". This is capitalism and money drives our economy - obviously.

-S

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Are we eating our own again?

IMHO, the issue is all about billing. Staff nurses are an expense to the hospital. Hospitals are under pressure to contain costs. Payroll is viewed as controllable. Consequently there is downward pressure on nursing salaries. On the other hand, anesthesia is billed and reimbursed separately - it drives revenue. CRNA's get paid well but approx $120-200k less per year than MDA's.

Let's not beat each other up about who is providing the more important service, or how much sacrifice goes into education, training, etc. Nursing is an underpaid profession - period. All CRNA's are RN's first.

With the public now somewhat aware of the "nursing shortage", we should be positioning ourselves as the educated professionals we are - instead of standing idly by while the media portrays nurses as either sex kittens or mindless hand maidens to docs.

People aren't "doctored" back to health, they're nursed. Nursing takes an incredible combination of knowledge, technical skill, empathy and compassion. It is a unique profession that should be compensated much better than it is. In my opinion the compensation system for nurses is designed to minimize pay. There really is no structure for recognizing growth in nursing other than years of service. This hurts all nurses - particularly APN's.

My 2 cents.....

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Well Said

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"but geez I'll have to keep this in mind while I'm resuscitating somebody's kid in the middle of nowhere"

Uhhhh... not to burst your bubble... but if doing a particular task = worth then I'd be *really mad* about my salary as an RRT.

Salaries are a function of many things including:

1. Billable Value (i.e. is your department a cost center or a revenue center?) Billable value doesn't = moral worth or perceived value.

2. Competition ....supply v. demand overall and local markets.

3. Hospital and industry politics

4. Education required

5. ***Opportunity cost of that education (how much did you give up to get that degree? Could you work at all? How long was your program? How much did your credentials cost? Did you have to move cross country? Did you have to apply several times?-- which is a tremendous pain in the ass and expense in itself.)

So many people either erroneously equate their salary with their worth to an organization and get down about it.... there's a lot more that goes into it so don't beat yourself up.

I wouldnt begrudge an MDA who most of the time might do the same *tasks* I will do as a CRNA... S/He will make much more than I will in most cases. However, the opportunity costs for becoming an MDA are much higher... and it's a different role really. The opportunity cost of being an MDA is the major reason I will not choose that route, and it why many others do not as well.

But that being said, everyone makes their choices. If it bothers you, and you feel your salary doesn't reflect you actual worth, then leave. If you choose to stay in that field, then you have accepted your role regardless of your salary.

And that's pretty much that. You should be proud that you do what you do- it's an important job. But not all people with important jobs get paid a lot of money. It's just economics.

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If it bothers you, and you feel your salary doesn't reflect you actual worth, then leave. If you choose to stay in that field, then you have accepted your role regardless of your salary.

I think you might want to clarify this statement.

Leaving never changes anything, rather shifts the issue to "somebody else's problem" or passes the buck. AANA didn't leave when the going got tough. Leaving is losing.

In the professional world, regardless of the industry/field/etc., one should work towards achieving the salary, standard of living, and financial goals he or she desires. I acknowledge, however, that money does not solely make happiness, and that one must maintain the professional drive and interest that got him or her into the profession; happiness and job satisfaction are a combination of so many different concrete and personal factors...money always being a piece of the pie.

Breaking through glass ceilings is what capitalism and surviving in America is about. If that means nurse anesthetists making high(er) salaries (among other nursing specialties, of course), is it so wrong for us to ask for and to expect more? I think not.

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Ok, I can DIG that. :)

It's think it's true that if you're dedicated to your profession, that's it's better to work for change than to just leave.

But I wouldn't say "leaving is losing" for the individual per se... I think it's just a personal choice based on personal economics, values and future plans.

It is however *definitely* a loss to the profession, and its other members who are sticking it out working for change.

A

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You might render a child unconscious and insensible once or twice a year but we do it on a daily or weekly basis.

While I agree that from a revenue standpoint the CRNA could be considered more important but I fail to see the difference from a care standpoint. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely admire what CRNA's have to go through to even get the certification, you guys are more woman than I but as an earlier poster stated I think this really highlights the problem that comparitively there are other nursing paths that are grossly underpaid. For example, guess what I did last night...read the bold print above. Oh and we also rendered the child unconscious and insensible, the only difference is they were sick to begin with and we were doing it outside of the hospital. Now, do I think that makes me worth more than the PICU nurse who took the patient? Absolutely not, but...I am required to have more certifications, more education, more annual competencies, more responsibility and a more dangerous work environment yet we are paid regular nursing salary which at my hospital is significantly lesss than the surrounding areas. If the OP was originally commenting on soley their monetary worth to the hospital then she was absolutely correct and I took it wrong because I was in a crabby mood...for that I apologize. But the follow up posts weren't speaking of revenue they were speaking of what CRNA's do and I don't think we can qualify which nursing career is more or less important. Nor should we.
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Specializes in Anesthesia.

Again:

https://allnurses.com/forums/2450984-post11.html

!

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Specializes in Anesthesia.

Deepz,

Thanks for the website link! I added it to my favorites.

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CRNAs get paid more because they deserve it, that's why. The responsibilities of NPs is nothing compared to a CRNA. Not knocking NPs at all, don't get me wrong......it's like a neurosurgeon compared to a doc in the box.

Is this the an updated version of the RN v BSN debate? Just bustin' chops. Of course I agree a NP's job description is totally different from a CRNAs

And strictly speaking, there is no similarity between a APN v CRNA and neurosurgeon v "doc in the box" paths. If I could tolerate working on medical patients (i.e., in an CC setting) I could apply for a CRNA program, likely would get accepted, and would go from there. However, if I were to go to med school, unless I am the absolute best of the best, I'd have a

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