Nursing Careers

Many people wonder what a CRNA is. CRNA stands for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist - the highest nursing position available. Are you interested in becoming a certified registered nurse anesthetist? Do you want to make a six-figure salary? Are you ready to work independently? Are you ready to take other people’s lives into your hands? Do enjoy being at the top of your profession? Did you know it can all be yours in only a short time period? If so, you might want to become a CRNA.

A CRNA is in charge of administering anesthesia to patients in order for their surgery to be pain free. RNs have a very important job that requires plenty of responsibility, but also delivers a big paycheck.

Don’t think you can become a nurse anesthetist just like that. You have to work your way up the ladder first. To get to this point in your nursing career you need to have a 4 year degree in nursing or some related science, be a licensed registered nurse, and practice for 1 full year in a clinical setting. Then you must apply to nursing school, which is an additional 2 to 3 years of schooling. Here’s a quick tip: don’t rule out a distance learning nursing degree from accredited programs. You will learn all about anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, biochemistry, chemistry, physics, pharmacology, and much more. Upon completion you will have the equivalence of a maser’s degree. The AANA oversees the education of nurse anesthetists across the United States.

A career as a CRNA may sound like a lot of work, but it would be devastating to be unqualified when people’s lives are in your hands.It is a very competitive field to get into. Currently there are 28,000 CRNAs across the United States, and there is a high demand for more. CRNAs are cost effective and help keep the cost of health care down for the average Joe.

What exactly does a CRNA do? A nurse anesthetist takes care of a patient before, during, and after surgery. They administer anesthesia to ensure freedom of pain during surgery. Which as you can imagine is an incredibly important service. Nurse anesthetists work alongside podiatrists, dentists, anesthesiologists, surgeons, obstetricians and other professionals needing the services of anesthesia. You can work in both the public and the private sectors and will have plenty of opportunities.

For over 100 years CRNAs have provided lucrative services and will continue to do so as long as the need for anesthesia remains. Nurse anesthetists can work with doctors and anesthesiologists in teams and even are qualified to work alone under the supervision of a qualified doctor. For example, nurse anesthetists participate in over 80% of all anesthesia worldwide. They are the sole anesthetists in over 60% of all anesthesia worldwide. That is very impressive. And those numbers show the high level of responsibility required by a certified registered nurse anesthetist.

CRNAs break the mold of other nurses. In the overall nursing world, only 8% of all nurses are men, but in the nurse anesthetist world, 46% of all CRNAs are men. This is a surprising number. Another surprising fact about nurse anesthetists is their salary. An average salary for a registered nurse is approximately $50,000. But CRNAs averaged over $140,000 a year in 2006! That is an incredibly lucrative career, and it only takes a limited amount of time to reach that status. But remember, that type of money comes with huge amounts of responsibility and dedication. The good news is that other types of RN jobs also pay well and provide great job security, benefits, and rewards.

Being a CRNA is a very gratifying career. Everyday you will have hands-on personal interaction with patients. You will have huge responsibility, but you will be well trained and ready for the adventure. Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists earn a good living, take on tremendous job responsibilities, and help people through difficult times.