OVERVIEW
What is a Nurse Anesthetist?
Nurse anesthetists are advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) who are specially trained to administer pain medication to patients during surgery. They also provide care before and after an operation, ensuring a patient’s pain and stress are effectively managed.
Nurse anesthetists work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, surgical centers, outpatient care centers, offices of dentists or plastic surgeons, military medical facilities, and more.
RESPONSIBILITIES
What Does a Nurse Anesthetist Do?
The job of a nurse anesthetist is to keep patients asleep and pain-free during surgery. Some nurse anesthetists assist doctors in administering anesthesia, while others work independently as they administer anesthesia. This means the day-to-day duties of a nurse anesthetist can also vary, though some of their most common job responsibilities include:
- Conducting patient assessments.
- Working with other medical staff to develop pain management plans.
- Assisting physicians with anesthesia administration.
- Performing epidurals or spinal blocks.
- Monitoring a patient’s vitals during surgery.
- Providing care before, during, and after anesthesia.
- Discussing anesthesiology side-effects with patients.
- Monitoring vital signs during procedure.
EDUCATION & BEST DEGREES
How Do I Become a Nurse Anesthetist?
There’s a lot of training and education that goes into becoming a nurse anesthetist. If you’re considering this career path, here are the steps you’ll need to take.
Step One: Earn your degree.
CRNAs must have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and be a registered nurse (RN). WGU has options for current registered nurses to obtain their BSN, as well as options in limited areas for nursing hopefuls to earn their BSN and be prepared to become an RN.
Step Two: Gain experience.
Once you’ve become a nurse and obtained your degree and registration, you’ll need at least one year of experience as an RN before you can continue with your education. This will likely need to be in an acute care setting, like the ER or ICU, in order to have the experience necessary to progress toward becoming a CRNA.
Step Three: Earn an advanced degree.
After gaining experience, earn a master's degree from a nurse anesthesia educational program accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs. This usually takes two to three years.
Step Four: Become certified.
After you’ve obtained your master’s degree, you’ll need to take and pass the National Certification Examination through the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA) in order to be licensed and eligible to work as a CRNA. Every two years, you’ll have to prove that you’ve had 40 hours of continuing education in order to keep your CRNA license.
Best Degrees for a Nurse Anesthetist
Health & Nursing
Nursing (Prelicensure) – B.S.
A one-of-a-kind nursing program that prepares you to be an RN and a...
A one-of-a-kind nursing program that prepares you to be an RN and a baccalaureate-prepared nurse:
- Locations: Due to in-person clinical requirements, students must be full time residents of Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin to enroll in this program. The coursework in this program is offered online, but there are in-person requirements.
- Tuition: $8,755 per 6-month term for the first 4 terms of pre-nursing coursework and $8,755 per 6-month term for the remaining 4 terms of clinical nursing coursework.
- Time: This program has a set pace and an expected completion time of 4 years. Certain coursework may be accelerated to finish faster.
- WGU offers the prelicensure program in areas where we have partnerships with healthcare employers to provide practice sites and clinical coaches to help teach you and inspire you on your path to becoming a nurse.
- If you don't live in one of our prelicensure states or don't qualify to apply, consider getting our Bachelor's in Health and Human Services instead. This degree allows you to work inside the healthcare industry, while also working directly with patients who need help.
Skills for your résumé that you will learn in this program:
- Community Health
- Women's and Children's Nursing
- Pathology
- Physiology
- Research
Health & Nursing
Nursing (RN-to-BSN Online) – B.S.
An online BSN degree program for registered nurses (RNs) seeking the added...
An online BSN degree program for registered nurses (RNs) seeking the added theoretical depth, employability, and respect that a bachelor's degree brings:
- Time: The program is designed to be completed in 1 year.
- Tuition: $5,325 per 6-month term.
- Courses: 23 total courses in this program.
- Transfers: Students can transfer up to 90 credits.
Skills for your résumé that you will learn in this program:
- Healthcare Policy and Economics
- Information Technology in Nursing Practice
- Anatomy and Physiology
- Applied Healthcare Statistics
If you don't currently have an RN and don't qualify for your nursing prelicensure program, consider getting our Bachelor's in Health and Human Services instead. This degree allows you to work inside the healthcare industry in a unique way.
How Much Does a Nurse Anesthetist Make?
$203,090
Becoming a certified registered nurse anesthetist can be well worth the time and effort. In fact, the average annual salary for CRNAs is $203,090 as of May 2022.
What Is the Projected Job Growth?
38%
The BLS reports that employment of nurse anesthetists is projected to grow by 38% from 2022 to 2032, much faster than the average for all occupations. About 29,200 openings for nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners are projected each year, on average, over the decade.
SKILLS
What Skills Does a Nurse Anesthetist Need?
Nurse anesthetists have unique requirements compared to other nurses. Some of these include:
- Strong leadership skills, especially in high-stress situations.
- Trauma and critical care experience.
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) training and experience.
- Assessment skills to determine necessary patient care.
- Knowledge of different medications and their effects on patients.
- The ability to administer local, regional, intravenous, or other anesthesia according to medical standards.
- Airway management training and experience.
- Knowledge of medical terminology.
- Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training and experience.
Keep in mind that the exact skills you’ll need as a nurse anesthetist will be different based on what kind of nurse anesthetist you want to become and the environment you work in.
Our Online University Degree Programs Start on the First of Every Month, All Year Long
No need to wait for spring or fall semester. It's back-to-school time at WGU year-round. Get started by talking to an Enrollment Counselor today, and you'll be on your way to realizing your dream of a bachelor's or master's degree—sooner than you might think!
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Interested in Becoming a Nurse Anesthetist?
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