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Pathway to Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist

What is a certified registered nurse anesthetist?

In short certified registered nurse anesthetist is also known as CRNA. As a certified registered nurse anesthetist you would typically operate anesthesia to patients during surgical or diagnostic procedures.


Salary:

The national average salary of a certified registered nurse anesthetist is about $188,385. On the lower percentage, you would be making about $159,242. On the higher percentage, you would be making about $221,094. Keep in mind your years of experience within this field plays a huge role in how much you earn. For example, someone who has been working as a certified registered nurse anesthetist for 10 years is most likely to earn more money than someone who has been working for 1 year.


Education Pathway:

The pathway to becoming a certified registered nurse anesthetist can be long and challenging. However, as long as you are passionate, persevering, and see yourself living that lifestyle then it will all be worth it. It all starts back in high school. It’s crucial to build up a foundation within the science and math background especially going down the medical path. Some courses you may consider taking in high school are AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Statistics, AP Calculus, AP Psychology, Anatomy & Physiology, etc. Taking these courses can help prepare you especially with gaining background knowledge, having a better work ethic , and seeing if the medical field is for you. While in high school you should also consider joining clubs and programs relating to the medical field. After graduating from high school, you would want to consider different nursing programs to obtain your registered nursing license. Here are some routes you may choose: Registered Nurse (RN) to a Bachelors in Nursing (BSN) which means 2 years of RN and 2 years of BSN, or you can go straight to a BSN program which means 4 years of BSN. There are a lot more variety of paths to choose to obtain your registered nursing license. Keep in mind, you will need a BSN degree in order to be eligible to enroll in a CRNA program. In addition to obtaining your BSN, you will need at least 1 year of ICU experience. You should also consider joining extracurriculars, working, or shadowing in the hospital relating to the CRNA field or the medical field in general. This way you can get exposure and see the lifestyle of working in the hospital. After obtaining your BSN and at least 1 year of ICU experience, you should prepare to apply to multiple CRNA programs and interviews. Some factors to consider are the location, commuting, and expenses of the program. Once you are accepted continue to keep an open mind, stay curious, and work hard. After finishing and passing your exams in CRNA school, congrats you are finally an official certified registered nursing anesthetist.


Similarities and differences between CRNAs and Anesthesiologist

In many ways, certified registered nursing anesthetists and anesthesiologists are similar. For instance, they both have a demanding responsibility of making sure patients have been prescribed the correct medicine and making sure they feel safe. A major difference between the two is that a certified registered nursing anesthetist is a registered nurse that collaborates with other doctors to operating anesthesia. On the other hand, anesthesiologists are medical doctors that administer anesthesia. Anesthesiologists goes through medical school while certified registered nursing anesthetist goes through a CRNA program. Usually, anesthesiologists earn more money than a certified registered nursing anesthetist, but it depends on the years of experience you have working within that field. All in all, both routes in the medical field are amazing and life-fulfilling if you are passionate about it.


What is a typical week as a certified registered nurse anesthetic?

A typical week as a certified registered nurse anesthetist always depends on the specialty and where within the hospital you choose to work with. There are some CRNAs who work two 24 hour shifts a week, some who work four 10 hour shifts a week, and some who five 8 hour shifts a week. Working as a CRNA is pretty flexible. Flexibility with your work hours is a factor you should take into consideration, especially with the lifestyle you plan to achieve. Once again, depending on where you choose to work within the hospital, which time of the day and situations coming in the hospital will affect how many patients and what type of patients you treat. For example, you can care around 20-35 patients if you choose to do anesthesia for cataract surgery. On the other hand, you can care for about 1-2 patients if you are doing major surgical performances like neurosurgeries.


Factors to consider:

According to BLS data, there is an indication that there was a 26% growth rate in 2018-2020 for certified registered nurse anesthetist. Fun fact this growth projection is higher than the average for all occupations in the United States. This growth was possibly due to the fact that there was an increase in the demand for healthcare services. Thus, choosing a career path to become a certified registered nurse anesthetist would be a stable future career. However, there are other factors to take into consideration. You want to make sure you are passionate about the concepts behind anesthesia, whether you see yourself living in this lifestyle, and want to constantly be on your toes staying calm under pressure. Above all, you want to be open-minded to new ideas and new findings, this will ensure you to stay curious! In addition, having strong communication with your patients is immensely crucial to creating a strong connection as well as providing healthier care.


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