Frequently Asked
Questions and Answers
When considering a career in nurse anesthesia, individuals often
have questions about the profession. The following includes answers
to some of the most frequently asked questions and suggestions on
where to get answers to other questions you may have. It is hoped
that you will find this information useful in considering a career
as a nurse anesthetist.
What are Certified Registered
Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs)?
Nurse anesthesia is an advanced
clinical nursing specialty. As anesthesia specialists, CRNAs
administer approximately 65% of the 26 million anesthetics given to
patients in the U.S. each year.
How does a nurse become a
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)?
A nurse attends an accredited Nurse
Anesthesia Education Program to receive an extensive education in
anesthesia. Upon graduation, the nurse must pass a national
certification exam to become a CRNA.
What does a Nurse Anesthesia
Education Program include?
24 to 36 months of graduate course
work including both classroom and clinical experience with:
The classroom curriculum emphasizing
anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, biochemistry, chemistry,
physics and pharmacology as related to anesthesia. The major
clinical component providing experience with a variety of anesthesia
techniques and procedures for all types of surgery and obstetrics.
Currently, a few Nurse Anesthesia Education Programs grant a
professional certificate while the majority confer a master’s
degree in nursing, allied health, or biological and clinical
sciences. Nurse Anesthesia Education Programs are modifying their
curricula to meet the requirement that all programs offer a master’s
degree beginning in 1998.
What are the requirements for
admission to a Nurse Anesthesia Education Program?
- A Bachelor of Science in Nursing
or another appropriate baccalaureate degree from an approved
nursing program. (Each program determines
"appropriate" degrees and "approved"
programs.)
- A license as a registered nurse.
- A minimum of one year of acute
care nursing experience. (Each program determines what
constitutes "acute care" nursing.)
Is financial aid available
for an individual to attend a Nurse Anesthesia Education Program?
Financial aid is available and varies
by program. It is suggested that you contact several programs and
ask them about the availability of tuition assistance, as well as
the specific admission criteria. There is no financial aid available
through the AANA for those entering a nurse anesthesia program.
What is the role of
individual CRNAs?
A CRNA takes care of a patient’s
anesthesia needs before, during and after surgery or the delivery of
a baby by:
- Performing a physical
assessmentParticipating in preoperative teaching
- Preparing for anesthetic
management
- Administering anesthesia to keep
the patient pain free
- Maintaining anesthesia
intraoperatively
- Overseeing recovery from
anesthesia
- Following the patient’s
postoperative course from recovery room to patient care unit.
- Because CRNAs are licensed as
nurses, they provide services in conjunction with a qualified
physician — for instance, a surgeon, dentist, podiatrist, or
anesthesiologist.
Where do CRNAs practice?
CRNAs practice in a variety of
settings in the private and public sector and in the U.S. military,
including traditional hospital operating rooms, ambulatory surgery
centers, pain clinics, and physician’s offices. They practice on a
solo basis, in groups and collaboratively. Some CRNAs have
independent contracting arrangements with physicians or hospitals.
What employment opportunities
exist for CRNAs?
CRNAs are in demand and therefore,
have many opportunities for general or specialty practice throughout
the U.S. Reflecting the level of responsibility, CRNAs are one of
the best paid nursing specialties. The reported average annual
salary in 1996 was approximately $86,000. An article in the
September 21, 1992 issue of Fortune magazine included nurse
anesthetists among the top 20% of income earners in America.
American Association of Nurse
Anesthetists
Marguerite M Brunner, MA
222 South Prospect Avenue
Park Ridge, IL 60068-4001
(847) 692-7050 ext. 3065
Courtesty from © 1998 American
Association of Nurse Anesthetists