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Nurse Anesthetist

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What is a Nurse Anesthetist?

Occupation Description Administer anesthesia, monitor patient’s vital signs, and oversee patient recovery from anesthesia. May assist anesthesiologists, surgeons, other physicians, or dentists. Must be registered nurses who have specialized graduate education.

List of Nurse Anesthetist Job Duties

  • Respond to emergency situations by providing airway management, administering emergency fluids or drugs, or using basic or advanced cardiac life support techniques.
  • Select and prescribe post-anesthesia medications or treatments to patients.
  • Perform or manage regional anesthetic techniques, such as local, spinal, epidural, caudal, nerve blocks and intravenous blocks.
  • Monitor patients’ responses, including skin color, pupil dilation, pulse, heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, ventilation, or urine output, using invasive and noninvasive techniques.
  • Prepare prescribed solutions and administer local, intravenous, spinal, or other anesthetics, following specified methods and procedures.
  • Select, order, or administer pre-anesthetic medications.

Things a Nurse Anesthetist Should Know How to Do

When polled, Nurse Anesthetists say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:

Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Types of Nurse Anesthetist

  • Chief Nurse Executive
  • Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (DNAP)
  • Staff Nurse Anesthetist
  • Staff Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (Staff CRNA)
  • Associate Professor Program Director Nurse Anesthesia

Is There Job Demand for Nurse Anesthetists?

In 2016, there was an estimated number of 41,800 jobs in the United States for Nurse Anesthetist. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 16.3% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 6,800 new jobs for Nurse Anesthetist by 2026. There will be an estimated 2,800 positions for Nurse Anesthetist per year.

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The states with the most job growth for Nurse Anesthetist are Utah, California, and Florida. Watch out if you plan on working in Wyoming, Hawaii, or District of Columbia. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Average Nurse Anesthetists Salary

The salary for Nurse Anesthetists ranges between about $116,820 and $208,000 a year.

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Nurse Anesthetists who work in Montana, California, or Wisconsin, make the highest salaries.

How much do Nurse Anesthetists make in each U.S. state?

State Annual Mean Salary
Alabama $161,780
Alaska $187,690
Arizona $144,670
Arkansas $186,970
California $212,210
Colorado $172,700
Connecticut $190,480
Delaware $187,860
Florida $177,390
Georgia $151,070
Hawaii $192,580
Idaho $143,270
Illinois $190,500
Indiana $156,580
Iowa $209,130
Kansas $159,600
Kentucky $172,780
Louisiana $159,370
Maine $170,300
Maryland $191,160
Massachusetts $191,320
Michigan $180,560
Minnesota $188,130
Mississippi $163,320
Missouri $159,080
Montana $246,370
Nebraska $189,030
Nevada $163,220
New Hampshire $171,800
New Jersey $189,150
New York $191,130
North Carolina $178,250
North Dakota $197,860
Ohio $174,380
Oklahoma $176,780
Oregon $205,730
Pennsylvania $171,250
South Carolina $164,480
South Dakota $188,360
Tennessee $150,880
Texas $158,510
Utah $161,300
Virginia $187,320
Washington $195,610
West Virginia $183,080
Wisconsin $204,820

What Tools do Nurse Anesthetists Use?

Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Nurse Anesthetists:

  • Microsoft Word
  • MEDITECH software
  • GE Healthcare Centricity EMR
  • Bizmatics PrognoCIS EMR
  • eClinicalWorks
  • Allscripts Professional EHR
  • SOAPware EMR
  • e-MDs software
  • ChartWare EMR
  • NextGen Healthcare Information Systems EMR
  • Cerner Millennium
  • MicroFour PracticeStudio.NET EMR
  • SynaMed EMR
  • Texas Medical Software SpringCharts EMR
  • Amkai AmkaiCharts
  • Medscribbler Enterprise
  • StatCom Patient Flow Logistics Enterprise Suite
  • AetherPalm InfusiCalc
  • Drug database software
  • EDImis Anesthesia Manager

How do I Become a Nurse Anesthetist?

Education needed to be a Nurse Anesthetist:

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How many years of work experience do I need?

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Similar Careers

Those who work as a Nurse Anesthetist sometimes switch careers to one of these choices:

References:

Image Credit: Aleksahgabrielle via Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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