Working as a nurse anesthetist

Nurse anesthetics are one of the four professions in nursing labeled as advanced practice nursing, along with clinical nurse specialists, nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners. According to the American Association of Nurse Anesthesia, nurse anesthetists were actually the first to be recognized as clinical nurse specialists. The profession started to become established in the late 1800s as a result of surgeons seeking to put an end to the high morbidity and mortality rates associated with anesthesia at that time.

What they do
Nurse anesthetists, also referred to as certified registered nurse anesthetists, or CNRAs, are nurses who specialize in the administration of anesthesia. They provide anesthesia and related care before and after surgical, dental, therapeutic, diagnostic and obstetrical procedures, and can also help with trauma stabilization. Nurse anesthetists are very versatile, in that they administer a number of different types of anesthetics, work in an assortment of different practice settings, and are asked to provide care for every type of procedure or operation. With that said, it should not come as a surprise that nurse anesthetists work alongside a variety of different health care professionals, including surgeons, anesthesiologists, dentists and podiatrists.

Nurse anesthetists carry a heavy load of responsibility and must take on a multitude of different tasks. Some of these responsibilities come before any procedure is underway, such as getting supplies and equipment ready for the procedure or determining how the anesthetic will affect the patient by studying and interpreting pre-surgical tests. In case of an emergency, they are also responsible for ensuring that an adequate blood supply is available and readily accessible.

During procedures, nurse anesthetists administer local, inhalation, intravenous, and other anesthetics to the patient to create partial -- or sometimes even total -- loss of sensation in the patient. The nurses are also asked to administer oxygen during the procedure.

While the most typical setting for a nurse anesthetist is a hospital operating room, they are by no means limited to that location. Other settings include emergency rooms, birthing centers/obstetrics departments, plastic surgery centers, and outpatient surgery facilities. Healthcare facilities of the military, Public Health Services, and Veterans Affairs all have nurse anesthetists on hand, as do the offices of dentists, podiatrists, ophthalmologists and pain management specialists.

What they need
Before a career in nurse anesthetics can even be considered, one must be a licensed registered nurse with an appropriate baccalaureate degree and a minimum of one year of critical-care nursing experience. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in order to become a nurse anesthetist, candidates must earn a master's degree. This takes two to three years and includes clinical training in either university or community hospitals. One must also pass the national certification exam before being allowed to practice, and must acquire at least 40 hours of continuing education every two years.

What they earn
The average salary for a nurse anesthetist is $158,381, according to CBsalary.com. The 25th and 75th percentiles of salaries fall between $144,400 and $453,151, respectively.