A certified registered nurse anesthetist requires a graduate education, which is an advanced practice degree that will take about 8 years to finish.
To be able to administer anesthesia to your patients, you will need to finish a bachelors degree in nursing, have an RN license, have spent at least one year in acute care, complete an accredited nurse anesthesia program, and pass the national certification exam.
Thats a lot, I know, and still doesnt answer how long it takes to become a CRNA which is about 7-8 years total after your high school education.
Caveats: A revision of the existing curricula and syllabus for CRNAs involves changes as of 2015.
The entry level of training for nurse anesthetists, who are consider advanced practiced nurses, will be upgraded to the doctoral of nursing and doctor of nurse anesthesia practice degree which will ensure a better quality of service from the nurses.
Current prerequisites to become a certified nurse anesthetist
- 4 years for a bachelors degree in nursing
- 1 year experience in acute care such as the ER or ICU
- 2-3 years for a nurse anesthesia education program
- Certificate from the National Boards of Certification and Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA).
The bachelors degree generally should be in nursing; however, there are some approved programs that have different requirements.
If your degree is not in nursing, check the nurse anesthetist school you are considering and see if they allow different degrees.
Programs also require a minimum of 1 year dealing with acute care patients.
Acute care samples include working in the emergency department or the intensive care unit, but the school you are considering attending defines acute care.
This does mean you should already be a registered nurse.
Back to school
While you are in a nursing anesthesia program, you will learn theory and application of anesthesia techniques, along with keep your patient safe and comfortable.
You will also learn methods of researching and scientific inquiry supervised by the faculty.
But dont think you wont be doing clinical rotations at a hospital. You will. These provide the foundation of your experience.
As a CRNA student, you will still find yourself doing CRNA duties to learn them.
Duties of a certified registered nursing anesthetist
- Perform physical assessments
- Preoperative education
- Anesthetic management preparation
- Delivering and maintaining anesthesia
- Overseeing patients recovery from anesthesia
Certified registered nurse anesthetists administer the application of anesthesia on patients before surgery.
They prep the patient before surgery, monitor the vitals during surgery and help the post surgery recovery to make it easier and less painful.
Where will I work?
After you complete your education, you will be able to find employment in hospital operating rooms, pain clinics, ambulatory surgery centers.
You may also work in physicians offices but it may an independent contracting arrangement.
Youll work in conjunction with other health care professionals, which include surgeons, podiatrists, and anesthesiologists.
National salary
In the last 10 years, job growth for nurse anesthetists has gone up to 19 percent which is a great opportunity for future candidates.
The average yearly income of a CRNA is $148,160, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The top 25 percent of earners pulled an annual wage of at least 176,060. And the salary for CRNAs in the bottom 10 percent earned a annual median salary of $105,810.
I hope this has answered your questions about how long does it take to become a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA).