Certified registered nurse anesthetists or CNRA are nurses who administer anesthesia to patients on the operating table, also include before and after a major surgery and under the guidance and supervision of an assisting anesthesiologist. With this job, the CNRA should be very good in decision-making especially under stress.
Roles and Responsibilities
The main duty of CRNA is to examine the anesthesia requirements of a patient before a surgical procedure— This means that based on the patient’s medical history and current condition, the CRNA determines the sedation type, concentration, among other factors to ensure a safe surgery.
Although they should administer under the guidance of an assisting anesthesiologist, sometimes, they have the authority to give anesthesia. They are also responsible for ensuring that post-surgery recovery from anesthesia is well taken care of.
In most cases especially for most private hospitals, they consider taking the help of CRNAs for operation/surgeries. With their help, more surgical procedures can be conducted on a daily basis. After becoming a certified registered nurse anesthetist, one can think of working in private clinics or other health care settings.
image credit to : http://www.canoncitydailyrecord.com
Requirements
To work as a CRNA, one should have the following: a bachelor’s degree in nursing, license as a registered nurse, degree from an accredited school of nurse anesthesia, one year experience in an acute care setting, national certification that can be obtained post graduation, training, which includes administration of at least 850 anesthetics and completion of 2500 clinical hours, and an education with 40 credits every two years for re-certification.
Salary
A certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) is paid a higher salary than some physicians and in fact the salary scale of a CRNA is amongst the highest when it comes to nursing specialties. The average annual salary range of an experienced CRNA is $168,000 per annum. Salaries will vary based on education, experience, and type of employer.
