Nurse Anesthetist Salary And Job Description

Nurse anesthetists are medical professionals who are assigned the task of administering anesthesia to the patients whenever the need arises. Their main responsibility is to make sure that the patients have been given the right amount of anesthesia before the starting of any treatment procedure such as surgeries. They are registered nurses and are required to work under the supervision of a superior health care provider such as surgeons or physicians. Some nurse anesthetists may also work permanently as a staff in the operating room.

Job Description Of A Nurse Anesthetist

The nurse anesthetists have many Roles but the primary one is to make a detailed review of the patient and understand their various medical conditions for an accurate analysis of how their bodies would react upon the administration of the certain anesthetic. This helps them to decide just the right anesthetic and the optimal dosage so that it can effectively anesthetize the patient for the required amount of time. Since a regain of consciousness before the anticipated time could be troublesome, nurse anesthetists are required to be very careful while executing their task.

As can be evident from the nature of their work, nurse anesthetics have multiple Responsibilities in their workplace. The CRNA Nurse duties do not include the administration of anesthesia alone. Instead, they are also required to constantly monitor the patient while they remain unconscious from the effect of anesthesia. It is the nurse practitioners who check if the patients are being able to handle the drugs in an expected manner.

There are many rules and guidelines surrounding the use of anesthesia. For example, different drugs produce different results while also having different methods of administration. Some drugs can be administered in a single dose while the others have to be divided into multiple doses and administered at a certain pace so as to keep the patients in a balanced state both during and after the treatment. Some patients may be highly sensitive to certain drugs or have a potential for allergies. Therefore, it is mandatory for the nurse anesthetists to be well acquainted with all the different types of allergies and look up the medical history of the patients to see if they have any.

Apart from the medical skills, the nurse anesthetics are also required to have other soft skills such as compassion, composure and the strength of mind to offer their services without faltering under all the different circumstances at work. For example, they should be able to comfort and calm down the patient before giving the anesthesia. Even after this, they should keep a watch on the patients throughout the surgery or whatever treatment process has been taking place and look out for any of the vital signs. If there seems to be something abnormal in the way a patient is responding, they are required to report it to the doctor immediately.

While it is the duty of the nurse anesthetists to ensure that a patient receives the right anesthetics before the commencement of the treatment procedure, it is also their responsibility to ensure the patients come out of the state of consciousness during the stipulated time frame. When the patient has regained consciousness, they may check their responses to assess the residual effect of the drug. It then becomes their duty to guide the patient back to normal health.

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist Job Description

The certified registered nurse anesthetists can anesthetize the patients’ prior to and during surgeries, diagnostic processes, and therapies and obstetrical procedures. Along with the administration of anesthesia, the nurses also give pain medications in order to minimize the pain and discomfort associated with the drug. Listed below are the main points of Crna job description. This can come helpful in understanding the job type in a better manner.

1. They are responsible for administering as well as choosing the anesthetic to be administered to the patient
2. Before the administration, they are required to make screening and note the feedback
3. After a regaining of the consciousness, the nurse anesthetics are required to keep a close watch on the patients. If there seems to any abnormality, they help in correcting the responses.
4. They manage the anesthetic procedures independently
5. They should have a detailed record of the patient’s medical history
6. They can also demand a renewal or replacement of certain equipment from the healthcare facility
7. They are responsible for developing the care plans for patients who have used or will be using anesthesia
8. They decide the appropriate time to discharge a patient from post-anesthesia care

Nurse Anesthetist Education Requirements

The United States has a large number of nurse anesthetists. The figure is estimated to be close to 36,000 out of which about 45% are male employees. CRNAs have much more Responsibilities as compared to other nurses which are why they also have very rigorous training processes. They can only seek employment if they have all of the qualifying credentials required to be a nurse anesthetist. Given below is a step by a guide on how to acquire the education required to be a nurse anesthetist.

1. The aspiring candidates should obtain a bachelors’ degree This is the first step to becoming a nurse anesthetist. It could be the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree or any other baccalaureate degree. The courses included are biology, psychology, physiology, human anatomy, etc.
2. The next step is to acquire the licensing as a registered nurse. The certificate is acquired by appearing and cracking the NCLEX – RN exams. Some states may also have other additional rules.
3. Before starting work as a nurse anesthetist, they should have at least one year of work experience. During this time, they may work closely with the critical units such as intensive care unit, cardiac care unit or the surgical unit.
4. After the completion of the undergraduate course, the candidates should go for a master’s degree in Nurse Anesthesia. Depending on the institution, this course could take anywhere from 2 to 3 years for completion.
5. After completing all the courses, the candidates are held eligible to appear for the National Certification Exam or the NCE. This exam is administered by the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists. Upon clearing this exam, they are free to start working in their respective field.

Nurse Anesthetist Salary

Nurse anesthetists are in high demand at all times, irrespective of how well the economy is functioning. This is because their services are vital in any healthcare setting. It is a known fact that the United States has a shortage of nurses which is also largely due to the lack of enough institutions and faculty to offer these programs. This has led to a very sharp rise in the demand for qualified nurses all across the courses, especially the nurses with advanced practice. Therefore, the job prospects for nurse anesthetists are very positive and growing at a sharp pace. They also cost much less as compared to an anesthesiologist which is why they have an even greater demand.

The salaries of nurse anesthetists do not remain constant in all parts. It is apt to vary from place to place depending on a number of things. Given below are the three main factors that decide the Wages for nurse anesthetists.

1. Employer

Nurse anesthetists can work in a variety of settings including hospitals and the private doctor’s clinics. Different employers also have different pay scales for the nurse anesthetists. According to a survey conducted by the US Bureau of Labour Statistics, the nurse anesthetists working in hospitals earn a higher amount as compared to those working in nursing homes or doctor’s clinics.

2. Education

This applies to almost every branch of nursing. The job of a nurse anesthetist can be a very sensitive and challenging one, which is why an even greater emphasis is placed on the education. All the nurses are required to hold at least a master’s degree and a separate licensing that allows them to practice as a nurse anesthetist. Since they have a high education requirement, they naturally tend to have a higher salary range.

3. Experience

Since the job of a nurse anesthetist requires a high level of expertise, it is mandatory for them to have at least one year of experience under a critical care team before starting practice independently. The nurses are also likely to get paid more as they gain more years of experience.

Median Annual Salaries

The CRNA salary is quite justifiable given the amount of training they are required to go through before finally seeking employment. The entire journey can be a very trying one and those without perseverance will not be able to make it until the end. While other nurses can join work immediately after receiving licensing as a registered nurse, the CRNAs will still have a lot to study. It is a mandate for them to complete the master’s program which covers areas such as hands-on clinical training as well as a specialization in the given field.

The US Bureau of Labour Statistics mentioned the median annual salary to be $138,568. 1 However, the salaries are bound to vary depending on a number of factors such as the location of the work area, specialization within the field and so on. However, the survey was conducted by collecting information across multiple areas of employment and therefore has been calculated without taking into account the short-term local economic conditions or job prospects of the area. From the same report, it was also seen that the average salary for nurse anesthetist was likely to vary between $96,508 and $182,726.

Salary Hourly

As of Jan 2, 2018, the average hourly salary for a nurse anesthetist was $73.14 and this was likely to vary between $28.91 and $102 depending on the various factors affecting the salaries of nurses. 3 The report was prepared according to the data collected by the Certified Compensation Professionals who took the survey to hundreds and thousands of work areas of all sizes offering employment to the Certified Nurse Anesthetists. The figures were collected both from the employers as well as the employees.

Pay By Experience

After a comparative study of the pay scales of nurse anesthetists at different stages of their career, it can be understood that the career offers a very positive trend when it comes to the payment. Nurses who have just entered into the field are likely to have a starting salary of $133,000 according to the most recent surveys. This applies to all the nurses with less than 5 years of experience and includes all the sources of compensation such as overtime pay, tips, and bonus.

Nurse enthusiasts who are in the mid-stage of their career or rather the nurses who have been working in the field for 5 to 10 years have a total Yearly salary of $149,000 while the nurses who have been working in the field for 10 to 20 years would have a total compensation of 157,000. These numbers are based on diverse data and may be close to accurate. However, the maximum earnings are received by employees who have been workings as nurse anesthetists for more than 20 years. The salaries for these employees can go as high as $167,000. 4

Highest Salary Paying Areas

The salaries of the nurse anesthetists are also likely to be affected by the economy and legislation of the state. The nurse anesthetist salary Michigan, NJ, Texas, PA is considered to be the highest out of all the states. Given below is a table showing the hourly and the annual Wages alongside the respective states.

Although the salaries are quite lucrative, it would not be advisable to advance one’s career due to this reason alone, mainly because it requires a high level of dedication and expertise. However, if the nurses do decide to join the field, they will have multiple scoped for career advancements and highly rewarding work experience.

Know More :

• Nursing Home Administrator Salary And Job Duties
  
• Nurse Practitioner Salary And Job Duties
  
• Nurse Navigator Salary And Job Duties
• Nursery Nurse Salary And Job Description