A Career as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist

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The Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), also called nurse anesthetists, is a registered nurse that has specialized in delivering anesthesia during surgery and other procedures, as well as monitoring vital signs and maintaining the patient’s airway. A CRNA can also further their specialty specifically for pediatric, bariatric, cardiac care, etc. patients. To become a CRNA, an extensive education, as well as experience, is required before even being considered to enter the anesthesia educational program. CRNAs have a variety of work settings to choose from, such as dentist offices, operating rooms, and endoscope procedure units. The salary range for a CRNA varies due to experience and subspecialty, but the profession is one of the top paid nursing practices. Education, work setting and conditions, salary, and job prospects all vary on location but certification and recertification remain the same nationally. To become a CRNA, you must first receive a bachelor’s degree in nursing and attain the licensure of a registered nurse. You must also have at least one year of critical care experience, which is obtained in areas such as the emergency room or intensive care units. Once you have received licensure and critical care experience, you have to be accepted into an accredited anesthesia program with a typical duration of two years or longer. Once you successfully complete the program, you then take the national certification examination. To become specialized in specific patient populations, such as pediatrics or trauma, you would need to work at a specialty hospital. As of right now, there are no scholarly programs to become certified in subspecialties. There has been recent discussion focused on changing the crit... ... middle of paper ... ...ing education courses and renew certification. When they are considered competent enough to deliver anesthesia, they must also be able to deal effectively with the daily changes and challenges that a hospital environment can create. They must also be able to “stomach” many types of sense triggers. Although they are one of the top paid nursing practices, they have to endure stress throughout their whole career, starting with the educational aspects. Works Cited American Association of Nurse Anesthetists. Professional Aspects of Nurse Anesthesia Practice. Philadelphia: F. A. Davis Company, 1994. Print. Anesthesia Zone. AMN Healthcare. www.anesthesiazone.com. 2007. Web. 7 March 2012. Hawkins, Robert, and Greg Nezat. "Doctoral Education: Which Degree To Pursue?." AANA Journal 77.2 (2009): 92-96. Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition. Web. 12 Mar. 2012.

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