Role One of the oldest advanced nursing roles is that of the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA).
Nurses have been providing anesthesia care since the Civil War and are the main source of anesthesia care to the military today.
Nurses anesthetists practice all types of anesthesia in many settings safely.
They are educated to place patients under general and regional anesthesia including anesthesia in obstetrical care.
Many nurse anesthetists manage ventilator settings and acute/chronic pain management.
Ninety-seven percent of CRNAs practice in direct patient care.
The hospital setting is the most prevalent place of occupation for nurse anesthetists although increasingly more are being employed by ambulatory surgery centers and doctors offices where minor surgical procedures are performed.
Certification Anesthesia was the first of the nurse specialty groups to require obligatory certification as well as continuing education.
CRNAs must be recertified every two years.
The American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) is the governing body for the certified registered nurse anesthetists.
To become a CRNA one must meet several conditions including holding a bachelor's degree in an appropriate field, be currently licensed as a registered nurse (RN), have one year experience in a critical care area as an RN, have graduated from an approved nurse anesthesia program and complete the certification process.
The number of certified educational programs has dropped in the last 30 years from 194 to 88.
Even with this drop, the number ofgraduates is rising.
There are several professional organizations for CRNAs to become involved in such as American Association of Nurses Anesthetists (AANA), Council on Certification of Nurse Anesthetists (CCNA), American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses (ASPAN), International Federation of Nurse Anesthetists (IFNA), New England Assembly of Nurse Anesthetists (NEANA), and the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine Society for Ambulatory Anesthesia (SAMBA).
Benefits Why would you want to be a CRNA you ask? There are many reasons.
Becoming a CRNA is a good choice and opportunity to further your nursing career.
There is autonomy, great pay ($150,000 or more typically), flexible work schedules, and the programs of study are only 24-36 months.
This is definitely a career option to think about for all nurses.