A certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) is one of the most complicated and well-paid jobs of all nurses. He makes possible that people during surgery and other medical procedures as well as makes the recovery process less painful.
As a certified registered nurse anesthetist can be called the one who has Baccalaureate degree, more than 1 year practice in some clinic, hospital, private center, etc. as an acute care nurse, successfully completed a graduate-level nurse anesthetist program. This specific programs duration is 28-36 months depending on the chosen school. All of them keep the standards to get accreditation, but some tend to use more theory or practice during the work. The best one by the top rankings is U.S. Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Nursing. They focus on CRNA that will be able to work in time of war, civil disorder, natural disasters or some humanitarian missions. The duration of this program is 30 months. In all schools the lectures focus on subjects like anatomy, chemistry, physiology and pharmacology.
As every anesthetist program each year provides 20-30 student places that can get in and some in the waiting list, there is a big completion. The best way is to get GPA score 3.5 which can be done if the exams are written on straight A’s, but theoretically the limitation is at least 3.0. After getting in and practicing, before the graduation there is a special exam. In the speaking there are competent people asking questions all that can regard to the special program, practice, personality, future plans, etc. The average duration of this interview is 10-15 minutes, but as there usually are many questions, it seems much longer. The most typical question regards to why do you want to become CRNA, other practical like ‘‘How the class has helped in your clinical practice?’’, etc. There naturally also will be theoretical questions like ‘‘what are appropriate intervention for cardiogenic shock?’’, ‘‘what increases ICP?’’, etc. therefore, every person who wants to pass the examination, has to study hard and be confident about what he wants.
The major responsibilities of CRNA include monitoring the client during the procedure or surgery, smooth recovery from anesthesia, complete a physical assessment of a patient, prepare and administer some specific types of anesthesia required by the procedure. Everything that CRNA does needs to be regarding the maximum safety and comfort of the particular patient. He also has to work in team with other medical personal like surgeons, dentists, nurses, etc. to get better result and avoid misunderstanding.
About the financial side CRNA doesn’t have to worry. Even at the beginning of the career as an anesthetist mostly receive around $110,000. More experienced ones pretty fast reach $200,000 and even more, depending on the specific areas. The lowest salary is around $135,000. Special CRNA malpractice insurance makes better working conditions when changing the places and other expanses.
CRNA is a great choice for strong-willed people who like to help others in pretty stressful conditions. Despite hard learning and work, the financial side and respect compensates it.