Career Overview
Administer anesthesia, monitor patient's vital signs, and oversee patient recovery from anesthesia. May assist anesthesiologists, surgeons, other physicians, or dentists. Must be registered nurses who have specialized graduate education.
Also Known As
- Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
- Nurse Anesthetist
- Staff Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (Staff CRNA)
- Staff Nurse Anesthetist
Alternate Job Titles
- Anesthesia Physician
- Anesthesia Specialist
- Certified Nurse Anesthetist
- Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
- Nurse Anesthetist
- Staff Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (Staff CRNA)
- Staff Nurse Anesthetist
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- Manage patients' airway or pulmonary status, using techniques such as endotracheal intubation, mechanical ventilation, pharmacological support, respiratory therapy, and extubation.
- Respond to emergency situations by providing airway management, administering emergency fluids or drugs, or using basic or advanced cardiac life support techniques.
- Monitor patients' responses, including skin color, pupil dilation, pulse, heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, ventilation, or urine output, using invasive and noninvasive techniques.
- Select, order, or administer anesthetics, adjuvant drugs, accessory drugs, fluids or blood products as necessary.
- Select, prepare, or use equipment, monitors, supplies, or drugs for the administration of anesthetics.
- Assess patients' medical histories to predict anesthesia response.
- Perform or manage regional anesthetic techniques, such as local, spinal, epidural, caudal, nerve blocks and intravenous blocks.
Knowledge You'll Use
You'll need solid knowledge in these areas:
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Customer and Personal Service
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Mathematics
- Education and Training
- English Language
- Psychology
- Physics
Essential Skills
Success in this career requires strong skills in:
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Active Learning
- Monitoring
- Complex Problem Solving
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Science
- Social Perceptiveness
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Problem Sensitivity
- Oral Comprehension
- Written Comprehension
- Information Ordering
- Deductive Reasoning
- Near Vision
- Inductive Reasoning
- Speech Clarity
- Written Expression
- Oral Expression
Work Style
People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:
- Stress Tolerance
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Cautiousness
- Self-Control
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Support
- Relationships
- Achievement
- Working Conditions
- Recognition
Education & Preparation
Typical Education: Doctoral Degree
Related Work Experience Needed: Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
On-the-Job Training: Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month
Education Details: Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Experience Required: Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- eClinicalWorks EHR software
- Epic Systems
- MEDITECH software
- Microsoft Word
Tools & Equipment
- Anesthesia masks
- Arterial line catheters
- Automated external defibrillators AED
- Bilevel positive airway pressure BiPAP ventilators
- Bispectral index monitors BIS
- Blood collection syringes
- Blood collection tubes
- Calibrated vaporizers
- Capnographs
- Cardiac monitors
- Digital anesthesia machines
- Electrocardiography EKG machines
- Electronic blood pressure cuffs
- Electronic thermometer probes
- End tidal carbon dioxide monitors
Work Environment
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
- Exposed to Disease or Infections
Salary & Job Market
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $137,230 |
| Median | $223,210 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | >$239,200 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 50,350
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
Anesthesiologists
Education: Post-Doctoral Training
Median Salary: >$239,200
Anesthesiologist Assistants
Education: Master's Degree
Median Salary: $133,260
Nurse Practitioners
Education: Master's Degree
Median Salary: $129,210
Registered Nurses
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Median Salary: $93,600
Critical Care Nurses
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Median Salary: $93,600
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.