CRNA Salary

A certified nurse anesthetist or CRNA is a professional nurse who provides anesthesia services. If you are thinking about looking into doing this as your career choice then you need to know what to expect. This is a way to make a very nice living. A CRNA salary is above average but then again so are the education requirements.

Deciding on a career in the medical field is often times a difficulty choice. Although the rewards are great there are a lot of responsibilities to get there. Becoming a RN is stressful enough but if you take the next step and become a certified nurse anesthetist there is a whole new level of education you will need to take.

This article will take a look at this profession and what it takes to get there. Will a CRNA salary be enough to be worth it? Will this job take more than a 4-year degree? We are going to try and answer these questions in this article.

CRNA Salary Information

Because you will have a very high level of responsibility you will command excellent wages. A CRNA salary is one of the highest paid areas of nursing. When you are starting out you should expect to earn over $100,000 a year. Once you have enough experience you may earn almost $200,000 a year.

CRNA Education Requirements

Are you wondering how much education this career choice takes? It is a long road to get there First off you will need to be a registered nurse Once you become an RN and have a years worth of experience you can apply for a nurse anesthetist graduate program which will take you about 2 or 3 years to complete. So you can see there is a lot required to enter this field of work. Some CRNAs began their careers as Licensed Vocational Nurses. Although the average LVN salary can be as much as $58,000 annually, CRNAs make SIGNIFICANTLY more than that!

CRNA Work Environment

You will work closely with doctors, surgeons, and other health professionals. You will take care of your patients anesthesia needs while they are having surgery. You will practice in a variety of situations in places like hospitals, delivery rooms, surgery centers and more. You will be part of a team that will administer anesthetics to patients.

If you are considering becoming a CRNA you need to realize you have a long hard road ahead of you. It is not easy but it is rewarding and fulfilling. The money is good and a CRNA salary is as good as the job outlook. A certified nurse anesthetist is a profession that has a bright future.

There’s no question that hospitals and clinics around the country have a severe need of more professionals. But these don’t just include doctors. Nurses are also in high demand, and especially those who go through specialization, and become certified nurses in a particular field. This is true of CRNA, or Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists. There’s a big lack of qualified people to fill the jobs, and this may in turn lead you to think that you might want to know how to become a CRNA.

The Process of Becoming a CRNA

Before you rush to a local college however, there are things you should know about the process of becoming a CRNA, what skills you should have, how much training is involved, and so on. Hopefully, once you know the facts, you’ll be better able to decide if this is really the path for you.

The first thing you need to ask yourself is whether or not you have the basic skills to learn how to become a CRNA. While they may be specialized in a particular domain, you will still be a nurse, so all the skills needed for normal nurses still apply. This includes being very caring and having a genuine like for helping people.

This is because nurses primarily help others. They are support personnel for doctors and patients, doing a wide variety of tasks in order to have the clinic or hospital run smoothly. This also means you need to have a certain charisma, because you will likely have to comfort diseased patients, and answer their questions on a regular basis.

To put it simply, no one becomes a nurse purely for the salary, you need to have a basic desire to help. Finally, because being a nurse involves doing so many different tasks, you must be good at multi tasking.

If you think you have those basic skills, then it’s time to see the type of training that’s involved. First, before you can specialize, you need to train to be a nurse. This typically involves getting an associate degree or a bachelor from a college, and then passing your certification exam. This varies from one state to the next, but basically you need to become a registered nurse first. Then, once that’s done, you can specialized and become a CRNA, which involves doing some post graduate work, and then working as an intern before being allowed to work full time.

As you can see, this involves a lot of years of education, and most people don’t go through all that in one shot. Instead, they become nurses first, work as a nurse for a period of time, and then eventually decide to specialize. This makes it a lot easier so you don’t have to go through everything all at once. Of course, while getting there can be a long process, the rewards are interesting as well. CRNA workers get a good salary, along with benefits. While they aren’t at the level of doctors, and can’t diagnose, they are valuable assistants in operating rooms.

Overall, learning how to become a CRNA can be quite a long process. Whether you decide to go through it all at once or in steps, if you have the basic requirements to become an effective nurse, then it may be a path that’s interesting for you. Career opportunities are generally good, and so are the benefits.

CRNA Programs Around the Country

CRNA programs prepare individuals for a career as a certified registered nurse anesthetist. Work as a CRNA is challenging but rewarding and well paying. There are 100 (+) accredited CRNA programs in the country. Individuals can apply to a local program, if one exists, or relocate to attend school. The process of becoming a CRNA is challenging. Students need to be prepared to stay the course. Fortunately, for many, becoming a CRNA is well worth the challenges and sacrifices it requires.

In order to be accepted into a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist program, a person will need to have a Bachelor of Science (BSN) in nursing or an Associates Degree in nursing and an undergraduate degree in a science-related major. Most programs will require that applicants have at least a 3.0 GPA and have earned good grades in their science courses. Applicants must have an up-to-date RN license and the following certifications, BLS, ACLS and PALS. Many schools will require at least a GRE score of 1000. International students need to score at least 550 on their TOEFL examinations.

The aforementioned requirements are general and are what many schools require. However, some schools will have different requirements. Individuals interested in becoming a CRNA will need to check with the school they plan to apply to, for an accurate and current list of requirements.

When considering CRNA programs, it is important to make a few determinations. One of the most important will be whether or not the school is accredited. A Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist program that’s not accredited is a waste of both time and money. A person who completes such a program won’t be able to find work afterwards.

This is a high paying, demanding industry with high standards. Individuals that would like to become a CRNA need to ensure that they attend a quality program. Accreditation is a must. It’s non-negotiable.

CRNA programs are tough to get into. There is a lot of competition and there aren’t many programs. Because this is the case, it is important that individuals do as well as they can on their GREs and work hard to earn good grades while an undergraduate.

How Long Does a CRNA Program Take?

CRNA programs, on average, take about two to three years to complete. Upon completion of the program, individuals will be required to take and pass the profession’s national certification exam before they are allowed to work.

Nurses that wish to specialize may want to consider becoming a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. This is a challenging, yet rewarding field that pays extremely well. For the right person, it could be end up being their dream occupation.

Becoming a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, or CRNA, is a pretty involved process, which starts from your initial intent on becoming a nurse, all the way through the education and training needed, to becoming employed to do this job as a career. In Texas, many schools offer CRNA education. Here’s what you should know before you think about entering in these programs, what skills you need, and what the training will look like. With this information and tips, hopefully your career path will go smoothly, and you’ll get what you’re looking for.

CRNA Programs in Texas

First, before enrolling into CRNA schools in Texas, it’s important to realize what a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist is and what the daily routine will look like. A nurse anesthetist is before anything else, a nurse, which means they are there to help patients, and support doctors.

As a nurse, you will have many different tasks that involve direct contact with people, so a genuine desire to help, and good charisma to talk with these people, is a crucial part of your prerequisite before you even think about enrolling in such a program. Most nurses only require a basic education, including an associate degree, or a bachelor at the most. However, nurses have the option of becoming certified, and specializing into deeper subjects, which require more education, like a master’s degree.

This is what usually ends up happening for a CRNA. Remember however that you don’t have to go through all that education in one shot. Many people become nurses, and work for several years, before going through their specialization. This is an easier option, and allows you to see if you like the job.

What is a Day in the Life of a CRNA?

The day to day work of a CRNA is to administer anesthetics to patients when they are about to go to a procedure such as a surgery. This is a very important task, because you don’t want the patient to wake up during the operation. So a knowledge of the equipment and medication involved, and a great focus on your work, is crucial.

You will need to stay with the patient and doctor the whole way through, and monitor the activities. This requires discipline, and is just one of many skills that schools in Texas will look for in new applicants. Most programs that offer this certification have only limited seating. This means you may not be accepted to the college or university of your choice if you don’t meet the basic skills, along with having good grades.

The best way to get into CRNA schools in Texas is to get the skills that are required, and make sure you have good grades beforehand. Then, you open your path to the career choice you desire.

Overall, becoming a CRNA takes quite a bit of time and patience. It’s a long process, which is often taken in multiple steps. But the rewards are interesting, since your daily job description is often more entertaining than a typical nurse, and the salary is higher in consequence of your longer studies as well.