All About Nurse Anesthetists
Nurse Anesthetist Job Description 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.
Life As a Nurse Anesthetist: What Do They Do?
- Perform pre-anesthetic screenings, including physical evaluations and patient interviews, and document results.
- Select, prepare, or use equipment, monitors, supplies, or drugs for the administration of anesthetics.
- Request anesthesia equipment repairs, adjustments, or safety tests.
- Administer post-anesthesia medications or fluids to support patients' cardiovascular systems.
- Monitor patients' responses, including skin color, pupil dilation, pulse, heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, ventilation, or urine output, using invasive and noninvasive techniques.
- Disassemble and clean anesthesia equipment.
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What a Nurse Anesthetist Should Know
Nurse Anesthetists state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Types of Nurse Anesthetist
- Nurse Anesthetist
- Staff Nurse Anesthetist
- Chief Nurse Anesthetist
- Senior Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (Senior CRNA)
- Chief Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (Chief CRNA)
Job Opportunities for Nurse Anesthetists
In 2016, there was an estimated number of 41,800 jobs in the United States for Nurse Anesthetist. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 16.3% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 6,800 new jobs for Nurse Anesthetist by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 2,800 job openings in this field each year.

The states with the most job growth for Nurse Anesthetist are Utah, California, and Florida. Watch out if you plan on working in Wyoming, Hawaii, or District of Columbia. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Nurse Anesthetist Average Salary
Nurse Anesthetists make between $116,820 and $208,000 a year.

Nurse Anesthetists who work in Montana, California, or Wisconsin, make the highest salaries.
How much do Nurse Anesthetists make in each U.S. state?
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $161,780 |
Alaska | $187,690 |
Arizona | $144,670 |
Arkansas | $186,970 |
California | $212,210 |
Colorado | $172,700 |
Connecticut | $190,480 |
Delaware | $187,860 |
Florida | $177,390 |
Georgia | $151,070 |
Hawaii | $192,580 |
Idaho | $143,270 |
Illinois | $190,500 |
Indiana | $156,580 |
Iowa | $209,130 |
Kansas | $159,600 |
Kentucky | $172,780 |
Louisiana | $159,370 |
Maine | $170,300 |
Maryland | $191,160 |
Massachusetts | $191,320 |
Michigan | $180,560 |
Minnesota | $188,130 |
Mississippi | $163,320 |
Missouri | $159,080 |
Montana | $246,370 |
Nebraska | $189,030 |
Nevada | $163,220 |
New Hampshire | $171,800 |
New Jersey | $189,150 |
New York | $191,130 |
North Carolina | $178,250 |
North Dakota | $197,860 |
Ohio | $174,380 |
Oklahoma | $176,780 |
Oregon | $205,730 |
Pennsylvania | $171,250 |
South Carolina | $164,480 |
South Dakota | $188,360 |
Tennessee | $150,880 |
Texas | $158,510 |
Utah | $161,300 |
Virginia | $187,320 |
Washington | $195,610 |
West Virginia | $183,080 |
Wisconsin | $204,820 |
What Tools & Technology do Nurse Anesthetists Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Nurse Anesthetists may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Word
- MEDITECH software
- GE Healthcare Centricity EMR
- Bizmatics PrognoCIS EMR
- eClinicalWorks
- e-MDs software
- SOAPware EMR
- Allscripts Professional EHR
- ChartWare EMR
- NextGen Healthcare Information Systems EMR
- Cerner Millennium
- SynaMed EMR
- Texas Medical Software SpringCharts EMR
- MicroFour PracticeStudio.NET EMR
- Medscribbler Enterprise
- Amkai AmkaiCharts
- StatCom Patient Flow Logistics Enterprise Suite
- Skyscape AnesthesiaDrugs
- AetherPalm InfusiCalc
- Drug database software
How do I Become a Nurse Anesthetist?
Learn what Nurse Anesthetist education requirements there are.

How Long Does it Take to Become a Nurse Anesthetist?

Who Employs Nurse Anesthetists?

The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

Other Jobs You May be Interested In
Those who work as a Nurse Anesthetist sometimes switch careers to one of these choices:
References:
Image Credit: Aleksahgabrielle via Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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