Nursing is one of the fastest growing career fields available today. People are always getting sick and injured. Nursing specialists, such as Nurse Anesthesiologists, are in high demand and the growth outlook for these professions are staggering.

A professional nurse anesthesiologist is called a CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthesiologist). Among the first specialty nurses to require continuing education. CRNA’s must be re-certified every two years, which includes meeting practice requirements and obtaining a minimum of 40 continuing education credits.

In order to become a CRNA, it will take no fewer than seven years of education and experience. The average nurse anesthetist works a minimum of 1,694 clinical hours and will have administered more than 790 anesthetics before becoming certified.

The education and experience required to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist include:

• A Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (BSN) or other appropriate baccalaureate degree.
• A current license as a registered nurse.
• At least one year’s experience in an acute care nursing setting.
• Graduation from an accredited graduate school of nurse anesthesia. These educational programs range from 24-36 months, depending upon university requirements, and offer a master’s degree.
• All programs include clinical training in university-based or large community hospitals.
• Pass a national certification examination following graduation.

The top three accredited schools to become a Nursing Anesthesiologist are:

1. Virginia Commonwealth University

2. U.S. Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Texas
and tied for the third position

3. Navy Nurse Corps
Rush University

Here in North Carolina, the primary CRNA schools are located at Duke University, East Carolina University, and University of North Carolina at Charlotte, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a new program in Candler at the Western Carolina University Nurse Anesthesia Program.

You can find a comprehensive list of schools accredited at the anesthesia school nursing website (http://www.anesthesia-nursing.com/school.html)

Between 1,300 and 1,700 student nurse anesthetists graduate each year and go on to pass their certification examination.

According to numerous salary reports throughout the years, CRNA’s remain the highest compensated of all nursing specialties. Their average reported annual salary range in 2006, reported by the AMGA Medical Group Compensation and Financial Survey, was $140,396.

A Brief History of Nurse Anesthesiology

In 1909 the first organized nurse anesthesia program was offered. The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiologists (AANA) instituted a certification program in 1945. In 1945 the first certification examination was administered to 92 students. The AANA implemented mandatory re-certifications in 1978. Today, there are more than 95 nurse anesthesia programs across the country with more than 1100 clinical sites throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. All of these programs are affiliated with, or operated by the school of Nursing or Health Science department of a major university.

Becoming a Certified Nurse Anesthesiologist is not easy. It takes thousands of hours of coursework, hundreds of hours of clinical administration and a dedication to the profession. The hours can be long and tedious, and there is no room for error. But it can also be one of the most rewarding medical careers available to nurses. The job outlook is staggering and advances in the field are staggering. For more information about becoming a CRNA visit www.aana.com.