A nurse anesthetist represents one of the most advanced and qualified specialties in nursing. This special type of advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) is certified and trained in administering anesthesia to patients.

They play a critical role in a variety of healthcare settings, command high salaries and continue to be in demand across the United States. For these reasons and many more, now’s an excellent time to map out your future in nursing—and an extremely rewarding career as a nurse anesthetist. Here’s how to get started.

1. Understand the responsibilities of a CRNA
2. Become a registered nurse with a bachelor’s degree
3. Earn your master’s degree in nursing
4. Pass the National Certification Exam
5. Start your career as a nurse anesthetist

How long it takes to become a CRNA depends on where you are in your nursing career. It could take several years of education and working experience to reach such a professional height.

Note: Herzing University does not offer a master’s level CRNA program. However, if you are 1) not yet a nurse or 2) a registered nurse with an associate’s degree, we offer BSN programs to help you take a big step to becoming a nurse anesthetist. See step 2 for details.

1. What is a nurse anesthetist?

A nurse anesthetist is an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) certified and trained to administer anesthesia for surgery, labor and delivery, emergency care or pain management. It surprises many people to learn that anesthesia services are provided the same way by nurses and physicians (anesthesiologists); they provide the same service for the same procedures in the same types of facilities. The anesthesiologists provide a collaborative oversight of the CRNA’s to ensure best practice for patients.

In fact, according to the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA), most of the hands-on anesthesia patient care in the United States is delivered by nurse anesthetists.

Commonly called CRNAs (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists), the profession got its start during the Civil War when nurses were on the front lines administering chloroform to wounded soldiers. Today, they are the anesthesia providers in nearly all rural hospitals and the main providers of anesthesia to the men and women serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Become a CRNA and you’ll discover a vibrant, in-demand career, but you need to have specialized training and an excellent education to pave the way for a future at the top of the nursing profession.

Life as a nurse anesthetist: Career profile

U.S. News and World Report ranked nurse anesthetist #5 on its 2018 list of the 100 best jobs in America and #3 on its list of Best Healthcare Jobs. There are a lot of reasons this career path is attracting the attention of high school and college students as well as RNs ready to advance their practice. For starters, it’s extremely fulfilling to know you’re playing a vital role in patient care. It’s also a job that offers a high salary and a manageable work-life balance.

Where can you work?

With fewer than 50,000 licensed practitioners working today, demand for nurse anesthetists continues to grow across the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Once you become a licensed CRNA, you’ll be needed in many different healthcare environments:

• Medical and surgical hospitals
• Outpatient care enters
• Offices of dentists, plastic surgeons, pain management specialists, and other medical professionals
• U.S. military facilities

What will your workdays be like?

Whether you end up working in an intensive care unit (ICU) of a busy urban hospital or a walk-in clinic in small town America, your day as a nurse anesthetist will be varied and interesting. Typically, you’ll work in collaboration with anesthesiologists, anesthesiologist assistants, physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals.

There are numerous tasks you’ll be responsible for, including caring for patients under anesthesia, intubating patients who may require it, monitoring their vital signs, administering medications, managing ventilators or simply talking with them and calming their nerves. As a nurse anesthetist you will:

• Provide patient care before, during and after surgery.
• Tend to expectant mothers before, during and after labor and delivery.
• Participate in diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.
• Provide trauma stabilization and critical care interventions.
• Diagnose and deliver acute and chronic pain management.

When you’re not actually tending to your patients, you’ll spend time reviewing their histories, setting up the room where procedures are conducted and organizing the meds that will be required. At the end of the day, you’ll go home knowing you played a vital role in the advocacy and care of the patients for whom you were responsible.

How much can you make as a nurse anesthetist?

Loving what you do for a living is important. Being acknowledged and paid well for your specialized knowledge and training is an added bonus.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual salary for nurse anesthetists in 2018 was $174,790 per year. Of course, your pay will depend on what state you work in and the type of facility where you are employed, but no matter where you live, becoming a CRNA can be a very lucrative career choice. Learn everything you need to know about how much a nurse anesthetist makes.

There are many different kinds of nurses and anesthesiology represents one of the higher paying specialties in the nursing profession. The cost of a graduate-level education can be a deterrent for some students, but in the case of CRNAs the return on your investment can be substantial.

What is the current job market for nurse anesthetists?

To help meet the growing and consistent need for safe and effective anesthesia care, the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) strongly encourages high school and college students to consider this highly rewarding career path. Advanced practice RNs like nurse anesthetists are being increasingly counted on to provide care to patients in a broad range of settings and environments, particularly in medically underserved areas such as inner cities and rural areas.

Here’s how great the need has become for these master’s-educated nursing professionals: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects overall employment for nurse anesthetists to grow 16% from 2016­­-2026, faster than the national average for all other occupations.

If you’re looking for a nursing career that comes with a high level of autonomy, professional respect, increasing opportunity and an excellent average salary, you’ll want to consider becoming a CRNA.

2. Become a registered nurse with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)

To become a nurse anesthetist, you must have a registered nurse (RN) license and a master’s degree from an accredited MSN program with a CRNA program. While it’s true that you can become an RN after earning your associate degree in nursing, a key requirement for earning your master’s degree and becoming a CRNA is getting your BSN.

Certain BSN programs are specifically set up for future-focused students who’ve set their sights on advanced practice, specialized careers. For example, Herzing University offers a frequently updated BSN curriculum based upon the needs and demands of today’s job market.

At Herzing, there are several different entry points to the BSN program, depending on where you are in your current career and the amount of transferrable credits you already have from prior learning and work experiences.

• If you are new to nursing, you can pursue a bachelor’s degree program designed to help you become an RN and equip you for a graduate nursing program.
• If you are already an RN, you can choose an RN to BSN online program that can be completed in 12 months or less.
• If you already have a bachelor’s degree in a different field, you can choose an accelerated BSN program designed to prepare you for professional nursing practice in just 16 months.

Once you complete your BSN, pass the NCLEX exam and become licensed in your state, you’ll be eligible to practice as a registered nurse. From there, it’s just a matter of gaining enough experience in an acute care setting before you can apply to a nurse anesthesia program and earn your master’s degree.

One significant advantage of choosing Herzing is that the school’s BSN program has six start dates throughout the year, ensuring you can start soon, but allowing enough time to make any necessary adjustments to your personal and work schedules to accommodate your studies.

To make sure you’re on the right track towards a career as a nurse anesthetist, it’ll help if your bachelor’s degree also prepares you for continuing your education. Herzing’s BSN curriculum emphasizes a professional ethic that includes lifelong learning and continuous professional development in an ever-evolving healthcare environment.

3. Gain experience and pursue your master’s degree

After working in an ICU or the emergency room of a hospital or an ambulatory center (usually for 2+ years), you must earn a master’s degree from an accredited nurse anesthesia program, which typically takes between 24 and 36 months to complete (with a BSN as a prerequisite for enrollment). Many MSN programs will allow you to complete a certain amount of coursework online.

Your chosen program will typically include clinical practice near you where you’ll become familiar with a number of procedures requiring anesthesia.

The most prominent accreditation board is the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA). The organization grants public recognition to nurse anesthesia programs and institutions that award post master’s certificates, master’s, and doctoral degrees that meet nationally established standards of academic quality.

Admission to accredited programs can be very competitive, so start doing your homework and researching programs as early as you can.

Herzing University does not currently offer a nurse anesthetist program. You can find an accredited CRNA program in your area by searching this list.

4. Get certified as a nurse anesthetist

The last hurdle to qualifying for a nurse anesthetist position will be to pass your National Certification Examination (NCE), offered by the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA).

The NBCRNA reports about 84% of students pass the exam on their first try, and you’ll need recertify via the Continued Professional Certification (CPC) Program every 4 years. The NBRCNA website offers exam tutorials and practice exams to help you prepare.

5. Start a rewarding career as a nurse anesthetist

Regardless of where you are in your academic and professional life, there’s a clear path to follow that can lead to a satisfying career as a nurse anesthetist. It starts with earning a CCNE-accredited bachelor’s degree from a highly respected school of nursing if you haven’t already done so.

If you’re inspired to learn more, we’re here to make sure your next step will be a sound investment in your future in nursing.

Employment in the healthcare sector is booming, and more men are entering into healthcare professions than ever before. In fact, a recent NYU study found that the number of men in the nursing workforce is steadily increasing, growing nearly 5% between 2005 and 2015.

While it might have been unusual several years ago for men to work in certain healthcare jobs, there’s now a push for more gender diversity in healthcare staff. This is especially true in nursing, as hospitals struggle to find enough qualified nursing staff to meet the growing demand for their healthcare services.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that employment for registered nurses (RNs) will increase by as much 15 percent by 2026, adding more than 400,000 new jobs.

We sat down with two of our recent BSN graduates, Jonathan Cabrera and Brandon Shaver, to talk about why they chose a career in nursing.

Q: Why did you choose a career in nursing?

Cabrera: I’ve always known that I wanted to help people. As I got older, I wanted to do something in medicine. I considered surgery, massage therapy and chiropractic medicine, but none of those careers felt like the right path for me. I knew that nursing would allow me to make a difference in the medical field and increase my opportunities for employment.

Shaver: After being in the military for four years, I wanted a complete change of pace. I found myself watching shows like Scrubs, House, Grey’s Anatomy, and ER, thinking to myself, “I could totally do that.” I was working as a dental assistant at the time, and one day a coworker mentioned that I should look into becoming a registered nurse. I did some research and immediately knew that was the route I should take.

Q: Despite the increasing demand for nurses, it’s still a profession that is largely dominated by women. Do you feel that this is changing? Why should more men consider nursing as a career option?

Cabrera: It’s not so much about whether you’re a girl or a guy. It’s about what you want to do and how you want to help others. I think a diverse classroom of students brought a good balance to my studies and my clinical experiences. We each brought a unique set of experiences to the table. As a nurse, I find that having a mix of different perspectives helps us find well-rounded solutions and allows us to do our jobs better.

Shaver: It’s not unusual to meet a man in the nursing field. Doctors used to be only men and nurses used to be only women, but we know that those stigmas don’t matter anymore. Nursing is a great line of work to get into, no matter your gender. There are so many options for growth, and if you’re like me and you get bored easily, there are always different specialties to explore and a variety of ways to advance your career.

Q: What did you enjoy the most about your nursing classes/clinical?

Cabrera: I completed a clinical rotation at a local community clinic, and I loved seeing first-hand how much we were able to help people. I enjoyed being a part of the staff and providing medical assistance for people that would otherwise be underserved due to their financial circumstances.

Shaver: My first clinical rotation at a nursing home made me reevaluate if I really wanted to be a nurse. It can be challenging at first, but as the semesters move along and you start making connections with your classmates, you realize that you’re all struggling together. You learn to make the best of the challenging moments and rely on each other. When I think back about all of my classes and clinical experiences, I remember all the people I shared those stressful times with and all the memories we had together.

Q: What do you enjoy the most about the nursing profession?

Cabrera: I’m glad to see that the field is changing. I think I finally found where I’m supposed to be, and I’m grateful not only for my experience at Herzing but for the opportunity to make a real difference in others’ lives.

Shaver: I like knowing that all my hard work has finally allowed me to have a great job, in the specialty I wanted to work in, in a location I wanted to live, working the hours I’d like to work, making the money I think I deserve. Not everyone can say that, but the nursing profession has so many options and opportunities for everyone.

Q: What words of wisdom do you have for those considering a career in nursing?

Cabrera: It doesn’t feel like it’s a woman’s job or a woman’s world. We’re all working together to help care for people in need.

Shaver: Make the leap sooner rather than later. Rely on your friends and family to help you get through the tough moments. Your classmates will get you through the hard times in school. Work with them, not against them, and you will be successful.

Thinking about a career change to nursing? Like Cabrera and Shaver, more men are realizing that nursing isn’t only a viable career option, it’s a job they’d like to do. Whether you’re just beginning your nursing career or looking to advance, Herzing University offers a variety of degree pathways to help you achieve your goals.

Learn more about our nursing programs and get started on your own journey today!

A quarter of college students are both full-time workers and full-time students, according to a study by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce.

To help busy students to fit education into their lives, many universities offer online course options or online degree programs. A third of all undergraduate students are currently taking at least one course online, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

Being able to learn at your own pace is a huge perk for online students. Course materials are typically made available through an online portal, allowing you to work on assignments whenever is convenient for you throughout the week. You can also communicate with your instructors through the portal, making it easier for you to get the personalized help you need to succeed.

While online courses offer many benefits, it is a very different learning experience from a traditional classroom environment. Time management, organization and good study habits are even more crucial to your success as an online student.

Here are five tips for mastering your online classes:

1.) Have a plan

Create a weekly study plan right from the get-go. The first step is to determine when you will set aside time to focus on your schoolwork. It could be in between appointments, after work or over the weekend – whatever works best for you. Proactively block off your calendar during this time so you can hold yourself accountable to finishing your work. Another helpful organizational tip is to review the course syllabus and write down all important due dates in a planner or calendar. This way, you can keep track of – and plan ahead for – major deadlines throughout the semester.

2.) Stick to a schedule

As an online student, you have much more flexibility in setting your own schedule. This can be to your advantage, but it can also present a challenge if you don’t have strong time management skills. It might take some time to establish a routine that suits your lifestyle and allows you to get your assignments done well and on time. Once you have nailed down the right schedule, you can use a planner or digital calendar app to keep yourself on track.

3.) Connect with your classmates

Being an online student doesn’t mean you have do everything alone. While you might not get to meet your classmates face-to-face, there are many ways you can connect online and build your own college community. In fact, many online courses require students to engage with each other on class discussion boards in order to facilitate the same kind of thoughtful exchange you’d have in a regular classroom. You could also take the initiative to start a social media group for your class where you can share notes, ask questions and collaborate on assignments.

4.) Set goals for yourself

Setting goals can help you stay motivated throughout the semester. To be successful with goal-setting, it’s important to have a mix of both short-term and long-term goals. For example, a short-term goal could be improving your test score on your next exam. A long-term goal could be improving your writing skills by the end of the semester. This might involve more work and dedication, like setting a standing appointment with a tutor and working ahead on writing assignments.

Once you’ve identified your goals, write them down and track your progress. When you complete one of your goals, be sure to reward yourself! This could be something small like giving yourself an extra study break, going out for dinner, or spending time on another activity that allows you to unwind and relax.

5.) Make the class a priority

Some students assume online classes are easier than regular classes. This is not true. As an online student, you need to make your education a priority and hold yourself accountable to meeting your deadlines. Minimizing distractions like television and social media is a great way to stay focused during your designated study time.

Online classes are a great option for busy students who cannot easily attend an in-person class. With the right amount of planning and prioritizing, it is possible to be successful without having to step in the classroom.