Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist – Career and Education Profile
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Certified registered nurse anesthetists go through training to specialize in anesthesia, so they can assist medical teams when a patient needs a procedure that requires short-term blocked sensation.
Job Responsibilities
As a certified registered nurse anesthetist, you’ll likely work as part of a team of anesthetists and other nurses to develop and administer an anesthesia plan for a patient who needs a procedure where it is best to block pain. This could range from small-scale, localized anesthesia to numb specific areas of the body to use that is more difficult to manage, such as anesthesia during a very long operation. Your certification also allows you to work without the direct supervision of an anesthetist, though specific tasks you are and are not allowed to do vary by state.
Salary and Career Options
Certified registered nurse anesthetists, on average, make the highest salaries of all advanced practice nurses. The exact amount you’ll make depends on your employer, your location, and a number of other factors, but on average, nurses in this field make about $130,000 annually. Along with working in a clinical setting as a nurse, you can also take on an administrative or management role, become an educator, or work in anesthetics research.
Educational Requirements
The first step to becoming a certified registered nurse anesthetist is to earn a bachelor of science in nursing, or BSN, which you can do through an LPN to RN program or a typical RN program. You’ll then need to earn a master’s degree in the field through an accredited university, which entails both classroom learning in areas such as pain management and anesthesia administration and hands-on training in a clinical setting. After you earn your degree, you’ll need to take your state’s certification exam to receive your nurse anesthetist license and begin working in this field.
LPN to RN College Programs
While several schools have online nursing degrees available, few offer LPN to RN programs. What's the good news? We have listed some accredited schools below that do offer the program in addition to schools with other bridge programs available. Find out more information and contact each school by using any of the links below.
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Indiana State University—Indiana State University offers a robust online program designed for LPNs wanting to become registered nurses and earn their BSN degree. Since ISU's credits transfer to over 80 campus majors, this is an ideal program for people wanting to open opportunities for their career down the road. |
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The College Network—The College Network is a partnership with several universities and organizations like the National League for Nursing that focuses on online education and programs, with several courses for nurses or those interested in a nursing career. Specifically, TCN helps students prepare for their PN and RN licensures and move on to earn graduate degrees. |
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Select a subject and degree level, then click "Find My Degree" to browse 100+ online nursing schools offering relevant accredited programs. |
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Walden University—Walden University is typically a graduate school with several masters and doctoral programs available, but they do have BSN and RN to MSN bridge programs available. Walden is based out of Minneapolis and offers several options in transferring your previously earned credits to and from (or even within) the school. |
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Kaplan University—Kaplan University is one of the nation's largest and leading online educators and offers several bridge programs for registered nurses to earn their BSN or MSN degree. If you have previously earned credits, Kaplan makes it easy for you to transfer to any one of their undergraduate or graduate programs. |
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Herzing University—While Herzing University does not offer an undergraduate nursing degree, it is a great choice for working nurses wanting to pursue leadership positions in Nurse Education or Management. With over 10 campuses and 45 online programs available, Herzing has a massive network that makes it easy to transfer to or from the school. |
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