Perianesthesia Nurse – Career and Education Profile

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Perianesthesia nursing is an important field, as these nurses care for patients after they come out of surgery until they wake up.

Job Responsibilities

If you go through a operations, an anesthesia team will work with your doctors to safely administer anesthesia so you are unconscious during the surgery. Afterward, most patients slowly and calmly wake up, but occasionally patients burst awake in an excitable state, feel sick, have problems breathing, or others have difficulties during the hours after being in the operating room. Perianesthesia nurses work with these patients to ensure that they are as safe as possible, no matter what situations might complicate the waking process. As a perianesthesia nurse, you could also be tasked with preparing a patient for the anesthesia process, both by physically preppring the patient and by educating the patient so he or she knows what to expect.

Salary and Career Options

Nurses in this field generally make around $50,000, but your salary will depend on factors such as location and your education level. Once you gain experience as a perianesthesia nurse, you could consider becoming a nurse anesthetist or anesthetist, and many perianesthesia nurses also have experience in critical care or surgical nursing.

Educational Requirements

To work in the field of perianesthesia, you need to be certified as an RN, which requires at least an associate’s degree in nursing. Employers generally do not hire LPNs in this field, though LPN-to-BSN programs allows you to earn an associate’s degree fairly quickly. Many opt to get a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree, which allows you to take advanced classes, as well as classes specializing in anesthesia. After graduation, you can seek certification in this field from the American Board of Perianesthesia Nursing, which requires you to pass an exam and complete at least 1800 hours working as a perianesthesia nurse.

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.

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.

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.

Other Nursing Degrees

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.

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.

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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