Nurse Anesthetist

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Work Tasks

• Check patients' vital signs and explain about anesthesia
• Give patients anesthetics to keep them asleep or pain free during surgery or childbirth
• Watch the patient and make sure their blood pressure, pulse, skin color, and breathing are normal
• Tell the surgeon how the patient is doing under the anesthesia
• Work in hospitals, surgical centers, health maintenance organizations, the military, public health services, Veterans Administration medical facilities, and doctor's offices
• Work with patients, hypodermic needles, gas equipment, and intravenous, spinal, and other anesthetics

Salary, Size & Growth

• $145,500 average per year ($70.00 per hour)
• A very large occupation (2,655,000 workers in 2010)
• Expected to grow rapidly (2.2% per year)

Education/Training

• Minimum for Entry: A master's degree upon completion of a nurse anesthesia education program
• Skills/Courses: Most programs last 2 years and require a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree, a license as a Registered Nurse (RN), and 1 to 2 years of acute care experience as an RN, such as critical care, cardiac, or emergency room nursing.
• Certification/Licensing: Graduates must take a national exam for certification as a nurse anesthetist.