Nurse Anesthetists: Job Description
Administer anesthesia, monitor patient's vital signs, and oversee patient recovery from anesthesia. May assist anesthesiologists, surgeons, other physicians, or dentists. Must be registered nurses who have specialized graduate education.
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The Daily Work of Nurse Anesthetists Do?
Typical responsibilities of nurse anesthetists span:
- Manage patients' airway or pulmonary status, using techniques such as endotracheal intubation, mechanical ventilation, pharmacological support, respiratory therapy, and extubation.
- Respond to emergency situations by providing airway management, administering emergency fluids or drugs, or using basic or advanced cardiac life support techniques.
- Monitor patients' responses, including skin color, pupil dilation, pulse, heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, ventilation, or urine output, using invasive and noninvasive techniques.
- Select, order, or administer anesthetics, adjuvant drugs, accessory drugs, fluids or blood products as necessary.
- Select, prepare, or use equipment, monitors, supplies, or drugs for the administration of anesthetics.
- Assess patients' medical histories to predict anesthesia response.
- Perform or manage regional anesthetic techniques, such as local, spinal, epidural, caudal, nerve blocks and intravenous blocks.
- Develop anesthesia care plans.
What Nurse Anesthetists Need to Know
Top nurse anesthetists rely on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
The competencies most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Related Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- Anesthesia Physician
- Anesthesia Specialist
- Certified Nurse Anesthetist
- Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
- Nurse Anesthetist
- Staff Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (Staff CRNA)
- Staff Nurse Anesthetist
How Many Nurse Anesthetists Are There?
There are roughly 3,489,995 nurse anesthetists working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to grow by +14.8% over the projection horizon.
Nurse Anesthetists Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $66,747 |
| Hourly median | $32.09 |
| 10th percentile | $45,657 |
| 25th percentile | $56,202 |
| 75th percentile | $77,291 |
| 90th percentile | $87,836 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
Nurse Anesthetists Salary by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Delaware | $236,800 |
| Michigan | $234,520 |
| Indiana | $233,200 |
| North Dakota | $232,420 |
| Nebraska | $231,020 |
| Iowa | $229,950 |
| Maine | $229,900 |
| Arizona | $228,690 |
| Connecticut | $227,930 |
| Texas | $227,580 |
| North Carolina | $226,460 |
| South Carolina | $225,800 |
| Louisiana | $225,440 |
| South Dakota | $223,650 |
| Missouri | $221,550 |
| Georgia | $221,190 |
| Pennsylvania | $217,670 |
| Ohio | $216,350 |
| New Mexico | $214,810 |
| Kentucky | $212,430 |
| Colorado | $207,120 |
| Tennessee | $203,400 |
| Virginia | $199,960 |
| Florida | $197,940 |
| Mississippi | $197,490 |
| Kansas | $182,770 |
| Wyoming | $181,470 |
| Alabama | $179,160 |
| Maryland | $167,740 |
| Oklahoma | $151,470 |
| Arkansas | $134,230 |
| Rhode Island | $131,390 |
| Utah | $122,040 |
| Puerto Rico | $61,170 |
Top-Paying U.S. Regions
Pay for nurse anesthetists shift depending on where you work. Top regions by median wage:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest | $227,580 | 7.5% | 0.81 |
| Southeast | $197,159 | 39.3% | 1.76 |
| Rocky Mountains | $183,548 | 1.6% | 0.68 |
| Great Lakes | $161,883 | 16.6% | 1.42 |
| New England | $124,135 | 3.9% | 1.10 |
| Middle Atlantic | $119,710 | 12.2% | 0.99 |
| Plains States | $115,616 | 10.8% | 2.04 |
| Other U.S. Territories | $61,170 | 0.9% | 1.43 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Nurse Anesthetists
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | NC | $238,780 | 980 |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | NY | $238,530 | 50 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $237,310 | 410 |
| Charleston, WV | WV | $236,820 | 270 |
| Winston-Salem, NC | NC | $236,370 | 280 |
| Lansing-East Lansing, MI | MI | $235,930 | 120 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | TX | $235,490 | 900 |
| York-Hanover, PA | PA | $235,300 | 110 |
Industry Breakdown
The largest employers of nurse anesthetists work in these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 48,320 | $223,500 |
| Educational Services | 910 | $211,880 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 310 | $201,970 |
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
Tech Stack
- Medical software: eClinicalWorks EHR software (hot technology)
- Medical software: Epic Systems (hot technology)
- Medical software: MEDITECH software (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
What the Workplace Is Like
The work environment for nurse anesthetists tends to involve the following characteristics:
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
- Exposed to Disease or Infections
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
Getting Started in This Career
This occupation sits in Extensive Preparation Needed (Job Zone 5), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Physician Assistants (Primary-Long)
- Anesthesiologist Assistants (Primary-Short)
- Respiratory Therapists (Supplemental)
- Registered Nurses (Primary-Short)
- Acute Care Nurses (Primary-Long)
- Critical Care Nurses (Primary-Short)
- Clinical Nurse Specialists (Primary-Long)
- Nurse Midwives (Primary-Long)
Where to Study
Future nurse anesthetists typically earn programs in:
Health Professions and Related Programs
1 programs across 1 majors
About the Data
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 29-1151.00 (Nurse Anesthetists).
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