Become a Nurse Anesthetist and earn over $180,000 a year plus Benefits!
It is common knowledge that nursing as a profession has experienced over two decades of a severe shortage. Will that change in the near future? No, not a chance!
So you are a nurse; you work hard; you love what you do, but you just want to earn more money. What do you do? If you already have a BN degree and at least two years of experience in critical care, you may want to consider investing a bit more time in your education and becoming a CRNA.
There are permanent positions for Nurse Anesthetists and locum tenens jobs in great demand all across the U.S. Not everyone is familiar with this profession, but actually, Dr. Susan Hanrahan, the Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Professions at ASU, confirms that nurse anesthetists have been around for nearly 150 years.
“Nurse Anesthetists for a very long time have been filling a very special need, not only in urban areas but especially in rural areas.” In rural America nurse anesthetists are the primary anesthesia providers for many hospitals and other medical facilities. In fact, nearly 100% of rural hospitals in America use CRNA’s.
If you have experience in critical care, then your training and skills are exactly what it takes to advance your career into this prestigious field. As a CRNA, you’ll have even more opportunities for greater income, along with other gratifications and rewards. Registered nurses who have become CRNA’s report that they feel that their peers in the healthcare setting regard them more like a physician than as a nurse, when it comes to the organization’s hierarchy.
So how do you get started on earning this valuable certification? First, you’ll need to find a qualified school and earn admission. School accreditation in the CRNA degree is not as common as it is for an undergraduate nursing degree, so schools are a little harder find. But don’t worry; it can be done with persistence and patience. Be prepared to work hard for two and half years and pay some hefty tuition.
Dr. Hanrahan says, “Students can expect about $27,000 in tuition and fees. And they will still have to pay for their books. However when the students finish the program, their compensation as a nurse anesthetist is very healthy.”
Working travel nurses may want to consider another option if the requirements of a CRNA degree aren’t within their scope of possibilities. Expand your job opportunities and enhance your hourly pay by becoming cross trained in multiple specialties. For example a med-surg nurse may request floating to a Tel unit. After becoming experienced in telemetry, nurses can expand into critical care cross training and more. Excellent compensation and plentiful employment opportunities are a winning combination. For more suggestions on expanding your travel nursing resume, see this article: How to improve your nursing skills to make you a stronger travel nurse. A CRNA can expect career stability in all kinds of economic climates. For more information, RNs interested in becoming a CRNA can check out this page on Wiki Answers: Q: How much money does a nurse anesthetist earn?
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