Nurse Anesthetist

Administers anesthetic agents to patients, performs other specialized nursing duties and manages anesthesia department under the direction of a surgeon.

Duties and Responsibilities
The Nurse Anesthetist performs preoperative evaluations and preparations:

administering anesthetics, monitoring patient reactions to anesthesia and surgery, and advising the appropriate physician of adverse reactions. Manages fluid therapy. Provides or supervises postoperative recovery care, performs postoperative follow-up and patient evaluation, and maintains records.

Nurse Anesthetists must function as a team member in cardiopulmonary resuscitation. They also serve as a resource person and assist with the training of personnel in venapuncture and intravenous therapy, respiratory care, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and anesthesia.

Education
Nurse anesthetists continue their education after their RN, taking course work similar to a MD anesthesiologist. Most programs are graduate degrees offered at universities around the United States. After training and testing you will become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist.

Job Opportunities
There are job openings all over the United States in nurse anesthesia. Currently there is a shortage of nurse anesthetists in almost every state. Salaries are great! A quick look at job offerings in Texas showed a range of $100,000 to $160,000!

Thinking about a nursing career? Consider anesthesia.