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Can you tell me about the types of tasks you are responsible for on a day-to-day basis? 2. What do you enjoy most about your career? 3. What is most challenging about your career? 4. What are some skills and personality traits necessary to perform your job? 5. What are some misconceptions about your career? 6. What influenced you to pursue that career? 7. What was the most challenging thing you had to overcome during your training? 8. If you do love being a CRNA, what are the reasons for loving it? 9. What benefits do you receive from being a CRNA? 10. How many years of education did you have to do to be a CRNA? ?
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Dr’s Answer
hey Alexandra,
Being a CRNA is like being the ultimate sleep wizard—except instead of a wand, you have a syringe, and instead of "Abracadabra," you say, "You'll feel a little drowsy now."
Daily Tasks:
Mixing potions (okay, anesthesia), monitoring vitals like a human polygraph, and making sure patients don’t wake up in the middle of a surgery asking, “Hey, what’s that scalpel for?”
Best Part of the Job:
You get to put people to sleep—legally. And they actually thank you for it.
Biggest Challenge:
People assuming you just push a button and poof—anesthesia! Sorry, folks, this isn’t Netflix autoplay. It takes years of science, precision, and knowing just the right amount to keep you asleep but, you know, alive.
Skills & Traits Needed:
Unshakable nerves, the ability to stay awake while everyone else is knocked out, and a poker face strong enough to hide the fact that you just ran out of coffee.
Misconceptions:
No, we are NOT just the “assistant” to an anesthesiologist. We are fully trained, highly skilled, and yes, we can still make your arm go numb if you insult us.
Why Become a CRNA?
Maybe you love medicine, precision, and science. Or maybe you just wanted a job where people literally can’t talk back to you for hours.
Hardest Part of Training:
Studying harder than you ever thought possible while running on caffeine and questionable life choices.
Why CRNAs Love Their Job:
You get respect, great pay, and the satisfaction of knowing that you’re the silent guardian of pain-free surgeries. Also, you can say, “I put people to sleep for a living” and watch people panic.
Benefits of Being a CRNA:
Job security, impressive salaries, and the ability to “accidentally” make annoying people feel extra sleepy.
Education Required:
About 7-8 years, including nursing school, ICU experience, and a CRNA program that makes you question all your life decisions.
But hey, once you make it, you’ll be the most important person in the OR (at least in your own mind).
okay so you need skills to Build to Become a CRNA:
Iron Nerves: If you panic, so does the surgeon. If the surgeon panics, well… let’s not go there.
Math Skills: You don’t want to be that person who gives someone dreamland juice in the wrong dose.
Attention to Detail: Because “oops” is not something you want to say in the OR.
Strong Communication: Patients need to trust you. Also, you’ll need to tell the surgeon when their “quick procedure” is actually running two hours over.
Emotional Control: When a patient tells you they “watched a YouTube video” on anesthesia, just smile and nod.
Endurance: Long hours, high-stress situations, and surviving on caffeine—build your stamina!
Now for some Tips for Becoming a CRNA:
Start in ICU Nursing: The more chaos you handle now, the easier CRNA school will feel later.
Shadow a CRNA: See if you enjoy it before committing to 7+ years of studying.
Master Time Management: CRNA school is like juggling flaming chainsaws while running a marathon—get good at balancing work and life early.
Build a Study Routine: Your brain will be tested. So will your sanity. Keep both in shape.
Develop a Poker Face: You’ll hear some wild pre-op confessions. Smile, nod, and pretend you didn’t just learn about a stranger’s deepest secrets.
Stay Curious: Medicine is always evolving. Keep learning unless you want to be that CRNA still talking about 1990s techniques in 2040.
And most importantly, remember because i love saying this!—when someone asks if you “just put people to sleep,” you can always reply:
“Yeah, and I also decide when they wake up.”
😉
Let know if i missed anything or if you need anything else. All the best Alexandra you can rock the sleep mode!
Being a CRNA is like being the ultimate sleep wizard—except instead of a wand, you have a syringe, and instead of "Abracadabra," you say, "You'll feel a little drowsy now."
Daily Tasks:
Mixing potions (okay, anesthesia), monitoring vitals like a human polygraph, and making sure patients don’t wake up in the middle of a surgery asking, “Hey, what’s that scalpel for?”
Best Part of the Job:
You get to put people to sleep—legally. And they actually thank you for it.
Biggest Challenge:
People assuming you just push a button and poof—anesthesia! Sorry, folks, this isn’t Netflix autoplay. It takes years of science, precision, and knowing just the right amount to keep you asleep but, you know, alive.
Skills & Traits Needed:
Unshakable nerves, the ability to stay awake while everyone else is knocked out, and a poker face strong enough to hide the fact that you just ran out of coffee.
Misconceptions:
No, we are NOT just the “assistant” to an anesthesiologist. We are fully trained, highly skilled, and yes, we can still make your arm go numb if you insult us.
Why Become a CRNA?
Maybe you love medicine, precision, and science. Or maybe you just wanted a job where people literally can’t talk back to you for hours.
Hardest Part of Training:
Studying harder than you ever thought possible while running on caffeine and questionable life choices.
Why CRNAs Love Their Job:
You get respect, great pay, and the satisfaction of knowing that you’re the silent guardian of pain-free surgeries. Also, you can say, “I put people to sleep for a living” and watch people panic.
Benefits of Being a CRNA:
Job security, impressive salaries, and the ability to “accidentally” make annoying people feel extra sleepy.
Education Required:
About 7-8 years, including nursing school, ICU experience, and a CRNA program that makes you question all your life decisions.
But hey, once you make it, you’ll be the most important person in the OR (at least in your own mind).
okay so you need skills to Build to Become a CRNA:
Iron Nerves: If you panic, so does the surgeon. If the surgeon panics, well… let’s not go there.
Math Skills: You don’t want to be that person who gives someone dreamland juice in the wrong dose.
Attention to Detail: Because “oops” is not something you want to say in the OR.
Strong Communication: Patients need to trust you. Also, you’ll need to tell the surgeon when their “quick procedure” is actually running two hours over.
Emotional Control: When a patient tells you they “watched a YouTube video” on anesthesia, just smile and nod.
Endurance: Long hours, high-stress situations, and surviving on caffeine—build your stamina!
Now for some Tips for Becoming a CRNA:
Start in ICU Nursing: The more chaos you handle now, the easier CRNA school will feel later.
Shadow a CRNA: See if you enjoy it before committing to 7+ years of studying.
Master Time Management: CRNA school is like juggling flaming chainsaws while running a marathon—get good at balancing work and life early.
Build a Study Routine: Your brain will be tested. So will your sanity. Keep both in shape.
Develop a Poker Face: You’ll hear some wild pre-op confessions. Smile, nod, and pretend you didn’t just learn about a stranger’s deepest secrets.
Stay Curious: Medicine is always evolving. Keep learning unless you want to be that CRNA still talking about 1990s techniques in 2040.
And most importantly, remember because i love saying this!—when someone asks if you “just put people to sleep,” you can always reply:
“Yeah, and I also decide when they wake up.”
😉
Let know if i missed anything or if you need anything else. All the best Alexandra you can rock the sleep mode!
This was very helpful thank you so much for answering my questions, Dr. H. I appreciate the time you took in answering them.
Alexandra
You're very welcome, Alexandra! It is always my pleasure to help—after all, what kind of doctor would I be if I left questions unanswered? (A not good one, that’s what.) Keep being awesome, stay curious, and never stop learning. The world needs more awesomeness like you! 😎 I appreciate your feedback! 😉
Dr H
Updated
Cheryl’s Answer
Hi Alexandra,
I am a CRNA and I want to answer all our questions if I may, by telling you my story.
First, I love what I do!
So, if you are still in high school, volunteer at a nursing home. Great value from just observation. That's what I did when I was trying to decide. Some states even have programs to become a CNA in a few short months. Most nursing programs will have all students become CNAs while in program, this I believe is to set that foundation of being a care giver.
My story: CNA wasn't needed, but I was trained and became one in a nursing home. Still to this day, love that age group BTW.
Entered into an associate nursing program: was 2 years with great clinical experience. graduated, took my nursing exam and as a graduate, obtained my first nursing job at a small town hospital. I had great mentors and great experience as a nursing student in training first then as a graduate nurse awaiting exam results. The cool thing is as an associate degree nursing grad, you sit for the registered nurse licensure
Worked as a RN for 5 years: got into ICU after 1 year stepdown unit. Then hospital system paid for my Bachelor of Nursing (Wilmington University: 2 years) and a portion of my Masters in Nursing Anesthesia degree from Drexel University (27 month program). Presently all anesthesia programs are now DNP with 30-34 months training as a Resident RN Anesthetist (RRNA).
I had an excellent foundation for nursing working in ICU: ACLS trained, reading EKGs, interpreting lab values, working with ventilators, working with other health professionals for all aspects of patient care: respiratory, neurology, speech pathology, surgery, PAs, NPs, general practitioners, pharmacy and understanding their roles in relations to mine.
Working stepdown cardiac and surgery, moving to general ICU, then surgical ICU, did cardiac surgery stepdown and ICU, did burn unit (not for the faint of heart but wow what an experience in a level 1 burn center) and then PACU. It was here that I received the first hand knowledge and a good look at CRNA practice and from here I was actually encouraged to do anesthesia. I was already in school at that time for cardiac NP but changed my entire focus after meeting my mentors.
I made the move to NICU soon after being accepted into an Anesthesia program. It was hard juggling family: had 2 small boys, was soccer mom and coach for under 6 group, worked evening/call in PACU and WEs in NICU.
What was difficult going back to school as an adult learner: juggling needs of family with education, long clinical hours (I never expected to just leave at 330pm, nursing doesn't work that way), stepping out of my comfort zone: learning something new, something so important and challenging myself for success.
Where there's a will, there's a way as they say.
All of this experience set me up for great success.
What newbies need to do: ICU experience at least 2 years, the more the better. Caring for and being responsible for acute patients makes a RN such a patient advocate, with a voice to do what's correct and right. Develops that innate ability or 6th sense most nurses have, deep gut feelings that you know what is right. Independent RNs fighting for their patient's needs.
I loved being a nurse. I loved the hands on with patients. I love helping people heal, some saving lives but at the same time learning the grace to give dignity and strength to patients and families at the end of life. I never left a patient to die alone. If family couldn't get there, I was holding their hand, there with loving parents of those very fragile babies now the littlest of angels.
I have now been a CRNA since 2003, a nurse for 32 years. It has gone by fast. I still love what I do!
My typical day as an Independent CRNA (the only anesthesia provider in the facility) starts with setting up my station and needed equipment and drugs for the day. Unlocking all anesthesia cabinets and carts, turning on the oxygen and suction, making sure equipment is running properly, and documenting such. Interviewing the patients for full body system checks and documenting past history, surgical history, medications prescribed, ancillary medications including naturopathic, holistic and recreational. Putting an anesthetic plan into place for type of surgery and patient status relating to the history obtained. My goal is always to have patient come out of anesthesia as mentally and physically stable as when they laid down on the table.
In the OR: first Intravenous placed for fluids, oxygen on all patients, EKG, pulse oximeter and blood pressure monitors are all standard, maybe more monitoring depending on facility, type of surgery (urgency or elective) and length of procedure.
* Our primary responsibility is a patient's airway. We are the airway experts hand down. We have various techniques and equipment to assist us with keeping patients breathing: either on their own or with artificial assistance. We learn them all.
*Anesthesia can entail moderate anesthesia where patient's are kept breathing on their own, General anesthesia with some type of artificial airway inserted into their natural airway either in mouth or nose (this can be with anesthesia gas breathed or totally with intravenous medications) or a regional anesthetic (this is done by ultrasound guidance, placing needles into different areas of the body and injecting anesthetic meds into those bodily areas: this makes those areas so numb that both sensory and motor function is halted during the entire surgery process). As a CRNA, we are taught to perform all those anesthetic techniques.
* During the surgery: we watch carefully all the monitors that were placed on the patient, intervening at various times if needed for any reason.
*2nd most important responsibility: waking the patient up. 3rd is pain control, recovery works so much better with this in mind.
* After the surgery; We have already prepared for the wakeup, which varies with each type of anesthetic but the airway is always paramount.
*Transferring patients safely to the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU). Breathing well and pain under control, transferring care to the PACU RN.
*Post Care: in hospital includes making rounds next day to chat with patients about their experience/issues. Outside of hospital settings, this is usually completed by RN staff, with anesthesia being informed of issues/ or successes.
Some Misconceptions:
1. CRNAs must be supervised by a Physician Anesthesiologist. Fact: the Anesthesia Care Team (ACT) models work well in many acute settings, for many reasons. But for many outside facilities, with less acuity of care, on mostly healthy patients, many facilities opt for Independent CRNA models. Some states may still require just Physician Anesthesiologist models. All of these models are billing models, not practice models. Many states have opted to incorporate the Federal Medicare rulings for full scope of practice for advanced practice RNs.
2. Education between CRNA or physician anesthesiologist is completely different. Fact: the track is different: either medical school where students learn as they go, become Physicians after taking their exams, then pick a specialty such as anesthesia, then go into residency programs as new physicians but who are still learning and then after that residency have the opportunity to dive deeper into that specialty. CRNAs already have been Bachelor trained RNs in critical care areas, for at least 2 years, many have much more experience than that and start the Nurse Anesthesia track from this starting point.
3. CRNA and Physician Anesthesia clinical is completely different. Fact: both Physician Residents and RRNAs use the same clinical textbooks, are usually side by side in the same clinical situations in teaching hospitals. We are both learning how to do anesthesia exactly the same: same books, drugs, equipment and opportunities for cases both general and regional. Fact: it is mandatory for CRNAs to have certain numbers of each type of anesthesia cases in order to graduate from programs. Once we graduate, we are ready to start cases on our own. RRNAs and residents within the first 2 years of learning anesthesia are actually running their own rooms doing the anesthesia with clinical support in the background.
4. All anesthesia professionals need to be certified. Fact: All CRNAs need to be certified, every 2 years, with continuing education and exams.
Physician Anesthesiologists do not need to be certified, although it is highly encouraged.
5. There is more liability on the Physician Anesthesiologist than a CRNA. Fact: We both have liability for the cases we conduct, for the actions we each do, but liability is the same with the same exacts limits on liability insurance.
6. When RRNAs graduate, they need to be supervised. Fact: RRNAs upon graduation have been running their own rooms for almost a year before graduating. They are fully capable of entering into practice from the immediate jump in many settings.
My advice (strictly my advice): once you graduate: find a mentor, do the hard or complex cases, keep discussing technique and always keep learning.
Change is scary but oh so thrilling if you let it.
Now I have thriving anesthesia business. I worked hard to get here. No regrets.
I still love what I do.
I am a CRNA and I want to answer all our questions if I may, by telling you my story.
First, I love what I do!
So, if you are still in high school, volunteer at a nursing home. Great value from just observation. That's what I did when I was trying to decide. Some states even have programs to become a CNA in a few short months. Most nursing programs will have all students become CNAs while in program, this I believe is to set that foundation of being a care giver.
My story: CNA wasn't needed, but I was trained and became one in a nursing home. Still to this day, love that age group BTW.
Entered into an associate nursing program: was 2 years with great clinical experience. graduated, took my nursing exam and as a graduate, obtained my first nursing job at a small town hospital. I had great mentors and great experience as a nursing student in training first then as a graduate nurse awaiting exam results. The cool thing is as an associate degree nursing grad, you sit for the registered nurse licensure
Worked as a RN for 5 years: got into ICU after 1 year stepdown unit. Then hospital system paid for my Bachelor of Nursing (Wilmington University: 2 years) and a portion of my Masters in Nursing Anesthesia degree from Drexel University (27 month program). Presently all anesthesia programs are now DNP with 30-34 months training as a Resident RN Anesthetist (RRNA).
I had an excellent foundation for nursing working in ICU: ACLS trained, reading EKGs, interpreting lab values, working with ventilators, working with other health professionals for all aspects of patient care: respiratory, neurology, speech pathology, surgery, PAs, NPs, general practitioners, pharmacy and understanding their roles in relations to mine.
Working stepdown cardiac and surgery, moving to general ICU, then surgical ICU, did cardiac surgery stepdown and ICU, did burn unit (not for the faint of heart but wow what an experience in a level 1 burn center) and then PACU. It was here that I received the first hand knowledge and a good look at CRNA practice and from here I was actually encouraged to do anesthesia. I was already in school at that time for cardiac NP but changed my entire focus after meeting my mentors.
I made the move to NICU soon after being accepted into an Anesthesia program. It was hard juggling family: had 2 small boys, was soccer mom and coach for under 6 group, worked evening/call in PACU and WEs in NICU.
What was difficult going back to school as an adult learner: juggling needs of family with education, long clinical hours (I never expected to just leave at 330pm, nursing doesn't work that way), stepping out of my comfort zone: learning something new, something so important and challenging myself for success.
Where there's a will, there's a way as they say.
All of this experience set me up for great success.
What newbies need to do: ICU experience at least 2 years, the more the better. Caring for and being responsible for acute patients makes a RN such a patient advocate, with a voice to do what's correct and right. Develops that innate ability or 6th sense most nurses have, deep gut feelings that you know what is right. Independent RNs fighting for their patient's needs.
I loved being a nurse. I loved the hands on with patients. I love helping people heal, some saving lives but at the same time learning the grace to give dignity and strength to patients and families at the end of life. I never left a patient to die alone. If family couldn't get there, I was holding their hand, there with loving parents of those very fragile babies now the littlest of angels.
I have now been a CRNA since 2003, a nurse for 32 years. It has gone by fast. I still love what I do!
My typical day as an Independent CRNA (the only anesthesia provider in the facility) starts with setting up my station and needed equipment and drugs for the day. Unlocking all anesthesia cabinets and carts, turning on the oxygen and suction, making sure equipment is running properly, and documenting such. Interviewing the patients for full body system checks and documenting past history, surgical history, medications prescribed, ancillary medications including naturopathic, holistic and recreational. Putting an anesthetic plan into place for type of surgery and patient status relating to the history obtained. My goal is always to have patient come out of anesthesia as mentally and physically stable as when they laid down on the table.
In the OR: first Intravenous placed for fluids, oxygen on all patients, EKG, pulse oximeter and blood pressure monitors are all standard, maybe more monitoring depending on facility, type of surgery (urgency or elective) and length of procedure.
* Our primary responsibility is a patient's airway. We are the airway experts hand down. We have various techniques and equipment to assist us with keeping patients breathing: either on their own or with artificial assistance. We learn them all.
*Anesthesia can entail moderate anesthesia where patient's are kept breathing on their own, General anesthesia with some type of artificial airway inserted into their natural airway either in mouth or nose (this can be with anesthesia gas breathed or totally with intravenous medications) or a regional anesthetic (this is done by ultrasound guidance, placing needles into different areas of the body and injecting anesthetic meds into those bodily areas: this makes those areas so numb that both sensory and motor function is halted during the entire surgery process). As a CRNA, we are taught to perform all those anesthetic techniques.
* During the surgery: we watch carefully all the monitors that were placed on the patient, intervening at various times if needed for any reason.
*2nd most important responsibility: waking the patient up. 3rd is pain control, recovery works so much better with this in mind.
* After the surgery; We have already prepared for the wakeup, which varies with each type of anesthetic but the airway is always paramount.
*Transferring patients safely to the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU). Breathing well and pain under control, transferring care to the PACU RN.
*Post Care: in hospital includes making rounds next day to chat with patients about their experience/issues. Outside of hospital settings, this is usually completed by RN staff, with anesthesia being informed of issues/ or successes.
Some Misconceptions:
1. CRNAs must be supervised by a Physician Anesthesiologist. Fact: the Anesthesia Care Team (ACT) models work well in many acute settings, for many reasons. But for many outside facilities, with less acuity of care, on mostly healthy patients, many facilities opt for Independent CRNA models. Some states may still require just Physician Anesthesiologist models. All of these models are billing models, not practice models. Many states have opted to incorporate the Federal Medicare rulings for full scope of practice for advanced practice RNs.
2. Education between CRNA or physician anesthesiologist is completely different. Fact: the track is different: either medical school where students learn as they go, become Physicians after taking their exams, then pick a specialty such as anesthesia, then go into residency programs as new physicians but who are still learning and then after that residency have the opportunity to dive deeper into that specialty. CRNAs already have been Bachelor trained RNs in critical care areas, for at least 2 years, many have much more experience than that and start the Nurse Anesthesia track from this starting point.
3. CRNA and Physician Anesthesia clinical is completely different. Fact: both Physician Residents and RRNAs use the same clinical textbooks, are usually side by side in the same clinical situations in teaching hospitals. We are both learning how to do anesthesia exactly the same: same books, drugs, equipment and opportunities for cases both general and regional. Fact: it is mandatory for CRNAs to have certain numbers of each type of anesthesia cases in order to graduate from programs. Once we graduate, we are ready to start cases on our own. RRNAs and residents within the first 2 years of learning anesthesia are actually running their own rooms doing the anesthesia with clinical support in the background.
4. All anesthesia professionals need to be certified. Fact: All CRNAs need to be certified, every 2 years, with continuing education and exams.
Physician Anesthesiologists do not need to be certified, although it is highly encouraged.
5. There is more liability on the Physician Anesthesiologist than a CRNA. Fact: We both have liability for the cases we conduct, for the actions we each do, but liability is the same with the same exacts limits on liability insurance.
6. When RRNAs graduate, they need to be supervised. Fact: RRNAs upon graduation have been running their own rooms for almost a year before graduating. They are fully capable of entering into practice from the immediate jump in many settings.
My advice (strictly my advice): once you graduate: find a mentor, do the hard or complex cases, keep discussing technique and always keep learning.
Change is scary but oh so thrilling if you let it.
Now I have thriving anesthesia business. I worked hard to get here. No regrets.
I still love what I do.
Updated
Alex’s Answer
Can you tell me about the types of tasks you are responsible for on a day-to-day basis? 2. What do you enjoy most about your career? 3. What is most challenging about your career? 4. What are some skills and personality traits necessary to perform your job? 5. What are some misconceptions about your career? 6. What influenced you to pursue that career? 7. What was the most challenging thing you had to overcome during your training? 8. If you do love being a CRNA, what are the reasons for loving it? 9. What benefits do you receive from being a CRNA? 10. How many years of education did you have to do to be a CRNA?
I love all your questions! It shows how interested you truly are in CRNAs! I am a CRNA and I LOVE it! So to answer your questions…here we go!
1. On a day to day basis I am responsible for interviewing patients before they have surgery to learn about their health history so I can make a good and safe plan to give them anesthesia. I then give patients anesthesia so they can get various surgeries. Sometimes the anesthesia I give is what is called general anesthesia which includes giving medications through an IV, placing a breathing tube, giving anesthesia gas through the breathing tube to keep them sleeping, and then monitoring the patients vital signs throughout the surgery. Sometimes the anesthesia I give is what we call regional anesthesia. This can include a “spinal” where I use a needle to inject mediation into a patients back around their spinal cord which numbs the body. This kind of anesthesia is good for surgery on the legs like when someone is getting their knee replaced. I also do regional anesthesia called nerve blocks. One example is where we use an ultrasound (similar to the ones they use on pregnant women to find out the gender of a baby) to identify nerves that supply sensation to a persons shoulder and then I inject numbing medication around the nerves I order to numb a persons shoulder after shoulder surgery in order to take away the pain! Those are some of the many day to day tasks that I do!
2. I enjoy a lot of things about my career but probably what I enjoy most is being able to help patients feel safe and cared for during surgery! Surgery can be a really scary thing for a lot of people and can cause a lot of pain. As a CRNA I get to help give patients peace and take away pain!
3. One challenging thing about being a CRNA is having to deal with mad surgeons when you have to cancel one of their surgeries because their patient was not appropriate for getting anesthesia.
4. Skills/personality traits: good with your hands, critical thinking, confidence, caring, handle stress, and be able to hold it when you have to go to the bathroom in the he middle of surgery ;)
5. Probably the biggest misconception is that CRNA work under or as an assistant to an MD anesthesiologist. CRNAs can be independent anesthesia providers with specialized anesthesia training! We can do everything an MD anesthesiologist does in anesthesia. I actually work in a CRNA only practice so there or only CRNAs that work at our hospital.
6. I have always loved the medical field and learning about how the human body works! I wanted to be able to be a highly educated medical provider and being able to see all kinds of surgery was super fascinating to me. I love all the procedures, knowledge, and skills you learn as a CRNA.
7. The most challenging thing I had to overcome in training was the people that told me I wasn’t good enough. I had times of self doubt because there were several people that told me I wasn’t good enough to become a CRNA. I had to learn from them what I could but then not pay attention to their negative comments. I also had many people that told me I would be a great CRNA and I had to focus on those comments. You will always have people telling you why you can’t do something but if you are committed and work hard you can do anything! Keep learning and never give up! I once heard that FAIL is an acronym that means “First Attempt In Learning”.
8. I LOVE being a CRNA. I love caring for people. I love doing all the procedures I do like intubating, putting in arterial and central lines, doing spinals and epidurals, and doing nerve blocks. I love being able to control a patients physiology through using medications. I love being able to see and be a part of all kinds of surgery. I love being able to take a laboring mother’s pain away!
9. Being a CRNA is very fulfilling for me! I work with great people! Besides having to be on call sometimes I have a great work life balance! I make a great living for my family. I have good benefits like insurance and retirement. I have opportunities for work pretty much anywhere in the country I want to live.
10. I did 4 years of undergraduate school which includes nursing school, then about 3 years of practicing as a nurse (2 years working in a Cardiac ICU) and then 3 years of Anesthesia school.
Hope all of this helps you! I would highly recommend becoming a CRNA if you are considering it!
I love all your questions! It shows how interested you truly are in CRNAs! I am a CRNA and I LOVE it! So to answer your questions…here we go!
1. On a day to day basis I am responsible for interviewing patients before they have surgery to learn about their health history so I can make a good and safe plan to give them anesthesia. I then give patients anesthesia so they can get various surgeries. Sometimes the anesthesia I give is what is called general anesthesia which includes giving medications through an IV, placing a breathing tube, giving anesthesia gas through the breathing tube to keep them sleeping, and then monitoring the patients vital signs throughout the surgery. Sometimes the anesthesia I give is what we call regional anesthesia. This can include a “spinal” where I use a needle to inject mediation into a patients back around their spinal cord which numbs the body. This kind of anesthesia is good for surgery on the legs like when someone is getting their knee replaced. I also do regional anesthesia called nerve blocks. One example is where we use an ultrasound (similar to the ones they use on pregnant women to find out the gender of a baby) to identify nerves that supply sensation to a persons shoulder and then I inject numbing medication around the nerves I order to numb a persons shoulder after shoulder surgery in order to take away the pain! Those are some of the many day to day tasks that I do!
2. I enjoy a lot of things about my career but probably what I enjoy most is being able to help patients feel safe and cared for during surgery! Surgery can be a really scary thing for a lot of people and can cause a lot of pain. As a CRNA I get to help give patients peace and take away pain!
3. One challenging thing about being a CRNA is having to deal with mad surgeons when you have to cancel one of their surgeries because their patient was not appropriate for getting anesthesia.
4. Skills/personality traits: good with your hands, critical thinking, confidence, caring, handle stress, and be able to hold it when you have to go to the bathroom in the he middle of surgery ;)
5. Probably the biggest misconception is that CRNA work under or as an assistant to an MD anesthesiologist. CRNAs can be independent anesthesia providers with specialized anesthesia training! We can do everything an MD anesthesiologist does in anesthesia. I actually work in a CRNA only practice so there or only CRNAs that work at our hospital.
6. I have always loved the medical field and learning about how the human body works! I wanted to be able to be a highly educated medical provider and being able to see all kinds of surgery was super fascinating to me. I love all the procedures, knowledge, and skills you learn as a CRNA.
7. The most challenging thing I had to overcome in training was the people that told me I wasn’t good enough. I had times of self doubt because there were several people that told me I wasn’t good enough to become a CRNA. I had to learn from them what I could but then not pay attention to their negative comments. I also had many people that told me I would be a great CRNA and I had to focus on those comments. You will always have people telling you why you can’t do something but if you are committed and work hard you can do anything! Keep learning and never give up! I once heard that FAIL is an acronym that means “First Attempt In Learning”.
8. I LOVE being a CRNA. I love caring for people. I love doing all the procedures I do like intubating, putting in arterial and central lines, doing spinals and epidurals, and doing nerve blocks. I love being able to control a patients physiology through using medications. I love being able to see and be a part of all kinds of surgery. I love being able to take a laboring mother’s pain away!
9. Being a CRNA is very fulfilling for me! I work with great people! Besides having to be on call sometimes I have a great work life balance! I make a great living for my family. I have good benefits like insurance and retirement. I have opportunities for work pretty much anywhere in the country I want to live.
10. I did 4 years of undergraduate school which includes nursing school, then about 3 years of practicing as a nurse (2 years working in a Cardiac ICU) and then 3 years of Anesthesia school.
Hope all of this helps you! I would highly recommend becoming a CRNA if you are considering it!