Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) administer anesthetics to make treatment and surgeries safer. These professionals also help to ensure patient security and comfort. Anesthesia helps medical procedures. This is because it puts patients in a restful state and ensures that they feel no pain. It also puts the patient in a stationary position so that they don’t move during the operation.
Anesthesia treatment involves an education session between the patient and the nurse anesthetist. The nurse enlightens the patient on the anesthesia’s possible side effects. They also provide answers to questions the patient may ask.
CRNAs work in different communities, and they come from all walks of life. CRNAs are the sole providers in about 100% of all rural hospitals. This is from the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) reports.
What Does a CRNA Do Every Day?
Nurse anesthetists check patients undergoing medical procedures such as surgery. A typical day involves the following:
- Managing patients’ airways
- Preparing and administering drugs before and after anesthesia
- Observing patients’ reactions to drugs.
- Administering epidurals in maternity wards
- Performing pre-anesthesia screenings to determine a patient’s risk.
CRNAs also perform the following:
- Pre-op and post-op rounds
- Respond to codes
- Place central lines
- Place and manage labor epidurals.
- Ventilatory management
- Consults for pain management.
CRNAs also inspect patients’ medical records to better understand how they may react to anesthesia treatment. The medical procedure will be more difficult if the patient does not respond well to the anesthesia.
Nurse anesthetists also help check:
- Vital signs and the patient’s blood pressure
- Heart rate, body movement, and body temperature.
All this is to ensure that the patient will react well to the treatment.
What’s A CRNAs’ Schedule Like?
Surgeons are often choked up with demanding schedules. Their duties range from pre-determined schedules to responding to emergencies. CRNAs tend to have busier schedules because they need to be present for most surgeries. Their schedules are often busier than that of surgeons. CRNAs are even busier when they work at hospitals with obstetrics.
CRNAs hours depend on different factors. Things like how often they work, where they work, and if the hospital is short staffed will affect a CRNA’s hours. Operation hours of the facility, patient load, and if a nurse calls out sick can also increase a CRNA’s hours on short notice.
A nurse anesthetist can work for health clinics and private practices. They can also work in doctor’s offices. These work settings usually have firm “official hours”. Thus, the nurses only work during those official hours, with usually no overtime. The official hours might be from 8 am to 5 pm on weekdays, equal to 40 to 50 hours a week.
It is different for nurse anesthetists that work in hospitals. Their work hours are different when compared to those that work in private practices. Nurse anesthetists in hospitals work shifts between 8 to 24 hours. It depends on the hospital’s demands. They also work overtime if they decide to, or when they need to.
Nurse anesthetists that have longer shifts work fewer weekly shifts than other nurses. Nurses with 8 to 12 hours shift work 3 to 5 times weekly. Nurses working more than 16 hours a day work only two times a week. So it is quicker for a nurse working longer shifts to reach 40 hours a week of work.
Who do CRNAs work for?
CRNAs work on a more autonomous schedule than traditional registered nurses. CRNAs can work without supervision from an anesthesiologist. They can also work as individual providers or in an anesthesia care team.
When they work as individual providers, they make decisions without any supervision. When in the anesthesia care team, they may consult a supervisor or a doctor before deciding how to proceed.
CRNAs Working Conditions
The typical work setting for nurse anesthetists includes the following:
Interpersonal Relationships
- Nurse anesthetists usually work in surgical teams.
- They are responsible for the work done by other health professionals.
- They are responsible for the safety and health of their patients
- They may face conflict situations that cause stress and anger in others
- Communicate in person or by phone. Nurse anesthetists can also use email to communicate with other healthcare givers.
- Nurse anesthetists have a high level of social interaction. This is because they talk with nurses, patients, and doctors daily.
Physical Work Conditions
- Nurse anesthetists are sometimes exposed to different harsh conditions. This includes contaminations, radiation, distracting or loud sounds, and other hazardous conditions.
- They always work indoors.
- Nurse anesthetists are also exposed to diseases and infections of different patients daily. This is because they are always in close contact with these patients.
- They wear protective or safety gear like surgical masks, latex gloves, and scrubs.
Work Performance
- Nurse anesthetists make decisions that have a strong impact on patients’ health. They may sometimes consult doctors on some decisions or make decisions on their own.
- They must be accurate in their work. Errors must never happen because they can endanger the patients’ health.
- They can set daily tasks without consulting any supervisor.
- The work atmosphere is fast-paced for nurse anesthetists. Their daily routines are structured around surgical procedures.
- Nurse anesthetists repeat the same physical and mental activities daily.
Hours/Travel
Nurse Anesthetists generally work on a set schedule. Their work may be part-time or full-time, but it is generally at least 40 hours per week. Nurse anesthetists sometimes work early mornings, nights, or weekends. This depends on the setting and practice. They may be on-call sometimes.
Conclusion
Nurse anesthetists usually have many responsibilities requiring them to work several hours. Their work is unique compared to other nurses. The burden on CRNAs is usually more when they work in a hospital.
CRNAs have longer shifts when they work in healthcare facilities that operate 24/7. They sometimes work against variables beyond their control. But, it increases their experience, and they get paid for the time they work. Working extra hours is also beneficial to CRNAs.
Nurse anesthetists that work in an office setting only work during official hours. This implies that they can only work for 40 or 50 hours a week. Their hourly pay is more than hospital nurses. However, nurse anesthetists with hospital experience are the most sought-after.