What is a CRNA and What can they Do?
“CRNA” stands for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. CRNAs are the experts in administering anesthesia , keeping patient’s comfortable during surgery, labor , dental procedures, and many other patient care needs.
We will quickly explore the qualifications, responsibilities, and significance of CRNAs within the healthcare field in this blog post to understand the essential role they play in patient care.
I remember before I got into Healthcare I had no idea what a CRNA was, I could barely pronounce the word Anesthetist and I wasn’t really even sure what an Anesthesia provider did all day.
My vague knowledge ( or as I may call it ignorance ) really changed one day over a lunch when a man who had been a CRNA for as long as I’ve known him told me about being a CRNA and it changed my life and career path.
CRNA’s have really been one of the best kept secrets in healthcare for a long time. However,the amount of people who know know about them and the services they provide has been increasing.
After you read this short post your knowledge will be far ahead of what most people know about Nurse Anesthesist and what what services they can provide.
So, What Do CRNA’s Do?
As you now know, CRNA stands for for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. CRNA’s are Nurses who went to a special school which focused on training and focus in Anestheisa. As a CRNA one can work in various hospital and outpatient settings.
Some of the areas CRNA’s can work and provide Anesthesia services:
- Labor & Delivery
- Surgery Centers
- Dental Offices
- Plastic surgery clinics
- pain management centers
- All Surgeries in Hospitals
CRNAs are highly trained in Anesthesia to care for patients in a varietey of settings . They provide anesthesia to patients before, during, and after surgical, therapeutic, or obstetrical procedures.
The day to day activities of a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthesiologist can vary from day to day or hour to hour.
A CRNA who works in a hospital may start their day doing anesthesia in the Opertating room but may find themselves going to multiple places throughout the day to provide their services and expertise.
Here is an example of places a CRNA working in a hospsital may go during a shift:
- Operating Room- General Anesthetic
- Endoscopy Suite-
- MRI- Sedation
- Place Labor Epidural
- ER- Emergency Intubation
- ICU- Central Line Placement
- Pain Clinic- Sedation or Blocks
The above list is just a few places a CRNA can find themselves working throughout the day in a shift.
Many CRNA’s have a speciality that they like to work in and spend most their time in that area. Some CRNA’s may want to focus on Hearts, Neuro, Endo, Pediatrics, Labor & Delivery, or others may want to do a variety of things to keep their interest and avoid boredom.
How Do You Become a CRNA?
This is the short version of how to get into Anesthesia School and become a CRNA written below. To get a more indepth version of whats requierd to get into CRNA school and what I did you can check out one of our more recent post Here.
The first thing you need to become a CRNA is you need to become a RN with a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (BSN) and pass the NCLEX. Next you need to work in a high acuity ICU setting for at least a year to gain experience working with critically ill, ventilators and different medications.
Many CRNA Schools will require you to have worked 1-3 years of experience in critical care setting.
Once you get in to a CRNA Program you will spend anywhere from 24-48 months in school focusing on the practice of Anesthesia. Most of the schools now are moving away from the 24 month length and the shortest will soon be 36 months.
What Do You Need To Become a CRNA?
Now that you got into CRNA school what will it take to become a full fledged Nurse Anethesist?
For one it takes a lot of studying, lots of clinical hours in the hospital and of course good grades.
Once you complete school you will sit for your board certifying exam given by the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA)
Now you know what CRNA’s Do
This short article is just barely touching the surface of what a Certified Registered Nurse Anethesist (CRNA) is and what they do to help our complex healthcare system.
The educational journey of CRNA’s is unique, they can work in many different settings, they are experts in their field, and remain a linchpin for saftety and advancing the science of anesthesia.