Nurse Anesthetist

Utilizing the knowledge and skills that I garner at the University of Pittsburgh I will demonstrate safe evidence-based interventions and continue to foster an understanding of modern anesthetics. After having gained experience I plan to become involved with teaching nursing students lending support to fellow nurses to achieve their dreams just as others did for me. Being an active member of American Association of Nurse Anesthetists and giving back to the profession is important to me. I can also foresee, in my professional CRNA future, being an advocate for our profession on a political platform. Most importantly, my final professional goal is to continue to be a lifelong learner and model, and uphold the superior standard set forth by the

However, I was uncertain of which career path I wished to pursue. I was given the privilege to shadow various healthcare physicians around the area, which could help determine which field of medicine was for me. Of the specialties I had observed, I found that anesthesiology was the most intriguing and I was immediately attracted to it. In order to acquire more information about the speciality, I applied to volunteer at East Georgia Regional Medical Center in the anesthesia department. I began assisting the anesthesia technician with her daily responsibilities. She eventually introduced me to many anesthetists there. After shadowing many anesthetists, I quickly learned that much of the patient interaction was with the anesthesiologist assistant or the certified registered nurse anesthetist rather than the anesthesiologist. I was thrilled to see the anesthetist comfort the patient as well as his family before the surgery. I, then, realized that I did not want to become a physician but rather an anesthesiologist assistant because I wanted to provide that administrative and comforting experience for the patients and their loved

They also take care of patients anesthesia before, during, and after surgery. They even give mothers epidurals during child birth for pain management. A CRNA can also perform physical assessments, participate in preoperative teaching, administer anesthesia to keep patients pain free, oversee recovery from anesthesia, prepare for anesthetic management, and follow the patients postoperative course from recovery to the patient care unit. These types of nurses are the only certified personnel to deliver anesthesia in most rural hospitals in the United States (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 42).

With change comes evolution. Most professions, specifically nurse anesthetist, as we know them today did not begin in the state they are in today. They grew through trial and error. Before revealing the history of this profession and most important, its leading pioneer, one must be familiar with the role of a nurse anesthetist. Nurse anesthetists, often confused with anesthesiologists, are nurses with baccalaureate degrees in nursing and master degrees in anesthesia who are responsible for administering anesthetics to patients preoperational. Contrary, anesthesiologists are physicians whose education requires a baccalaureate degree as well as medical schooling with special education in anesthesia. However, the anesthesia part of the education is very similar for both providers (KANA. 2011).

The role of the nurse anesthetist gradually developed as the demand increased for individuals who were highly and meticulously trained in anesthesia administration in an era where knowledge of germs, antisepsis and surgical interventions was emerging. During the 1800s, medical students were often responsible in the administration of anesthesia under the direct supervision of surgeons but the increased mortality rates in intraoperative patients suggested the need to reevaluate who would provide anesthesia. As a result of negative patient outcomes, surgeons turned to nurses, who served to be an adequate and reliable replacement. This trend proved to be catalytic in the movement of the nurse anesthetist.

A baby was just born at 26 weeks gestation. Just over half the normal 40 weeks a baby should stay inside the mother. The baby is immediately whisked away and taken to be evaluated and prepared for a long journey ahead. Ever since I could remember babies and the nursery at the hospital have fascinated me. Whenever we would go visit a friend who had a baby, I would find myself peaking over the windows into the nursery. I have known for a while that working in the neonatal intensive care unit is what I want to pursue. Recently I have been looking into nurse practitioners and furthering my education beyond my BSN. Being able to care for these infants in the most critical stages of their life, and being able to provide them the support they need to survive outside the womb seems so satisfying . Neonatal nurse practitioners have years of education, deep history, detailed job description, high demands and some legal issues.

The US News ranked a Nurse Anesthetist number 4 in the top 100 best jobs of 2016. Although satisfying, a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) is a highly stressful nursing specialty (Phillips, 2010). According to Gouveia (2016), a registered nurse is ranked top 5 in most stressful jobs. Some of the brightest and best CRNAs, even past presidents of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) have taken their own life because of addiction (Quinlan, 2009). Substance abuse and addiction is a well-known topic unfortunately, it continues to be an issue and struggle everyday for some anesthesia providers. CRNAS are well-educated individuals; however, the prevalence, and relapse rates for substance abuse are alarming. The

To become a nurse anesthetist, there are certain job tasks, special skills, as well as a higher education that is needed. Firstly this job requires a lot of tasks and responsibilities. They include monitoring patients to insure their safety, measuring level of anesthesia, informing surgeon if

Nursing is a profession concerned with human responses to actual and potential health problems. Nursing focuses on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. The best qualities that every nurse should have is being compassionate, understanding, honest, and ethical. Nursing offers a variety of specialty areas to further your knowledge. In the future, I would like to aspire for a certification in the specialty area of anesthesia. To become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), it is important to keep in mind the many years of study that is required, why CRNAs are important in the healthcare field, and the job outlook along with the best places to work.

With all of the different specialties in healthcare, some get overlooked or may be under the radar. An uncommon and often disregarded career choice in healthcare is that of a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist or a Doctorate of Nurse Anesthesia Practice. Although not many people know about these healthcare careers, they play a vital role within the healthcare team. This field is growing rapidly and the likelihood of coming into contact with a nurse anesthetist during a hospital stay is on the rise. Knowing the history, education, responsibilities, and career outlook for a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist or a Doctorate of Nurse Anesthesia Practice can aide in understanding their very specific role in the care of patients.

Nurse anesthetists have been providing anesthesia care to patients in the United States for more than 150 years. The credential CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist) came into existence in 1956. CRNAs are anesthesia professionals who safely administer approximately 40 million anesthetics to patients each year in the United States, according to the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) 2014 Practice Profile Survey. CRNAs are the primary providers of anesthesia care in rural America, enabling healthcare facilities in these medically underserved areas to offer obstetrical, surgical, pain management and trauma stabilization services. In some states, CRNAs are the sole providers in nearly 100 percent of the rural hospitals. According to a 1999 report from the Institute of Medicine, anesthesia care is nearly 50 times safer than it was in the early 1980s. Numerous outcomes studies have demonstrated that there is no difference in the quality of care provided by CRNAs and their physician counterparts. CRNAs provide anesthesia in collaboration with surgeons, anesthesiologists, dentists, podiatrists, and other qualified healthcare professionals. When anesthesia is administered by a nurse anesthetist, it is recognized as the practice of nursing; when administered by an anesthesiologist, it is recognized as the practice of medicine. Regardless of whether their educational background is in nursing or medicine, all anesthesia professionals give anesthesia the same way.

Anesthesiologist Assistants - highly skilled health professionals who work under the direction of licensed anesthesiologists

EBSCOhost, doi:10.1016/j.jclinane.2013.01.020. The main point of this article is to evaluate the factors for choosing a career in Anesthesiology which are to show why some people would like to go into Anesthesiology for a full time job. It is seen in the source that the main points of why residents liked Anesthesiology was that it was “hands on specialty”, provided “opportunities to perform invasive procedures”, and “the work was immediately

During one of the most susceptible times in a patient’s life you are caring for the patient and essentially breathing for the patient when they are unable to do so, as well keeping them alive. Furthermore, what inspired me to be a Nurse Anesthetist is the control you have over the patient and their physiologic

As a senior nurse anesthesia student, I have been in the clinical environment for about a year. In this time, I have been precepted my numerous clinicians, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) and physician anesthetists alike. As registered nurse with no prior operating room (OR) background, I learned the OR culture, the norms and day-to-day workings by my preceptors. Furthermore, I acquired valuable skills and nuances which enhanced my clinical acumen as a practitioner.