What does a certified registered nurse anesthetist do?
CRNAs are healthcare professionals that give you anesthesia to manage pain or keep you asleep during procedures. CRNAs are responsible for:
- Preoperative teaching, preparing patients for anesthesia, performing physical examinations
- Administration of anesthesia
- Managing the recovery period after anesthesia
CRNAs can manage the following types of anesthesia:
- General anesthesia - when you are completely asleep
- Regional anesthesia - epidurals, spinal, peripheral nerve blocks
- Intravenous sedation - sometimes called conscious sedation, you will be drowsy and not remember anything
- Local anesthetic - just the area being worked on is numbed
Is a certified registered nurse anesthetist a nurse practitioner?
CRNAs and nurse practitioners (NP) both fall into a category of healthcare professionals known as advanced practice nurses. However, there are differences between CRNAs and NPs. NPs are trained to provide primary medical care to patients of all ages. CRNAs focus on the administration and management of anesthesia.
The certification exams that CRNAs take is different than that of NPs, and different organizations credential them.
Is a nurse anesthetist the same as an anesthesiologist?
CRNAs are not the same as anesthesiologists. These healthcare professionals administer anesthesia, but their education focus is different. CRNAs are first registered nurses who receive additional training to provide anesthesia. Anesthesiologists are medical doctors that have completed medical school and a residency.
Research supports that the patient outcomes are the same between CRNA and anesthesiologist care.
What states allow CRNAs to practice independently?
CRNAs may practice independently in the following 27 states:
- Washington
- Oregon
- California
- Nevada
- Idaho
- Montana
- Colorado
- Wyoming
- Utah
- New Mexico
- North Dakota
- Nebraska
- Kansas
- Minnesota
- Iowa
- Wisconsin
- Kentucky
- West Virginia
- Virginia
- North Carolina
- Delaware
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Connecticut
- Rhode Island
- Alaska
- Hawaii
Can a CRNA work in a pain clinic?
CRNAs are qualified to work in pain clinics and provide services related to pain management. As a member of a multidisciplinary team, a CRNA may order testing, prescribe medications, and perform procedures that manage pain.
Is a CRNA a bedside nurse?
CRNAs are not bedside nurses. Bedside nurses are registered nurses with a different focus and different responsibilities than a CRNA. CRNAs are registered nurses, but their additional training changes their focus to the management of anesthesia. However, a CRNA may have worked as a bedside nurse at one time.
