*Please note that this is a sponsored post. There are nurses in my life and it is a wonderful profession, if you’re considering it please check out this post!*
There was a time when you would ask a young boy or girl what they wanted to be when they grew up and most often little boys would want to be doctors while little girls said they would like to be a nurse. Yes, in today’s society that does sound a bit sexist but the reality is, those are two of the highest paid professions in the nation. In addition, as the area of specialization goes up, so too does the average salary. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS, the highest paid nursing specialty in the United States is a Nurse Anesthetist with the median salary coming in at $158,900 as of May 2014. If you are interested in a rewarding career that pays a better than average annual salary, this is a field you just might wish to consider.
What Does a Nurse Anesthetist Do?
The first thing to be aware of is that a Nurse Anesthetist practices under the direct guidance of an anesthesiologist. It doesn’t mean that the doctor is always present when the anesthesia is administered but the nurse anesthetist answers directly to the anesthesiologist. An NA can administer anesthesia, oversee the patient’s recovery when coming off anesthesia, monitor the patient’s vital signs and oftentimes will assist anesthesiologists, dentists, physicians and surgeons when called for. Although an extremely taxing career, it is quite rewarding and at the end of the day, that nice pay check isn’t hard to take!
What Are the Educational Requirements?
The first prerequisite for becoming an NA is that the nurse must be a Registered Nurse with a specialty in a Nurse Anesthetist graduate course of study. Some schools require a certain length of time in the field before acceptance into the program and others allow for study upon completion of the RN degree program. There are National Certifying Exams to be taken which can cause a great deal of unwanted stress so many NA students also choose to take a review course just prior to the national exam. Accredited programs such as those offered by Valley Anesthesia help to prepare the student to pass the exam and also help to eliminate much of the stress that typically accompanies such an important exam. This is accomplished through an Anesthesia Board Review Course which has a program approved by the Board.
What Is the Career Outlook for the Future?
As the top paying nursing specialty you would think that the quota has been met in many of the top paying regions of the country, but actually this is not the case. The job outlook for the future is better than average in this field and that’s why many nurses currently practicing at hospitals and private physicians’ offices are considering furthering their careers.
If you are an RN or are considering going into nursing, you may wish to consider the benefits of continuing on after you have become a registered nurse because the salary of NAs is far above that of an RN in most regions of the country. It is a truly rewarding as well as lucrative career.
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