Nursing is one of the few fields forecasted to provide ever-rosy employment opportunities. Not only is demand for nurses continuing to increase, the demand and professional compensation of nurse specialists, continues to grow as well. Learning how to become a nurse anesthetist is the first step to joining this stable and lucrative career. There are a number of educational and practical steps to go through in order to become a nurse anesthetist.
Here is the basic overview on how to become a nurse anesthetist:
1. Earn a BSN degree from an accredited college or university.
2. Get licensed as a registered nurse (RN).
3. Complete a course offered by nurse anesthetist programs.
4. Spend at least a year working in acute or critical care center.
5. Complete the process to be a certified registered nurse anesthesiologist (CRNA) managed by the Council on Certification of Nurse Anesthetists (CCNA).
Earning Your BSN College Degree
A BSN degree is a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. The typical BSN degree is a four year program, although there are also accelerated programs that can completed in an intensive two years. Once you finish a BSN nursing program, you will be well positioned to become a registered nurse (RN).
The BSN nursing programs are offered through many colleges and universities. Each program has its own prerequisite requirements, although there are some common educational requirements to enter a BSN program. You will need to have either graduated from high school or have an equivalency degree. While some schools don’t have specific course requirements you must have taken before starting the BSN nursing course, others might require you to have completed courses like basic anatomy, statistics, or communications. As you look for the college with the BSN nursing program you want to join, make careful note of its specific prerequisites. You definitely want to get any requirements done before you wish to enroll.
Once you start the BSN nursing program, you will see a similar course load among the schools. Typical course topics include professional nursing practices, medical ethics, patient psychology, nursing and healthcare management, nutrition, pharmacology, microbiology, research in nursing, special needs nursing, and health assessment. As you can see, the typical BSN nursing curriculum covers both the practical and business end of the profession.
One of the key ways to distinguish among the various BSN degree programs is the nature and scope of their clinical opportunities. All schools will have them as these practicums are critical parts of your becoming a qualified and effective nurse. Since you are interested in becoming a certified registered nurse anesthetist, you might want to look for BSN degree programs that offer some relevant clinical opportunities.
Becoming a RN
After you’ve earned your BSN degree, the next step is to get licensed as an RN. Licensing is done at the state level, so you should consult your state licensing board for the specific requirements that apply to you. Typically, you will have to fill out an application (usually available online from the relevant state office), submit your BSN transcripts, and fingerprints. Most states will also do a background check in order to affirm you are of good character. If your application is accepted, this just means that you’re allowed to take the RN licensing exam, usually the National Council Licensing Examination (NCLEX). It is recommended that you submit your application one to two months before your graduation. This way, if you are accepted and can take the licensing exam, you can take it shortly after you’re graduated.
Direct Steps on How to Become a Nurse Anesthetist
Now that you are an RN, you can start formally focusing on how to become a nurse anesthetist. You’ll need some additional education, so you should start looking through the various nurse anesthetist programs available. These nurse anesthetist programs generally take two to three years to complete.
The curriculum of the nurse anesthetist programs is a combination of classroom and practical work. The organization that sets the standards for becoming a certified registered nurse anesthetist also has recommendations for how many hours you should have on each topic, which is important to keep in mind as you compare nurse anesthetist programs. Most of the time is spent on anatomy, pathophysiology and general physiology. There should also be courses on pain management and anesthesia pharmacology (including some biochemistry classes). In addition, you should get some time on professional standards/ethics specific to anesthesia and clinical conferences. Finally, you should expect to do some research as well.
After you’ve selected one of the nurse anesthetist programs and completed your certified registered nurse anesthetist educational requirement, you want to work in an acute or critical care facility for practical experience. If you haven’t been working in one already, you’ll definitely want to move to such a facility after completion of the nurse anesthetist course.
The final step in how to become a nurse anesthetist is to pass the CRNA certificate examination, the National Certification Examination (NCE). You must pass the NCE within two years of completing your nurse anesthetist course in order to become a certified registered nurse anesthetist.
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