A master’s degree in nurse anesthesia, one of the highest-paying master’s degrees, prepares you for a career as a nurse anesthetist. To be authorized to perform this role of administering drugs that keep patients comfortable, pain-free or unconscious during surgery and other medical procedures, you need certain qualifications. A nursing license, first as a registered nurse and then as an advanced practice registered nurse, is required. You will also need to earn the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist credential.
Nursing Licenses
You can’t just skip right to a role as a nurse anesthetist. Before you can become any type of advanced practice registered nurse, you have to acquire your registered nurse (RN) license. Most master’s degree programs in nurse anesthesia require applicants to have a minimum of one year of RN work experience in a critical care setting, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Nursing licenses are issued by the state, with each state in the U.S. establishing its own nursing regulatory body and a Nurse Practice Act that outlines requirements to earn a license, according to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. Although the criteria included in one state’s Nurse Practice Act can differ from that of another state, many of the requirements are similar across state lines. For example, one common requirement is graduating from an undergraduate nursing education program approved by the state nursing regulatory body. In many states, the list of approved nursing programs encompasses diploma programs, associate’s degree programs in nursing and baccalaureate-level Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs.
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The other common requirement for getting licensed as an RN is earning a passing score on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN). The 2019 update to the NCLEX-RN Examination Test Plan covers four categories of client needs. The Safe and Effective Care Environment category of the exam includes content on both management of care and safety and infection control. The physiological integrity category encompasses the subcategories of basic care and comfort, pharmacological and parenteral therapies, reduction of risk potential and physiological adaptation. The remaining two categories, health promotion and maintenance and psychosocial integrity, are more straightforward. Throughout each category, the questions posed assess test-takers’ knowledge and abilities in the integrated processes of caring, communication and documentation, teaching and learning, culture and spirituality and the nursing process.
Most first-time test-takers pass the NCLEX-RN, according to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, although your level of education may give you somewhat of an advantage. In 2020, more than 90 percent of test-takers with a baccalaureate degree passed the NCLEX-RN, compared to 86 percent of those with a nursing diploma. Graduates from an associate’s degree program had the lowest pass rate, but more than 82 percent of these test-takers still passed the exam.
Once you’ve gotten your nursing license and gone back to school for nurse anesthesia, you need to become a licensed advanced practice registered nurse, otherwise known as an APRN. This license is also awarded by the state. Instead of using a national exam like the NCLEX-RN, most states require APRNs to earn national certification from the relevant professional organization. For nurse anesthetists, this typically means the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists.
While multiple-choice questions make up the bulk of the NCLEX-RN exam content, test-takers also encounter alternate item question formats that include multiple response items, fill-in-the-blank items, chart and exhibit items, ordered response items and graphic items.
The Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist Credential
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) is the credential awarded by the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists. To obtain the CRNA credential, you need to pass the National Certification Examination (NCE). The content of this certification exam covers four topics. Exam sections on the general principles of anesthesia and anesthesia for surgical procedures and special populations both account for 30 percent of the test content. Another 25 percent of exam questions fit into the domain of basic sciences, while 15 percent of questions focus on the equipment, instrumentation and technology used in anesthesia administration.
Again, the content of the NCE test consists primarily of multiple-choice questions, but test-takers must also answer questions in short answer, calculation, drag and drop, hotspot selection and multiple correct response formats. More than 85 percent of first-time test-takers pass the NCE test to become certified as a nurse anesthetist. As of December 2020, there were 55,653 CRNAs practicing in the United States, according to the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists.
CRNAs are responsible for administering upwards of 50 million anesthetics annually, the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists reported.
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