The specialty of nursing which gets a lot of attention because it pays extremely well is that of a nurse anesthetist. In fact, nurse anesthetists earn more than most general practitioners. The money is great, but if you chase a profession simply for the money you will be unhappy in the end. Most nurse anesthetists will earn in excess of $150,000 per year or more depending on where you live.
The road to becoming a nurse anesthetist is a long arduous, competitive career track. You have to become an RN and have your BS in Nursing. You then have to have at least 2 years of critical care nursing experience before they will even consider your application at a graduate CRNA program. Most programs last from 24-36 months and have a residency component to them.
You will need to have impeccable grades and a great work history. You will need to be able to finance the graduate program with loans or have saved money to live while studying and also pay for the tuition. One alternative if you are having trouble financing your nurse anesthetist education is to join the Army Reserve Medical Corp.
The army has one of the finest nurse anesthetist schools in Texas and you will be learning on the job in the most noble profession this country offers. In fact, the Army medical corp will also pay for medical school if you choose to go that route as well. Be prepared to sign on with the Army for a set period of time, but if they pay for a few hundred thousand in student loans it really is a great deal.
Becoming a nurse anesthetist is a great career goal, but it takes years of sacrifice and hard work to be successful. I would suggest you spend some time with some nurse anesthetists and really understand the scope and responsibility of the job before committing to this path.
Unlike other nursing specialties, nurse anesthetists work with people that are not awake. If you are looking for that continuous contact with patients, this profession could possibly not be for you.
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