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Sophia
Student
Rochester, Minnesota
2
Questions
Updated
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What advice would you give someone just starting out as a nurse anesthetist?
I am in the 10th grade and exploring future careers as part of a project. Currently, I am very interested in becoming a nurse anesthetist. What skills do you think are the most important, and what advice would you give someone starting in this career?
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1 answer
Karin P.
Lecturer, Academic Advisor, Career Coach
1092
Answers
Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
Updated
Karin’s Answer
Hi Sophia,
It's great that you are interested in becoming a nurse anesthetist or generally in occupations in the healthcare field. The first thing I would tell you is that you don't start out as a nurse anesthetist.
If you want to become a nurse anesthetist, you first need to obtain a bachelors degree in nursing and pass the National Licensure Exam (NCLEX-RN) to get your RN license. You would then work for at least one year as a nurse to gain experience in the field.
To become an Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) you need to earn a graduate degree. Currently, nurse anesthetists often have a masters degree in nursing, but in the future, a PhD will be required to become a nurse anesthetist. After completing your doctoral program, you take the national certification exam through the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA).
Overall, you are looking at 6 to 8 years of schooling. I am saying you don't start out as a nurse anesthetist because on your path to become one, you might fall in love with a different field. Take it one step at a time.
If you are still in school, take all the math, science and healthcare classes you can get. Next up, look for nursing schools and their admission criteria and pre-requisites. Study to become a RN and decide which specialization and advanced degrees or certifications you want to pursue.
I hope this helps! All the best to you!
KP
https://www.aana.com/about-us/about-crnas/become-a-crna/
https://nurse.org/articles/nurse-anesthetist-crna-schools-by-state/
https://college.mayo.edu/academics/explore-health-care-careers/careers-a-z/nurse-anesthetist/
It's great that you are interested in becoming a nurse anesthetist or generally in occupations in the healthcare field. The first thing I would tell you is that you don't start out as a nurse anesthetist.
If you want to become a nurse anesthetist, you first need to obtain a bachelors degree in nursing and pass the National Licensure Exam (NCLEX-RN) to get your RN license. You would then work for at least one year as a nurse to gain experience in the field.
To become an Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) you need to earn a graduate degree. Currently, nurse anesthetists often have a masters degree in nursing, but in the future, a PhD will be required to become a nurse anesthetist. After completing your doctoral program, you take the national certification exam through the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA).
Overall, you are looking at 6 to 8 years of schooling. I am saying you don't start out as a nurse anesthetist because on your path to become one, you might fall in love with a different field. Take it one step at a time.
If you are still in school, take all the math, science and healthcare classes you can get. Next up, look for nursing schools and their admission criteria and pre-requisites. Study to become a RN and decide which specialization and advanced degrees or certifications you want to pursue.
I hope this helps! All the best to you!
KP
Karin recommends the following next steps: