Nurse Anesthetists

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Select, prepare, or use equipment, monitors, supplies, or drugs for the administration of anesthetics.
• Select, prepare, or use equipment, monitors, supplies, or drugs for the administration of anesthetics.
• Monitor patients' responses, including skin color, pupil dilation, pulse, heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, ventilation, or urine output, using invasive and noninvasive techniques.
• Assess patients' medical histories to predict anesthesia response.
• Perform or manage regional anesthetic techniques, such as local, spinal, epidural, caudal, nerve blocks and intravenous blocks.
• Develop anesthesia care plans.
• Perform or evaluate the results of diagnostic tests, such as radiographs (x-rays) and electrocardiograms (EKGs).
• Instruct nurses, residents, interns, students, or other staff on topics such as anesthetic techniques, pain management and emergency responses.
• Disassemble and clean anesthesia equipment.
• Insert arterial catheters or perform arterial punctures to obtain arterial blood samples.
• Select, order, or administer anesthetics, adjuvant drugs, accessory drugs, fluids or blood products as necessary.
• Prepare prescribed solutions and administer local, intravenous, spinal, or other anesthetics, following specified methods and procedures.
• Select, order, or administer anesthetics, adjuvant drugs, accessory drugs, fluids or blood products as necessary.
• Select, prepare, or use equipment, monitors, supplies, or drugs for the administration of anesthetics.
• Calibrate and test anesthesia equipment.
• Obtain informed consent from patients for anesthesia procedures.
• Perform pre-anesthetic screenings, including physical evaluations and patient interviews, and document results.
• Insert peripheral or central intravenous catheters.
• Perform pre-anesthetic screenings, including physical evaluations and patient interviews, and document results.
• Calibrate and test anesthesia equipment.
• Discharge patients from post-anesthesia care.
• Request anesthesia equipment repairs, adjustments, or safety tests.
• Respond to emergency situations by providing airway management, administering emergency fluids or drugs, or using basic or advanced cardiac life support techniques.
• Manage patients' airway or pulmonary status, using techniques such as endotracheal intubation, mechanical ventilation, pharmacological support, respiratory therapy, and extubation.
• Prepare prescribed solutions and administer local, intravenous, spinal, or other anesthetics, following specified methods and procedures.
• Select, order, or administer pre-anesthetic medications.
• Select, order, or administer pre-anesthetic medications.
• Administer post-anesthesia medications or fluids to support patients' cardiovascular systems.
• Select, order, or administer anesthetics, adjuvant drugs, accessory drugs, fluids or blood products as necessary.
• Evaluate patients' post-surgical or post-anesthesia responses, taking appropriate corrective actions or requesting consultation if complications occur.
• Perform pre-anesthetic screenings, including physical evaluations and patient interviews, and document results.
• Insert peripheral or central intravenous catheters.
• Select and prescribe post-anesthesia medications or treatments to patients.
• Respond to emergency situations by providing airway management, administering emergency fluids or drugs, or using basic or advanced cardiac life support techniques.
• Administer post-anesthesia medications or fluids to support patients' cardiovascular systems.
• Prepare prescribed solutions and administer local, intravenous, spinal, or other anesthetics, following specified methods and procedures.
• Respond to emergency situations by providing airway management, administering emergency fluids or drugs, or using basic or advanced cardiac life support techniques.
• Perform or evaluate the results of diagnostic tests, such as radiographs (x-rays) and electrocardiograms (EKGs).
• Read current literature, talk with colleagues, and participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in nursing.
• Evaluate patients' post-surgical or post-anesthesia responses, taking appropriate corrective actions or requesting consultation if complications occur.

Skills

• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Speaking
  • Talking to others.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.
• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

Abilities

• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

Knowledge

• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Chemistry
  • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Administrative
  • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Engineering and Technology
  • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Physics
  • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Personnel and Human Resources
  • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Public Safety and Security
  • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Sales and Marketing
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Building and Construction
  • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Communications and Media
  • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Geography
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Philosophy and Theology
  • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Education and Training
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Therapy and Counseling
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Administration and Management
  • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Foreign Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

Education

Education

Master's degree

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

No on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

×

Education and Training Opportunities

• Gonzaga University
  E 502 Boone Ave, Spokane WA 99258-0001
  School Type

  Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  5,000 - 9,999

  Financial Aid 800-986-9585
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  https://www.gonzaga.edu/
  Program Name
  Nurse Anesthetist
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Doctor's degree - professional practice
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Pay

Washington Annual Salary

208,000+/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

100+/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

860

Yearly Projected Openings

50

Personality

Social: People interested in this work like activities that include helping people, teaching, and talking. They do well at jobs that need:

• Attention to Detail
• Dependability
• Stress Tolerance
• Integrity
• Concern for Others
• Adaptability/Flexibility

Tools

• Anesthesia inhalers or inhaler units
• Anesthesia nerve block kit or tray
• Arterial line catheters
• Blood collection syringes
• Bronchoscopes
• Cardiac output CO monitoring units
• Central venous catheters
• Diagnostic or interventional vascular catheters for general use
• Electrocardiography EKG units
• Electronic blood pressure units
• Electronic stethoscopes
• End tidal carbon dioxide monitors
• Endotracheal or tracheotomy sets
• Endotracheal tubes
• Flow sensors or regulators or components
• Gas anesthesia apparatus or machines
• Goggles
• Intermittent positive pressure breathing IPPB machines
• Intravenous infusion pumps for general use
• Intravenous tubing with catheter administration kits
• Intubation forceps
• Intubation gauges or guides
• Medical acoustic stethoscopes
• Medical nasal cannulas
• Medical oxygen masks or parts
• Medical syringes with needle
• Mobile medical services automated external defibrillators AED or hard paddles
• Neurologic sensors
• Non invasive bi level machines
• Notebook computers
• Oxygen concentrators
• Patient carbon dioxide detectors
• Patient controlled analgesia infusion pumps
• Personal computers
• Pharyngeal airways or airways kits
• Pulse oximeter units
• Surgical gloves
• Surgical isolation or surgical masks
• Surgical nerve stimulators
• Thermometer probes
• Tourniquets
• Vacuum blood collection tubes or containers

Technology

• Medical software
• Word processing software