RN to Anesthesiologist

by Mike Parker

Registered nurse training can prepare you for a number of different career paths in the health care field. If your interests lean toward pain management, you might consider pursuing the advanced education and experience needed to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. While CRNAs are highly trained and educated, and can perform a number of the same types of procedures as anesthesiologists, they are not medical doctors even if they hold a doctoral degree.

Undergraduate Degree

The first step for a registered nurse who wants to become an anesthesiologist is typically the completion of a bachelor's degree program, although some medical schools admit highly qualified candidates with only three years of college work. There is no specific degree requirement, but most candidates pursue a pre-med oriented degree, such as biology or chemistry. A bachelor of science in nursing degree will serve, but an RN who has only an associate degree or a nursing diploma will need to go back to college.

Medical School

All anesthesiologists hold either an M.D. or a D.O. degree from an accredited medical school. An RN who wants to become an anesthesiologist will have to complete medical school, even if she already holds an advanced degree in another field. Medical school requires four years to complete. The first two years are heavily weighted toward classroom instruction and laboratory work, while the final two years are more focused on clinical experience under the supervision of experienced doctors.

Internship and Residency

Anesthesiology candidates must complete a four-year anesthesiology residency program after graduating from medical school. The first year usually involves an internship in general medical, surgery or pediatrics. The following three years involve intensive exposure to clinical anesthesiology under the guidance and instruction of experienced anesthesiologists. Candidates might elect to pursue an additional fellowship year in an anesthesia specialty, such as obstetric anesthesiology or cardiac anesthesiology. Successful completion of the residency program qualifies candidates to sit for board certification.

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist

Instead of pursuing a career as an anesthesiologist, which requires eight additional years of school and residency following a bachelor's degree, an RN might elect the advanced practice CRNA career path. An RN who holds a bachelor's degree can typically complete a qualifying nurse anesthesia educational program in from two to three years. Nurse anesthetists administer 32 million anesthetics every year in all types of surgical cases, and in many rural areas they are the sole providers of anesthesia. One major difference between anesthesiologists and CRNAs is pay. The mean annual income for CRNAs was $154,390 as of May 2012, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Mean annual wages for anesthesiologists were $232,830.

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