Wondering how to become a CRNA? A certified registered nurse anesthetist is a type of advanced practice registered nurse and requires advanced training and education. Start by earning a BSN and obtaining an RN license. Then, you’ll need clinical experience, graduate education, and board certification.
During any given year, approximately one in nine people undergo a surgical procedure. While recovery from surgery can be painful, surgery itself isn’t, thanks to anesthetic medications and the hard work of certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs). If you’re interested in becoming a nurse, you’ll need to choose a specific nursing career to pursue. One of your options is exploring how to become a CRNA.
How do you become a CRNA? The process takes many years and requires advanced education, along with clinical experience. Like any achievement, it begins with taking a first step, which you can do at Concordia University Texas. Our Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) track is designed to put future nurses on the fast track toward their new career.
While you’re thinking about your career options, take a closer look at what CRNAs do, what the requirements are, and what the career pathway is like.
What is nursing school like? Explore what you can expect from the ABSN track.
What Is a CRNA?
A CRNA, also called a nurse anesthetist, is a type of advanced practice registered nurse (APRN). As APRNs, CRNAs have advanced education and training in nursing, with a focus on the specialty of anesthesia and other pain medications.
Some of the primary responsibilities of a CRNA include:
- Assessing a patient’s health history and prior experience with anesthetics to identify potential risks
- Calculating and administering precise dosages of medications
- Managing patients’ airways during surgery
- Monitoring patients before, during, and after surgery
- Providing patient education
How Long Does It Take to Become a Nurse Anesthetist?
Since there is no universal pathway toward becoming a CRNA, the time it takes can differ from nurse to nurse. If you lack prior college education, you can apply to a traditional BSN nursing program, which generally takes four years to complete. Then, you can gain clinical experience and pursue the advanced training that CRNAs need.
On the other hand, if you have a non-nursing bachelor’s degree or at least 60 college credits, you may be eligible for the ABSN track at Concordia Texas, which allows you to earn a BSN in as few as 16 months upon completion of the prerequisites.
Your timeline is partially dependent on how long it takes you to enter your BSN program and earn a degree. For example, if enrolling in Concordia Texas’s accelerated BSN track, you must complete prerequisite courses before enrolling.
The length of time can also vary depending on how much clinical experience you gain before applying for advanced education. In short, becoming a CRNA can take anywhere from eight to 13 years.
What Are the Requirements to Become a CRNA?
CRNAs require extensive education and training, along with advanced certification and licensure. If you’re giving serious consideration to how to become a nurse anesthetist, you’ll need to meet the following requirements:
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree
- Unencumbered, active registered nurse license
- Clinical experience as an RN, typically in critical care
- Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), or a Doctor of Nursing Anesthesia Practice (DNAP) degree
- Board certification
- APRN license
How Do You Become a CRNA?
It’s a good idea to review the entire process of how to become a CRNA before you get started. It’s also possible to switch nursing specialties and begin pursuing a career as a CRNA after you’ve been working as an RN in a different area.
1. Earn a BSN
Concordia University Texas can help you build a strong foundation for pursuing a career as a CRNA. Earning a BSN at our Christian school can nurture your critical thinking skills, develop your nursing skills, and allow you to forge professional connections that can last a lifetime.
While you’re earning your BSN at Concordia University Texas, you’ll complete online courses, which teach nursing theory in areas ranging from adult health to pharmacology and beyond.
You’ll visit one of our ABSN locations in Austin or Dallas-Fort Worth to complete nursing skills and simulation labs, which teach nursing skills and appropriate responses to clinical situations.
Lastly, you'll complete a series of clinical rotations at nearby healthcare facilities, during which you’ll gain hands-on experience caring for patients.
2. Obtain an RN License
Once you’ve earned a BSN degree, you can apply for authorization to test from the state’s Board of Nursing. This allows you to schedule your NCLEX-RN exam. You’ll need to pass this exam to obtain your RN license. If you do not pass it on your first attempt, you can retake it.
Expect the test to be a rigorous evaluation of your nursing knowledge and clinical decision-making skills. Rote memorization, while important, isn’t enough to pass the exam. You’ll also need to demonstrate your critical thinking skills via case studies by selecting the most appropriate nursing response for the given patient care scenario.
3. Gain Clinical Experience
Your next step is to gain clinical experience. It’s ideal to find your first nursing job in a specialty area that prepares you for a CRNA career. Future CRNAs might first work in the emergency room, intensive care unit (ICU), or cardiac care unit (CCU).
The ICU is a particularly good choice, as you’ll gain experience working with patients with life-threatening conditions. Expect to need at least a couple of years of clinical experience, although some graduate schools may prefer applicants with three or more years of experience at the bedside.
Discover why clinical experience is important for nurses.
4. Earn a Graduate Degree
When you’re ready, you can apply to a graduate program to earn an MSN, DNP or DNAP. According to the American Association of Anesthesiology, the minimum graduate degree required is a master’s degree from a program accredited by the Council of Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs.
An MSN may take two to three years to complete, depending on your course scheduling. You can expect the degree to combine didactic coursework with clinical practicums.
You could also choose to earn either a DNP or a DNAP. The DNAP is designed specifically for future nurse anesthetists, while the DNP offers concentrations in a range of nursing specialties, including nursing anesthesia. Either degree will be a more in-depth and rigorous exploration of nursing anesthesia than the MSN.
If you choose to stop working temporarily and focus full-time on your studies, it might take one to two years to complete the degree. If you plan to continue working, it might take three to four years.
5. Obtain Board Certification and an APRN License
Once you’ve earned a graduate degree, you can apply to take the board certification exam. The National Certification Examination for Nurse Anesthetists is administered by the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists.
Like the NCLEX, the board certification exam is a variable-length, computerized adaptive test. After passing it, you can apply for your state license as a CRNA and begin looking for nurse anesthetist jobs.
Take the First Step at Concordia University Texas
Concordia University Texas is a leading choice for future nurses in Texas. With two ABSN locations in Austin and Dallas-Fort Worth, plus three start dates each year, we can enroll more students and help address the nursing shortage in the U.S. Here, you’ll benefit from attentive instructors and personalized support from our Academic Success Coaches.
Take the first step and find out if you could be eligible to graduate in as few as 16 months. Contact an admissions counselor today.