Nurse Anesthetists

For the first time, certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) are getting paid more than some physicians.

A survey by Dallas-based medical staffing firm, Allied Consulting Inc. recently found that top salaries for CRNAs have reached $180,000 – or about $40,000 more, on average, than family physicians and pediatricians.

Experts say the salary spike is largely a result of a CRNA shortage. "So you really have a market of 13,000 total CRNAs available in the nation," says Curtis Pryor, vice president of Allied Consulting. Shortage or no, hospitals can't afford to go without CRNAs, who work with anesthesiologists to dispense the necessary sedatives for surgery.

Pryor said more hospitals and clinics are relying on CRNAs to perform functions of anesthesiologists under their oversight, and that the extra workload has also pushed up salaries.

CRNAs must have been registered nurses first and have worked in a critical or acute care setting and completed a Master's degree in Anesthetics, says Martin Yates, Director of Anesthesia at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas, adding, "You don't enter the profession at 21."

As Kevin Fontenot, a CRNA at the hospital, explains, "I may be supervised by an anesthesiologist, but if I do the anesthetic and I make a mistake, they're not going to look at someone else. That's why I carry $3 million in liability insurance."

Yates said Presbyterian has 18 CRNAs on staff and has three openings, and reports that the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists is working to expand the educational opportunities for RNs looking to become CRNAs.