Anesthesia Assistant VS CRNA

Anesthesia is a procedure that takes place when a medical professional eliminates a patient’s feeling during a medical procedure. There are multiple people who are involved in this particular procedure, two of which are an anesthesia assistant and a CRNA.

 CRNA stands for a Certified Registered Nursing Anesthetist, which is also a type of assistant involved in the process. Both the assistant and the CRNA work to provide the patient with the necessary services, and both are supervised by an actual anesthesiologist. These professionals take care of the patients before and after the procedure, and are also involved in the administration of the anesthesia.

The main difference between the two assistants is the fact that the anesthesia assistant works mainly as an aid to the physician in the operating room. The CRNA, on the other hand, is a registered professional, so he is able to perform tasks outside of the operating room as directed by the anesthesiologist. Both professionals can be found working in a variety of settings, some of which include hospitals and nursing care facilities.

When speaking in terms of educational requirements, the assistant is required to earn at least a graduate-level degree. This graduate-level degree is typically at the master’s level in a specific assistant program. CRNAs, on the other hand, are only required to obtain a nursing degree at the undergraduate level, followed by passing the registered nursing examination. The starting salary of an anesthesiologist was $95,000 in 2006 compared to the starting salary of a CRNA, which was $70,000.