Nurse Anesthetists

High School

If you want to become a nurse anesthetist, you will first need to become a registered nurse. To prepare for this career, you should take high school mathematics and science courses, including biology, chemistry, and physics. Health courses will also be helpful. English and speech courses should not be neglected because you must be able to communicate well with patients.

Postsecondary Training

All applicants to nurse anesthetist programs must be registered nurses with a bachelor's degree and have at least one year's acute care nursing experience. The Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs accredits nurse anesthesia programs within the United States. A list of these programs can be found on its Web site, https://www.coacrna.org/programs-fellowships/list-of-accredited-programs. Admission is competitive, and programs last 36 to 51 months, depending on university requirements. All accredited programs offer at least a master's degree, and some offer a post-master's certificate or a doctorate. Students take extensive classes in pharmacology and the sciences. They also acquire thousands of hours of anesthesia-related clinical experience in surgery and obstetrics. "Graduates of nurse anesthesia educational programs have an average of 9,432 hours of clinical experience," according to the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology.

Other Education or Training

The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology and the American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses offer continuing education webinars and in-person webinars and seminars. Visit their Web sites for information about current offerings.