How to Become a Nurse Anesthetist Assistant
One of the newest members to an anesthesia team is the nurse anesthetist assistant. Over 600 of these Masters level healthcare professionals work in the United States under the supervision of an anesthesiologist to provide anesthesia to patients for medical or surgical purposes. Similar to the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), Anesthetist Assistants (AA’s) work in at least 17 states with more expected in the future.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Graduate with a bachelor’s degree in a health field such as nursing. Make certain your degree program meets prerequisites required by advanced degree programs.
-
2
Apply for admission in one of the five universities to offer Anesthetist Assistant programs that are accredited by the Committee on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). The GRE or MCAT might be required for admission. The universities which offer the program include Case Western Reserve (Cleveland, Ohio), Emory University (Atlanta, Georgia), South University (Savannah, Georgia), Nova Southeastern University (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) and University of Missouri (Kansas City, Missouri)..
-
-
3
Complete successfully one of the challenging programs. Several of the programs are seven semesters long and may require clinical rotations in addition to classroom and laboratory work.
-
4
Pass the National Certifying Examination for Anesthesiologist Assistants up to 180 days before graduation. It is also recommended that anesthetist assistants complete the American Heart Association’s Advanced Cardiac Life Support program.
-
5
Fulfill continuing education requirements every two years as set down by the National Commission for Certification of Anesthesiologist Assistants (NCCAA). A “Continued Demonstration of Qualifications” (CDQ) examination must be successfully passed every six years.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Some Anesthesiologist Assistants are trained Physician Assistants as well.
