Nurse Anesthetists

Administer anesthesia, monitor patient's vital signs, and oversee patient recovery from anesthesia. May assist anesthesiologists, surgeons, other physicians, or dentists. Must be registered nurses who have specialized graduate education.

Most important skills

Reading Comprehension
Critical Thinking
Active Listening
Speaking
Active Learning
Monitoring
Complex Problem Solving
Judgment and Decision Making

Key knowledge

Medicine and Dentistry
Customer and Personal Service
Biology
Chemistry
Mathematics
Education and Training
English Language
Psychology

What the work involves

Administer post-anesthesia medications or fluids to support patients' cardiovascular systems.
Evaluate patients' post-surgical or post-anesthesia responses, taking appropriate corrective actions or requesting consultation if complications occur.
Perform pre-anesthetic screenings, including physical evaluations and patient interviews, and document results.
Select and prescribe post-anesthesia medications or treatments to patients.
Select, order, or administer pre-anesthetic medications.
Discharge patients from post-anesthesia care.
Perform or evaluate the results of diagnostic tests, such as radiographs (x-rays) and electrocardiograms (EKGs).
Manage patients' airway or pulmonary status, using techniques such as endotracheal intubation, mechanical ventilation, pharmacological support, respiratory therapy, and extubation.

Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Social, Investigative, Realistic.

Qualifications and licensing

Most common education: Doctoral Degree (55.6% of respondents)
Related experience: Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years (37%)
On-the-job training: Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month (33.3%)
Preparation level: O*NET job zone 5: Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Licensing: Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.

Check before planning

Licensing for Nurse Anesthetists is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.

Limits

Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0

Work environment

How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).

Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.

Rankings compare typical U.S. occupation-level work conditions; individual jobs and employers vary. Data: O*NET 31.0 Work Context and BLS wages (May 2025).
Condition	Level	Compared with other occupations	Most common answer (O*NET survey)
Contact with others	High	Higher on contact with others than 74% of occupations compared	85% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others”
Dealing with the public	High	Higher on dealing with the public than 75% of occupations compared	52% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
Teamwork	Very high	Higher on teamwork than 95% of occupations compared	88% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
Freedom to make decisions	Very high	Higher on freedom to make decisions than 91% of occupations compared	78% of surveyed respondents chose “A lot of freedom”
Time pressure	High	Higher on time pressure than 70% of occupations compared	63% of surveyed respondents chose “Every day”
Conflict situations	Very high	Higher on conflict situations than 92% of occupations compared	41% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day”
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people	Very high	Higher on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 91% of occupations compared	42% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day”
Consequence of error	Very high	Higher on consequence of error than 99% of occupations compared	81% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely serious”

Work-pressure profile

Time pressure: high
Conflict situations: very high
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: very high
Consequence of error: very high

Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.

Full answer distributions