A nurse anesthetist working in the US has a yearly salary of $164,030 – the highest nurse anesthetist salary in all English-speaking countries. Canada is close behind with C$187,000 (US$149,469), followed by a distance by the UK and Australia with £40,000 (US$52,480) and AU$59,421 (US$46,645), respectively. Nurse anesthetists working in New Zealand earn about NZ$55,000 (US$38,410) per year on average, while South Africa and India have the lowest salaries for this profession of all reviewed countries: only ZAR141,499 (US$10,373) and Rs237,327 (US$3,649), respectively.
How Much Does a Nurse Anesthetist Make Per Year?
Nurse Anesthetists are specialized in administering anesthesia, monitoring their patients’ vital signs, and overseeing their patients’ recovery from their induced anesthesia. They also assist the primary anesthetist, as well as surgeons, dentists, and other physicians. Understandably, the nurse anesthetist salary is one of the highest in the field.
People pursuing this career have to be registered nurses and to have the necessary specialized graduate education. All the education and training required for the job certainly contribute to the average starting certified registered nurse anesthetist salary.
Factors that Influence the Nurse Anesthetist Salary
Depending on the geographic area (country to country and state to state), the level of experience, and the industry in which they are working, the salary of a nurse anesthetist can vary greatly.
Geographic Area
Nurse Anesthetist Salary in the US
The average nurse anesthetist salary in the United States is about $164,030 per year according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. PayScale, however, reports different numbers: $144,000 per year on average. The same source reports the starting salary for a nurse anesthetist in the US is $91,225. On the other hand, late-career professionals will take home about $190,671 per year. Bonuses can account for an extra income of up to $14,544 and profit sharing for up to $6,000 per year.
Nurse anesthetists working in the US report a high job satisfaction. About half of the professionals in the field have less than 5 years of experience; almost 85% have medical insurance, about 69% have dental, and 55% enjoy vision insurance. [clickToTweet tweet=”Almost 15% of nurse anesthetists in the US, however, have no health benefits whatsoever.” quote=”Almost 15% of nurse anesthetists in the US, however, have no health benefits whatsoever.”]
Most states have highly varying salaries, depending on their own financial status and current need for the professionals. Unfortunately, the states offering the highest median certified nurse anesthetist salary will seldom have enough job openings.
Highest Levels of Employment for Nurse Anesthetists in the US
Below, you can find a table of the states with the highest levels of employment in the country:
Highest Salaries for Nurse Anesthetists in the US
Here are the states offering the highest nurse anesthetist salary:
Nurse Anesthetist Salary in Canada
In Canada, a nurse anesthetist earns about C$187,000 (US$149,469) per year. A beginner in this field will earn about C$157,298 (US$125,822) per year, while an experienced professional will take home C$218,341 (US$174,454) or more, according to salary.com.
Nurse Anesthetist Salary in the UK
The average salary for a certified registered nurse anesthetist in the UK is set at £40,000 (US$52,480) per year according to PayScale. Bonuses can account for another £5,370 in income per year.
Nurse Anesthetist Salary in Australia
Nurse anesthetists working in Australia earn a yearly salary of around AU$59,421 (US$46,645) per year. Those with less than 4 years of experience earn around AU$48,987 (US$38,463), while professionals with 5 to 9 years in this field take home about AU$54,373 (US$42,693). The highest salaries are registered in New South Wales, Victoria, and Western Australia.
Nurse Anesthetist Salary in New Zealand
Careers.govt.nz reports the salary of a anesthetic technician, who is responsible for assisting anesthetists and prepare the operating room for anesthetic procedures, between NZ$36,000 (US$25,148) and NZ$87,000 (US$60,756) per year.
Beginners anesthetic technicians earn up to NZ$45,000 (US$31,435) per year, but a qualified anesthetic technician working in New Zealand earns between NZ$47,000 (US$32,805) and NZ$75,000 (US$52,348) per year.
Therefore, we can estimate the average salary for nurse anesthetists working in New Zealand at about NZ$55,000 (US$38,410) per year.
Nurse Anesthetist Salary in India
Although no information is available about the nurse anesthetist salary in India, we can take the staff nurse salary as a reference. A staff nurse working in operating rooms earns Rs237,327 (US$3,649) on average. The starting salary is Rs143,835 (US$2,211), while experienced nurses can earn up to Rs464,229 (US$7,139) per year.
Nurse Anesthetist Salary in South Africa
The average salary of a nurse anesthetist in South Africa is ZAR141,499 (US$10,373). The starting salary of a nurse anesthetist in this country revolves around ZAR84,000 or US$6,147 per year; unfortunately, no further info is available from reliable sources.
Experience
While the average starting nurse anesthetist salary is usually decent when compared to other starting salaries in healthcare, it grows sharply with the employee’s experience.
The industry and the geographical location of an anesthetist nurse position are relevant, but experience guides most raises. Overall, a $10,000 increment per ten years of experience was reported for the nurse anesthetist salary in most English-speaking countries, but this increment usually tempers off after the first three decades.
Industry
The industry in which an aspiring nursing employee starts their tenure, be it as an assistant, a traveling CRNA, a chief nurse anesthetist, or a pediatric nurse anesthetist, makes a huge difference in their pay grades.
The industries with the highest employment levels for the occupation are the following:
Working hours
[clickToTweet tweet=”There are no established work hours and most nurse anesthetists work very hectic schedules.” quote=”There are no established work hours and most nurse anesthetists work very hectic schedules.”]From working nights to working weekends and holidays, most nurse anesthetitst have tight and tiresome, yet satisfying jobs.
Shifts are also very common, as is working on call. Therefore, most certified registered nurse anesthetists rarely have the chance to make schedules or appointments and keep them. According to many practicing the profession, there is never a dull moment and they work for every single penny of their salary. From 24 hour shifts to working all nights and being on call, CRNAs have some of the most chaotic work hours in the medical industry.
Bonuses and Benefit Packages
While the bonuses for most nurse anesthetists vary from industry to industry and from employer to employer, most often they don’t really receive sign-on or any other types of bonuses. However, their benefits are usually in tens of thousands of dollars in most English-speaking countries, as most employers have to offer a number of insurances like malpractice insurance, health, dental, and disability insurance and benefits, plus a retirement account.
Job Outlook
Growing much faster than the average for all occupations in the United States, the employment rate of nurse anesthetists, regardless of rank and specialization, will raise by as much as 31% by 2024. There are many reasons for this above-average growth, but the truth remains that most aspiring nurse anesthetists will be able to get a job over the next years.
Conclusion
The main reasons for this worldwide predicted growth are the recent changes in healthcare legislation, an increased emphasis on preventive care, as well as the aging baby-boomer population. The long, chaotic hours and extremely stressful work environment makes the nurse anesthetist salary one of the highest in healthcare, and the highest among all nurses.
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