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Alamo Colleges DistrictCareer Explorer

Nurse Anesthetists

Part of Health Science, in the Therapeutic Services pathway.

Bright outlookJob zone 5: extensive preparationO*NET 29-1151.00

What the work is

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.

On a typical day

  • 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.

What it pays

$279,410
Median pay per year, San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX metro
New workers start near $164,290
Experienced workers reach $312,460
  1. $164k10th
  2. $207k25th
  3. $279kMedian
  4. $301k75th
  5. $312k90th
Wage percentiles: 10th $164,290, 25th $206,680, Median $279,410, 75th $301,270, 90th $312,460

About 200 people do this job in the San Antonio area.

Job outlook

U.S. projection, 2024 to 2034.

+9%

U.S. employment change

2,700

openings a year nationwide, from growth and people leaving

53,800

employed nationwide in 2024

Typical entry education: Master's degree

Skills this career uses

The skills O*NET rates most important for the job, with how much of each the work needs on a 1 to 7 scale.

  1. Reading Comprehension4.3
  2. Critical Thinking4.0
  3. Complex Problem Solving4.3
  4. Judgment and Decision Making4.1
  5. Active Listening4.0
  6. Speaking4.0
  7. Active Learning4.0
  8. Monitoring4.0

Education people in this job have

Share of workers by highest education, from O*NET surveys. It shows what others did, not what you must do.

  1. Master's degree41%
  2. Doctoral or professional59%

Job zone 5, extensive preparation: A graduate or professional degree, usually after a bachelor's.

Alamo programs that lead here

No Alamo program is mapped to this career yet. Many careers start from a transfer pre-major or a related program.

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