Certified Nurse Anesthetists Earning More Money

According to an annual survey of physician’s salaries, specialist nurses are earning more money and being offered higher incentives than primary care doctors, according to a recent article on CNN.com. Merritt Hawkins & Associates, a physician recruiting and consulting firm, states that certified nurse anesthetists, or CRNAs, are offered an average base salary of $189,000 compared to primary care doctors, who are being offered $173,000. The firm also predicts the average base salary for CRNA’s at $186,000 and $178,000 for family physicians in 2010.

Anesthesia care is provided by two specialty groups, nurse anesthetists and anesthesiologists (physicians). Certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNA) are licensed professional nurses who become nationally certified by exam after graduation. CRNAS have been offered higher salaries than a family doctor for the last four years, most likely due to an increase in the number of surgical procedures requiring anesthesia.

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