Anesthesia technician vs certified registered nurse anesthetist

The differences between anesthesia technicians and certified registered nurse anesthetists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become an anesthesia technician, becoming a certified registered nurse anesthetist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a certified registered nurse anesthetist has an average salary of $152,996, which is higher than the $39,640 average annual salary of an anesthesia technician.

The top three skills for an anesthesia technician include patients, patient care and BLS. The most important skills for a certified registered nurse anesthetist are patients, patient care, and acls.

Anesthesia technician vs certified registered nurse anesthetist overview

	Anesthesia Technician	Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
Yearly salary	$39,640	$152,996
Hourly rate	$19.06	$73.56
Growth rate	6%	40%
Number of jobs	78,132	189,889
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	Master's Degree, 40%
Average age	41	45
Years of experience	12	4

What does an anesthesia technician do?

Anesthesia technicians are healthcare professionals who oversee activities related to anesthetics. They administer anesthesia to patients and assist doctors in related activities. They also monitor the patient after the anesthesia is administered to ensure that no harmful side effects occurred. Anesthesia technicians are expected to know how to test for anesthetic allergies and to spot signs of such allergies. They should be familiar with the different techniques, solutions, and equipment used for anesthetic procedures. Aside from those, anesthesia technicians are also expected to manage the inventory of anesthetic solutions and to trigger purchase requests for new stocks.

What does a certified registered nurse anesthetist do?

A Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist administers anesthesia to patients. They work in various healthcare settings, such as operating rooms, dentists and podiatrists offices, birthing centers, and plastic surgery centers.

Anesthesia technician vs certified registered nurse anesthetist salary

Anesthesia technicians and certified registered nurse anesthetists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Anesthesia Technician	Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
Average salary	$39,640	$152,996
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $52,000	Between $79,000 And $292,000
Highest paying City	Redwood City, CA	Salem, OR
Highest paying state	California	Oregon
Best paying company	Children's Hospital Los Angeles	Trinity Health
Best paying industry	Education	Health Care

Differences between anesthesia technician and certified registered nurse anesthetist education

There are a few differences between an anesthesia technician and a certified registered nurse anesthetist in terms of educational background:

	Anesthesia Technician	Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	Master's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	University of Connecticut	Duke University

Anesthesia technician vs certified registered nurse anesthetist demographics

Here are the differences between anesthesia technicians' and certified registered nurse anesthetists' demographics:

	Anesthesia Technician	Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
Average age	41	45
Gender ratio	Male, 50.5% Female, 49.5%	Male, 40.4% Female, 59.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 4.8% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 5.0% Asian, 6.6% White, 81.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	13%	32%

Differences between anesthesia technician and certified registered nurse anesthetist duties and responsibilities

Anesthesia technician example responsibilities.

Assess vitals, apply splints and other orthopedic devices, perform wind care, phlebotomy and EKG's.
Maintain an unobstruct operative field, using surgical retractors, sponges, or suctioning and irrigating equipment.
Provide appropriate life-saving care and assist veterinarian in triage emergency cases.
Provide anesthesia technician services to patients under the direct supervision of a license anesthesia care provider designate by the client facility.
Assist anesthesiologists in preparing patients for local or general anesthesia in the areas of main surgery, outpatient surgery and labor/delivery.
Scrub minor ENT, GYN, and Ortho procedures.

Certified registered nurse anesthetist example responsibilities.

Manage CRNA staffing, scheduling and performance evaluations.
Diagnose and manage common medical problems such as diabetes, COPD, and hypertension.
Experience in managing type 2 DM, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, COPD, sleep apnea, and asthma.
Manage use of anesthesia machine and mechanical ventilation.
Manage acute rehabilitation and skil care inpatient population following orthopedic surgery until discharge.
General cases, GI, GU, ortho, neuro, GYN, minor vascular, cath lab, surgery centers.

Anesthesia technician vs certified registered nurse anesthetist skills

Common anesthesia technician skills

Patients, 16%
Patient Care, 11%
BLS, 7%
Anesthesia Tech, 6%
Surgery, 5%
IV, 3%

Common certified registered nurse anesthetist skills

Patients, 22%
Patient Care, 8%
Acls, 7%
Anesthesia Care, 6%
OB, 6%
Pain Management, 3%

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Anesthesia Technician
Anesthesia Technician vs Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist

Updated January 8, 2025

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