How to hire a nurse anesthetist

How to hire a nurse anesthetist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step nurse anesthetist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a nurse anesthetist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new nurse anesthetist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a nurse anesthetist do?

Post a nurse anesthetist job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   The nurse anesthetist hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A nurse anesthetist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, nurse anesthetists from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents nurse anesthetist salaries for various positions.

   Type of Nurse Anesthetist	Description	Hourly rate
   Nurse Anesthetist	Nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners, also referred to as advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), coordinate patient care and may provide primary and specialty healthcare. The scope of practice varies from state to state.	$42-156
   Clinical Liaison	A clinical liaison's role is to promote health care and rehabilitation facilities to patients and their families. Their responsibilities revolve around devising strategies to reach sales targets, reviewing patient cases, having an in-depth understanding of the facilities and potential patients, assisting clients in filling up paperwork, maintaining records and data of all transactions, and addressing inquiries and concerns... Show more	$18-53
   Emergency Department Registered Nurse	An emergency registered nurse is first in line for patients who need a response. These nurses are first to respond to emergency cases such as trauma, allergic reactions, and injuries... Show more	$23-64

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • CRNA
   • Patient Care
   • Anesthesia Care
   • AANA
   • Informed Consent
   • Airway Management
   • IV
   • Resuscitation
   • Ventilation
   • Intubation
   • General Anesthesia
   • OB
   • Pain Management

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage use of anesthesia machine and mechanical ventilation.
   • Perform specialty cares in the ICU and maternity unit.
   • Initiate the induction of anesthesia, intubation, and monitoring during the anesthesia.
   • Provide full scope midwifery care in busy FQHC clinics, birth center and hospital; credential with CAMC
   • Full scope midwifery care in a community hospital setting
   • Respond to cardiac arrests and situations demanding emergency intubation.

   More nurse anesthetist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your nurse anesthetist job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A nurse anesthetist salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, nurse anesthetists' average salary in louisiana is 44% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level nurse anesthetists earn 73% less than senior-level nurse anesthetists.
   • Certifications. A nurse anesthetist with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a nurse anesthetist's salary.

   Average nurse anesthetist salary

   $170,563yearly

   $82.00 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level nurse anesthetist salary

   $89,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

   Average nurse anesthetist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$178,976	$86
   2	Oregon	$174,763	$84
   3	Minnesota	$172,477	$83
   4	New York	$170,351	$82
   5	Maine	$161,386	$78
   6	Arizona	$158,186	$76
   7	New Jersey	$155,815	$75
   8	Pennsylvania	$152,463	$73
   9	Illinois	$149,878	$72
   10	Ohio	$149,084	$72
   11	Massachusetts	$148,202	$71
   12	North Carolina	$145,999	$70
   13	Virginia	$142,722	$69
   14	New Hampshire	$142,156	$68
   15	Texas	$136,848	$66
   16	Nevada	$126,034	$61
   17	Florida	$117,632	$57
   18	Alabama	$116,250	$56

   Average nurse anesthetist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Trinity Health	$278,811	$134.04	342
   2	Houston Methodist	$241,677	$116.19	13
   3	St. Luke's Hospital	$227,321	$109.29	20
   4	Alameda Health System	$227,303	$109.28	7
   5	Mayo Clinic	$226,650	$108.97	75
   6	Munson Healthcare	$226,599	$108.94	17
   7	UCI Health	$224,612	$107.99	11
   8	Children's Minnesota	$223,735	$107.56	4
   9	Carilion Clinic	$222,055	$106.76	34
   10	Holzer Health System	$220,559	$106.04
   11	SCA Health	$220,492	$106.01	6
   12	UNC Health Care	$214,889	$103.31	58
   13	National Medical Association	$209,417	$100.68
   14	UT Health East Texas	$208,538	$100.26
   15	Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center	$208,116	$100.06	5
   16	Hendrick Health	$207,833	$99.92	8
   17	St Joseph Medical Group	$204,594	$98.36	61
   18	LCMC Health	$203,091	$97.64	23
   19	WellSpan Health	$201,680	$96.96	95
   20	Ohio State University Medical Center	$200,840	$96.56	1

4. Writing a nurse anesthetist job description

   A job description for a nurse anesthetist role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a nurse anesthetist job description:

   Nurse anesthetist job description example

   **No Call / No** **Holidays/Collaborative** **Culture**
   
   The Certified Nurse Anesthetist is part of a collaborative environment supporting a complex case mix across multiple specialties. This role provides anesthesia care in the operating room and off site settings, based on educational preparation and/or certification in the CRNA role to a specific patient population. Care goals include preanesthesia assessment, administration of general and regional anesthesia, airway management and post anesthesia care and patient discharge. The CRNA assumes the management of patients, functioning in a collaborative role with the physician, case manager, and other members of the health care team. As an expert practitioner, the CRNA performs selected invasive procedures, designs individualized treatment plans, evaluates outcomes, and modifies the treatment plan as needed. The CRNA facilitates the transition of patients between service units and provides/coordinates complex patient care. Recognizes and consistently applies knowledge of Loyola's 14 Magnet Forces.
   
   Ensures that care delivered to patients, meets/exceeds standards of care and is provided according to Loyola University Medical Center's mission, strategic plans and all internal/external regulations, policies and procedures. Practices within the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation Nurse Practice Act. Supports the established care models of Loyola University Medical Center.
   
   **Minimum Education:**
   
   **Required:** Masters Degree
   
   **Specify Degree(s):** Nursing Anesthesia
   
   **Licensure/Certifications:**
   
   **Required:**
   
   ACLS (Advanced Cardio Life Support Certified)
   
   Current Registered Nurse License State of Illinois
   
   NBCRNA-National Board of Cert & Recert for Nurse Anesthetists
   
   Nurse Practitioner License State of Illinois Advanced Practice Provider License State of Illinois
   
   **Preferred:**
   
   CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation)
   
   **Other:** Specialty certification in a clinical or functional area of nursing granted by a national
   
   nursing organization is preferred.
   
   **Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion**
   
   Trinity Health is a family of 115,000 colleagues and nearly 26,000 physicians and clinicians across 25 states. Because we serve diverse populations, our colleagues are trained to recognize the cultural beliefs, values, traditions, language preferences, and health practices of the communities that we serve and to apply that knowledge to produce positive health outcomes. We also recognize that each of us has a different way of thinking and perceiving our world and that these differences often lead to innovative solutions.
   
   Our dedication to diversity includes a unified workforce (through training and education, recruitment, retention, and development), commitment and accountability, communication, community partnerships, and supplier diversity.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find nurse anesthetists for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   To find nurse anesthetist candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit nurse anesthetists, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new nurse anesthetist

   Once you've decided on a perfect nurse anesthetist candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new nurse anesthetist first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a nurse anesthetist?