Nurse anesthetists
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.
Nurse anesthetists 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. The role reports a median annual salary of $223,210 in the US and is projected to grow 9% over the next decade (faster than average). Entry typically requires a Master's degree, and shows low AI exposure (0.28 on a 0-1 scale) — the role's core work resists automation. The most in-demand skills for the role include Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, Judgment and Decision Making, Active Learning.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £42,300 a year for Other nursing professionals (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £36,192 to £49,866 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2237). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Nurse anesthetists, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Customer and Personal Service
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Education and Training
- Mathematics
- English Language
- Psychology
A day in the life
You arrive early at the operating theatres, checking the anaesthesia machine, monitors, airway equipment and emergency drugs before the first case. You meet your first patient, review their medical history and allergies, and explain what will happen to calm their nerves. In theatre you give the anaesthetic, secure the airway and watch the monitors closely throughout the operation, adjusting drugs and fluids as heart rate and blood pressure change. Between cases you restock and prepare equipment for the next patient. After lunch you give a spinal anaesthetic for a knee operation, then a sedation for a short procedure. When one patient's blood pressure drops suddenly, you respond fast and stabilise them. At the end of each case you hand over care in recovery and record every drug and dose. The responsibility is huge and focus must never slip, but keeping patients safe and pain free is deeply fulfilling.
In India: In India anaesthesia is given by doctors trained in anaesthesiology; nurses and anaesthesia technicians assist them in theatre, so this independent nurse role is rare.
Illustrative: one typical day, written from the O*NET task statements for this occupation. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- Manage patients' airway or pulmonary status, using techniques such as endotracheal intubation, mechanical ventilation, pharmacological support, respiratory therapy, and extubation.
- Respond to emergency situations by providing airway management, administering emergency fluids or drugs, or using basic or advanced cardiac life support techniques.
- Monitor patients' responses, including skin color, pupil dilation, pulse, heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, ventilation, or urine output, using invasive and noninvasive techniques.
- Select, order, or administer anesthetics, adjuvant drugs, accessory drugs, fluids or blood products as necessary.
- Select, prepare, or use equipment, monitors, supplies, or drugs for the administration of anesthetics.
- Assess patients' medical histories to predict anesthesia response.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Nurse anesthetists do?
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.
What does a typical day look like in Nurse anesthetists?
You arrive early at the operating theatres, checking the anaesthesia machine, monitors, airway equipment and emergency drugs before the first case. You meet your first patient, review their medical history and allergies, and explain what will happen to calm their nerves. In theatre you give the anaesthetic, secure the airway and watch the monitors closely throughout the operation, adjusting drugs and fluids as heart rate and blood pressure change.
How much does Nurse anesthetists earn?
The median annual salary for Nurse anesthetists in the US is $223,210.
What is the job outlook for Nurse anesthetists?
The role is projected to grow 9% over the next decade (faster than average). Current US employment is approximately 53,800 workers.
How do I become nurse anesthetists?
The typical entry education is a Master's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Nurse anesthetists need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, Judgment and Decision Making, Active Learning, Active Listening. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Nurse anesthetists?
Our AI-durability model gives Nurse anesthetists a score of 0.28 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at low AI exposure — the role's core work resists current-generation automation. It's a comparatively AI-durable choice within its field.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Nurse anesthetists has high barrier to entry — highly gated — a graduate degree or extended training/apprenticeship is typically required.