Nurse Anesthetist Jobs

About The Position

Requirements

• Master's or doctoral degree in nurse anesthesia from a professional nurse anesthesia school accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs at the time of program completion.
• Active, current, full, and unrestricted license to practice as a nurse anesthetist or equivalent in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia.
• Full and current certification by the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA), or an equivalent nurse anesthetist certification recognized by the COA.
• For Nurse III: one year of specialized APN (Certified Nurse Anesthetist) experience equivalent to the APN (CNA) II grade level.
• Proficiency in basic written and spoken English.
• Ability to translate professional nursing principles, including patient autonomy, dignity, privacy, and safety, into anesthesia care.
• Knowledge of current research, practice guidelines, anesthesia techniques, pharmacology, and equipment.
• Ability to obtain and document informed consent, conduct pre-anesthetic evaluations, formulate patient-specific plans, and administer multiple forms of anesthesia.
• Skill in detecting and treating physiologic changes, assessing transfer of care, communicating with healthcare providers, and providing emergency airway and resuscitation care.
• Ability to practice collaboratively, maintain safety and infection control, and document care appropriately.
• For Nurse III: progressively responsible experience and ability to manage anesthesia for complex procedures, adapt techniques to patient response and comorbidities, and contribute to post-operative anesthesia care programs.
• For Nurse III: ability to mentor or precept trainees, contribute to quality auditing and administrative processes, and participate in interdisciplinary teams and safety initiatives.
• U.S. citizenship, except where appointment of a non-citizen is permitted under VA policy.
• Pass applicable pre-employment drug screening, physical evaluation, and background/security investigation; complete onboarding and required application documentation.
• Participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Be physically and mentally able to perform the duties, including lifting 30 pounds or more and frequent twisting, bending, standing, and walking.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement anesthetic plans in discussion with an anesthesiologist and document them in CPRS and/or the preanesthetic evaluation and anesthetic record.
• Initiate anesthetic techniques as defined in the TVHS CRNA Scope of Practice.
• Support life function during preoperative, intraoperative, and perioperative care in a team setting.
• Take corrective action to maintain hemodynamic stability, notify the attending anesthesiologist and surgeon of abnormal responses, and secure and maintain airways outside the surgical suite.
• Provide professional observation and resuscitation until patients regain control of vital functions.
• Document history and physical findings and preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative care completely, legibly, and promptly in CPRS in accordance with departmental policy and the TVHS Scope of Practice.
• Select, apply, and insert appropriate invasive and non-invasive monitoring devices within the TVHS Scope of Practice.
• Facilitate emergence and recovery from anesthesia by selecting, obtaining, ordering, and administering medications and fluids, and providing ventilator support.
• Initiate and administer respiratory support to ensure adequate ventilation and oxygenation in the post-anesthesia period; interpret arterial blood gases as needed in discussion with the attending anesthesiologist.
• Maintain neuraxial and regional plexus infusions and remove neuraxial and plexus catheters according to departmental policy.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
• Obtain, document, and verify informed anesthesia consent; perform pre-anesthetic histories and physical examinations, manage preoperative consults, and interpret data.
• Formulate patient-specific anesthetic plans and explain relevant risks, benefits, and options to patients.
• Administer inhalational, regional, intravenous, local, and topical anesthetics; detect and treat physiologic changes and maintain homeostasis.
• Assess patients' readiness for transfer of care and communicate essential information to other providers.
• Collaborate on patient positioning, physiologic monitoring, infection control, and anesthesia documentation.
• Respond to emergencies with airway management, fluids and medications, invasive line insertion and management, and advanced cardiac life support techniques.
• Provide anesthesia care in an interdisciplinary environment and maintain practice consistent with current research, guidelines, safety protocols, and professional standards.
• Contribute to quality improvement, auditing, education and mentoring, departmental administration, shared governance, and interdisciplinary guidelines as applicable, particularly at the Nurse III level.

Benefits

• Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), subject to eligibility and approval, with an award of up to $200,000 and an eligibility period of one to five years.
• Competitive salary, regular salary increases, and potential performance awards.
• 50 days of paid time off per year: 26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, and 11 paid federal holidays.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting and federal 401(k) with up to 5% in contributions by VA.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.