A certified registered nurse anesthetist, or CRNA, is one of thehighest paid and most advanced types of nurse. They are responsiblefor all aspects of giving a patient anesthesia when theanesthesiologist is not available, although they work closely withthe anesthesiologist and surgical staff. Many hospitals employ morecertified registered nurse anesthetists than anesthesiologists.This allows hospitals and surgery centers to be able to complete agreater number of surgeries, since it is cheaper for the hospitalto use CRNAs. That being said, a CRNA is very well paid, andcarries a great responsibility for the care of the patient. Thisresponsibility applies to before, during and after surgery. This isa very high pressure job, and requires a great deal of dedicationand commitment on the part of t