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Job Description & Responsibilities of a Chief CRNA

The position of chief certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) is a sometimes misunderstood but critically important member of the surgery team at any hospital. The CRNA designation evolved in the late 1950s as advances in the field of anesthetics made it necessary for additional training and specialization by those overseeing that part of a surgical procedure.

  1. Job Description

    • According to the American Society of Anesthesiologists, anesthesiology is the medical practice devoted to pain relief before, during, and after surgery. In simple terms, an anesthesiologist is a medical doctor who makes sure a patient is unconscious and safe during surgery. The chief CRNA is in charge of the team of nurse anesthetists at a hospital who assist the anesthesiology doctor. There will likely be several CRNAs but only one is responsible for the safety and efficiency of the entire department. The chief CRNA is in charge of developing processes and procedures for the anesthesiology department. He will evaluate and update these processes as needed. The chief CRNA is a supervisory position that includes assessing the performance of the CRNA staff. Depending on the hospital, a chief CRNA will have varying levels of actual work in the operating room. He may simply be a background presence assuring that everything runs smoothly, or could be take a more hands-on approach to delivering and monitoring anesthesia.

    Surgical Responsibilities

    • The chief CRNA is responsible for his staff caring for a patient before, during, and after a medical procedure. The first step is to assess the patient and determine which anesthesia protocol is best for the situation. Prior to surgery, the patient is prepared for anesthesia. Anesthesia is administered and maintained for proper sedation level and pain management through surgery and into the recovery room. As the only providers of anesthesia, the chief CRNA's staff are a critical asset in the medical field.

    Administrative Responsibilities

    • Paperwork and planning are an unavoidable fact of life in the medical field, and any chief CRNA should expect that good portion of his daily responsibility will be keeping on top of the department bureaucracy. Not only should he be an excellent motivator and moderator of possibly conflicting staff egos but needs an attention to detail in documenting patient care. Since many hospitals struggle with allocating scarce budgets, a chief CRNA will likely work in coordination with other hospital leaders to decide what his department's needs are on an ongoing basis.

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