Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)

For most nurses in hospital settings, a twelve-hour shift never means twelve hours. Health care is relentlessly being provided on a continuous basis and the demand of a patient care will always take precedence over a nurse’s end of shift. In any practice of nursing, nurses encounter various stressors while caring for patients with complicated health issues, sometimes resulting in nurses placing their own health on the back burner to care for their patient(s). This level of stress and physical manifestations is very common in nursing however; I wanted to focus on how it specifically impacted nurse anesthetists (CRNA).

Growing up, I always envisioned nurse anesthetist (CRNA) as a very rewarding profession that offers a variety of unique benefits

Studies note that protracted stress has significant physical and mental consequences for healthcare professionals that can affect health, sometimes to the point of disability, and may even affect patient care.” In a clinical setting, the CRNA is responsible for more than putting a patient to sleep. Referring to the American Association of Nurse Anesthetist, CRNAs are responsible for preanesthesia assessment, medication, cardiopulmonary resuscitation management, airway management, and much more. Consequently, CRNAs are monitoring the patient's vital signs and making sure they are responding to the anesthetics applicably and intuitively have to act quickly on their feet because a patient’s life is literally in their hands, which in my opinion is an incredible responsibility but yet frightening. However, this aspect of the job is inevitable. Patient care is the biggest priority of the job so this stressor is very subjective on how heavily it impacts the nature of the job. So outside of patient care, the occupational stressors that were recognized by nurse anesthetists were fatigue, interpersonal relationships, attitude of medical doctors, and the inadequate staffing (Schoo, Sigler, 2010,

Chronic stress is repeated exposure to an internal or external situation for a prolonged amount of time, which can cause physical manifestations and “this type of stress does not let up. Our bodies are continually bathed in the "stress hormones" from the HPA axis.1 [Therefore these] stress hormones affect [CRNAs] on a daily basis and may ultimately destroy minds, bodies, and lives. As [CRNAs] get used to chronic or long-term stress, [they] tend to forget it is there because it is not new. Chronic stress does not get our attention until its damage is done (Chipas, McKenna, 2011, p.123). Damages such