Wages

• The median annual income for nurse anesthetists at all levels of experience from across the United States was $155,261 as of April 2011, according to Salary.com. The bottom 10 percent of nurse anesthetists earned less than $138,519 while the top 10 percent earned in excess of $174,982 per year. The middle 50 percent of certified nurse anesthetists earned annual incomes of between $146,498 and$165,584. CNN Money's 2009 Best Jobs in America report placed the median annual income for nurse anesthetists at $157,000.
  
  

Gender

• Both men and women serve as nurse anesthetists. The American Association of Nurse Anesthetists notes that 41 percent of nurse anesthetists are male. Full time male nurse anesthetists tended to earn higher wages than their female counterparts did, according to the 2010 LocumTenens.com Compensation and Employment Report. Male nurse anesthetists earned average salaries and bonuses of $175,164 while female nurse anesthetists earned $156,147. The 2010 LocumTenens report only accounted for employed, full-time nurse anesthetists. Those who worked part-time, or were self-employed, were not included in this report.
  
  

Experience

• Experience may play a role in determining the wages of an anesthesia nurse. The 2010 LocumTenens report indicates 24 percent of nurse anesthetists have been in practice for five years or less. Nurse anesthetists with between six and 12 years of experience account for 19 percent of the occupation, and 17 percent of nurse anesthetists have between 13 and 20 years on the job. Approximately 40 percent of nurse anesthetists have more than 20 years experience as of 2010. 2010 LocumTenens report places the median annual income for nurse anesthetists at all levels of experience at $166,833. Median salaries were similar for all experience levels, but with a sharp increase for nurse anesthetists who had between 20 and 30 years of experience.
  
  

Considerations

• Nurse anesthetists are highly educated and experienced advanced practice nurses. Requirements for licensure as a certified registered nurse anesthetist include at least one-year experience as a licensed registered nurse in an acute care setting, a bachelor of science in nursing or similar degree, and completion of an approved master's degree program in nurse anesthesia. The difference in training and experience is evident in the difference in compensation between registered nurses and nurse anesthetists. The median annual wages for registered nurses was $63,750 as of May 2009, according to the BLS. The median annual income for nurse anesthetists was $155,261 as of April 2011 according to Salary.com.