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Certified Registered Nurse Anesthesiologist Being a CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthesiologist) is such an important career that is crucial to the medical department. CRNA’s do not only prep the patient, but many also give the anesthesia. It is essential that each patient who comes through the hospital about to go under the needle is received proper anesthesia, and this is where CRNA’s get involved. There are many different types of nurses out there for many different types of medical issues. So what exactly do CRNA’s do? “Nurse Anesthetists are registered nurses with advanced training in Anesthesiology, the branch of medicine that deals with administering drugs that enable a patient to lose sensitivity with or without loss of consciousness” (Griffin 1). The CRNA’s are responsible for obtaining the patients history, evaluating how much anesthesia will be given, coming up with a plan for the administration process (which results in often consulting with the Anesthesiologist first) and then prior to the surgery in the morning, administers through an IV, a sedative. “Throughout the surgery, the nurse anesthetist monitors the patient's vital signs (blood pressure, respiration, heart rate, and temperature) by watching the video and digital displays. The nurse anesthetist is also responsible for maintaining the patient's blood, water, and salt levels at all times by readjusting the flow of anesthetics and other medications to ensure optimal results” (1). CRNA’s also take care of the patients after the surgery, observing vitals and looking out for any complications when it comes to the patient returning to consciousness. Not all Nurse Anesthetists work with big cases where the patient has to go completely unconscious. Many do local visits where they administer just a small form of anesthesia at which the patient is most likely still awake, it just numbs the spot where the patient is being worked on.