What is the difference between a Nurse Anesthetist and an Anesthesiologist?

What is the difference between an Anesthesiologist and a CRNA?

• Please only answer if you know, because I don't want any guesses. I'm 13, and I want to work in the department of Anesthesia when I get old enough. At first, I wanted to be either a cardiac Anesthesiologist or a neuro-Anesthesiologist, but my friends mom, an OB/Gyn introduced me to CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist). I would like to know the difference in annual pay-check and the job in general. :)

• Answer:

  CRNA's are nurses. Anesthesiologists are doctors. There is a huge difference in education, training and responsibility between the two. You need to decide whether you want to be a doctor or a nurse, and worry about specialization when it matters: either after you get your BSN for nursing, or when you are finishing medical school. Anesthesiologists make more money, but work much longer hours and have a lot more responsibility. Medical school is not easy to get into, so if you don't have the grades, or the drive to make it through 12 years of training, then you might be happier as a CRNA. Revisit this when you're thinking of applying to college.