Nurse anesthetist programs prepare registered nurses to care for patients when they receive drugs to make them unconscious or give relief from pain. Students learn the chemistry and physics of drugs and gases. They learn acute care and operating room practices.

If you've ever been given anesthesia, you know that it is a strange experience. One second you're awake, the next you're not. However strange it is, anesthesia is necessary for many medical and dental procedures, ranging from having major surgery to getting a filling.

In nurse anesthetist programs, you take courses about different organ systems, such as cardiovascular, respiratory, and endocrine. You also study how drugs and anesthesia affect the body and how best to administer these. Your course work will also include practical training, including learning how to assess patients before their procedures by performing medical exams and taking histories. You also learn how to keep patients safe during anesthesia, which means monitoring their breathing, temperature, heartbeat, and fluid levels.

Nurse anesthetists typically work in hospitals, delivery rooms, outpatient surgery centers, and dentists' offices. As a nurse anesthetist, you are not only trained to care for patients who are either under anesthesia or recovering from it, but you also can administer the anesthesia yourself. In fact, nurse anesthetists provide the majority of anesthesia care in America. In some cases, they are the sole provider of anesthesia services, especially in rural areas.

You can become a nurse anesthetist by completing a two-year master's degree program. There are more than 40 nurse anesthetist programs located at four-year colleges and universities in the U.S.