Feature article
LocumTenens.com Says CRNAs Earn More for Rural Practice: Locum Tenens CRNAs
Out-Earn Staff CRNAs in Salary Survey
A 2007 CRNA (certified registered nurse anesthetist) salary survey by physician
recruiting firm LocumTenens.com indicates that nurse anesthetists who work in
rural America out-earn their urban and suburban colleagues by about 10%.
Overall annual CRNA compensation averaged $178,084.70 among 417 respondents to
this year's salary survey, compared to $196,194.60 for the 28% of respondents
who said they currently practice in rural areas (defined as areas with
populations of less than 50,000).
If this year's CRNA (certified registered nurse anesthetist) salary survey
results from LocumTenens.com are any indication, nurse anesthetists who work in
rural America out-earn their urban and suburban colleagues by about 10%.
Overall annual CRNA compensation averaged $178,084.70 among 417 respondents to
this year's salary survey, compared to $196,194.60 for the 28% of respondents
who said they currently practice in rural areas (defined as areas with
populations of less than 50,000). Rural respondents averaged 19.8 years in
practice, compared to an average of 16.5 years in practice overall. (For more
information, visit http://www.locumtenens.com/CRNAcomp07.)
"The income differential isn't surprising when you consider the increasing
surgical demands of our aging population and the scarcity of clinicians in many
parts of rural America," LocumTenens.com Recruiting Manager/Anesthesia Diana
Holmes said. "Nurse anesthetists function as the sole anesthesia providers in
more than half of all rural U.S. hospitals, according to the AANA (American
Association of Nurse Anesthetists)."
Holmes noted that only about 14% of the 419 respondents to LocumTenens.com's
2007 anesthesiologist salary survey reported practicing in rural areas. She
said this tracks with data from the National Rural Health Association
indicating that only 10% of physicians practice in rural America, where about a
quarter of the U.S. population lives.
Rural Locum Tenens Lucrative
Among rural respondents to the CRNA salary survey, the highest earnings were
reported by the 10% of survey respondents who work locum tenens exclusively for
an average of 10.3 months per year, with total compensation averaging
$205,538.50 annually. LocumTenens.com is the only recruiting firm offering a
job board solely for nurse anesthetists at
http://www.crnajobs.com/.
"The AANA indicates that CRNAs administer 65% of the 26 million anesthetics
given each year to patients in the United States," Holmes said. "Companies like
LocumTenens.com facilitate getting them to where they're most needed--often at
facilities where an OR (operating room) would have to close but for their
willingness to travel. That's one reason why they get paid well for doing it."
Sixty percent of all 2007 CRNA salary survey respondents said they have worked
locum tenens while another 37% who haven't done so said they would consider it.
Thirty percent said they plan a job change within the next year, while almost
half (49%) said they plan to make a change within 3 years. Overall 40% of
respondents said the possibility of higher compensation would be the number-one
influencer, while 24% cited the potential for a better work environment.
CRNA Frustrations Consistent
Rural CRNAs' list of top frustrations with medical practice today matched the
larger respondent universe's list fairly consistently. About 30% indicated that
having "administrative and business agendas interfere with clinical decisions"
was their number-one complaint, while approximately 21% said their biggest
frustration was with reimbursement issues.
Likewise, 82% of both rural and all CRNA salary survey respondents said they
would choose a CRNA career again. This compares to 90% of 2006 respondents,
only 20% of whom planned to change jobs within the coming year.
--Billie Wickstrom
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