Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 1/31/2007

Question
     I was wondering if it's possible for a crna to become an anesthesiologist by continuing his education. I've had to kind of do things the hard way and work my way up. I started out getting my medical coding certificate so I could get a job at a hospital and get tuition assistance and am now currently working on my RN. My main goal as of now is to become a crna. But I was wondering if it was feasible? I know it would take time but I was just wanting another opinion.

Answer
They are two separate tracks. One requires nursing school and the other medical school. So if you follow the CRNA option, you would still need to get into medical school and then anesthesiology residency. I would suggest you decide which path you want to follow and go with it. CRNA will be 4-5 years, anesthesiology will be 12 years.

Ronald Levy, MD
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston