Question: what does it take to be a certified registered nurse anesthetist?
Answer: Nurse anesthetists complete a BSN (4 years), an MSN (2 years), and with the new mandate a DNAP (4 years). Including an average of 2.6 years of critical care experience, this amounts to an estimated 11 years to achieve certification. Anesthesiologists are licensed medical doctors who specialize in anesthesia.