CRNA Travel Nurse Salary: Do Travel CRNAs Earn More Than Staff CRNAs?

With their combination of advanced skill and education, CRNAs outearn every other nursing career position. However, travel nurse CRNAs make even more money annually than staff CRNAs. For CRNAs interested in maximizing their earning potential, a travel nursing position could be the perfect choice.

How Much Does a Travel Nurse Anesthetist Earn?

The average travel Nurse Anesthetist earns a salary of approximately $150,000 per year. Depending on location and skill level, staff CRNAs often make an average salary of just over $100,000 per year. A willingness to travel and take on contract roles in new cities can significantly bump wages for CRNA jobs.

Does Experience Influence a Travel Nurse Anesthetist’s Salary?

As with any other profession and position, traveling CRNAs make more money the more experience they have under their belt. Entry level positions pay the least compared to higher experience roles. Hospitals and other employers are happy to pay a premium for the advanced experience long-time CRNAs bring to the workplace. When evaluating potential salary increases from travel nursing, make sure to factor work experience into your decision.

Stipends That Can Increase Your CRNA Travel Nurse Salary

In addition to a traditional salary, travel nurses often receive a stipend to cover their travel and housing expenses. This money is typically used to pay for flights, moving expenses, car rentals, and temporary or long-term houses - depending on the length of the contract. Unlike base salary, a stipend does not count as taxable income, which means you will not have to pay income tax on any stipend money. This means more money in your pocket and even more benefits for travel CRNAs.

Highest Paying Cities for CRNA Travel Jobs

As with all travel nursing jobs, CRNA jobs come with different salaries depending on the city and state they are located in. Areas with more urgent staffing needs usually pay more in order to attract more staff quickly. The cost of living should also be factored into regional pay differences for travel nurse anesthetists. The top paying US cities for travel CRNAs according to labor statistics are:

• Atkinson, NE $286,000 average annual salary
• Deer Park, CA $237000 average annual salary
• Johnstonville, CA $229000 average annual salary
• Green River, WY $229,000 average annual salary
• Richmond, CA $226,000 average annual salary

What Affects CRNA Salary?

There are a variety of factors that affect a traveling CRNA’s salary. Knowing what goes into calculating travel CRNA pay can help you make the most out of your career.

Negotiating Your CRNA Travel Nurse Salary

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Location‍

As stated above, a travel CRNA job’s salary varies widely depending on the location of the contract. When negotiating your new position’s terms, ensure you are taking geography into account. Being willing to travel to a remote location or one with a high cost of living can help bump up your bottom line.

Shift

Each hospital or health clinic has different shift breakdowns for their traveling CRNAs. Nurse Anesthetists willing to work longer hours, pick up extra shifts, and clock in overtime pay can count on making a higher take-home salary at the end of the day. Do not risk burnout, but do make sure you are maximizing your earning potential by considering shift schedules.

Crisis Assignments

One way to earn higher pay and make a difference in your new community is to take on crisis assignments. Crisis assignments are when an area has a major disaster or large health event that floods emergency rooms with patients. These assignments typically last for short durations of 3-12 weeks. Because crisis assignments require long hours and vital work, these travel CRNA jobs pay higher wages than regular assignments.

Continuing Education

Some CRNAs choose to add specializations to their licensure through continuing education. Traveling CRNAs can specialize in pediatric, cardiovascular, neurosurgical, or other subspecialties within the CRNA license. Adding this extra education can make nurse anesthetists even more in demand and allow them to earn more in specialized travel nursing roles.

Workplace

There are a wide variety of employment opportunities and workplace options for travel CRNAs. Outpatient facilities, government care facilities, general surgery, and surgical hospitals all commonly contract travel nurse anesthetists. Flexibility in your workplace choice can allow you to work at facilities that offer the highest salaries.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can you be a travel Nurse as a CRNA?

Yes, travel nursing can include all nursing specialties and subspecialties. A CRNA is a Nurse that administers anesthesia either independently or under a supervising Anesthesiologist. CRNAs are in high demand as travel nurses.

How much do travel CRNAs make a week?

Travel CRNA jobs have an average salary of $3,700 per week as of 2022. Willingness to travel and additional subspecialties or experience can raise that salary even higher.

What is the highest-paid CRNA?

The highest-paid CRNAs are generally travel nurse anesthetists. CRNAs with additional subspecialities or CRNAs who work in outpatient and government care facilities tend to make more than any other nurse anesthetists.

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