CRNA Pay Trends | Inflation vs Price Gouging. What’s happening…

Confused about what CRNA pay should be in your area? You’re in good company.

On our journey to discover how we can help CRNAs and employers find each other, negotiate easily, and manage their connections through local talent pools, we keep getting this question: How much are CRNAs in ________ making right now?

This is no surprise!

Operating as either a Provider or Employer in a market without a legitimate marketplace can be expected to cause a bit of confusion. Especially given the context that such a lack of visibility proves highly lucrative for 3rd parties who engage in specific tactics that muddy the waters.

For example: When a CRNA employer has a new opening, they may place that job opening in something called a Vendor Management System and let several 3rd parties with access to CRNAs make bids for presenting a CRNA for that opening. Being the first to present the CRNA who takes that job means winning the bid. And winning the bid means getting the profits.

To be clear, this is a system that works well for many. So what’s the problem?

Unintended consequences of a system like this include…

• 3rd parties are incentivized to use certain controversial/predatory tactics to get CRNAs to agree to [Presentation].
• As we’ve seen CRNAs reporting, some 3rd parties might even present CRNAs without the CRNA’s permission… in a rush to win their bids and profit for the long run. The reward for a successful presentation can be as much as 25-35% above the CRNAs hourly pay or salary.

Direct employers who are not 3rd party recruiters are also having trouble understanding what compensation actually looks like for CRNAs and are struggling to make informed offers.

At Lokum App, we think there is a good case for having a legitimate marketplace that makes compensation less of a mystery and can serve as a source of truth for users on the platform. As usual, CRNAs are helping us make it happen!

As part of our participation in Google’s accelerator cohort this year, we are engaged in a compensation project- working with Machine Learning (AI) and Data Science professionals as mentors to make strides into gaining some of that visibility into what’s happening in the market. With over 650 CRNAs participating, and actual pay data from the Bureau of labor statistics, we have some preliminary data to start drilling down into what’s happening in the CRNA market.

Here is w2 CRNA pay posted in the last 60 days on Gaswork:

Actual pay is usually slightly higher. We’re studying by how much. To access more data moving forward and participate in the project, make your Lokum App account today. We’ll be excited to have you on the platform!

On a previous blog, we took a deep dive into the CRNA’s journey once they decide they are looking for a new opportunity, the players in the market, and what processes they engage in to drive the engine of recruitment for anesthesia services today. Click here to read it.