A nurse anesthetist in a nutshell, is one level lower than an anesthesiologist. They not only administer local or general anesthetics to patients, but they also oversee everything from blood pressure, to heart rhythm, to temperature and even level of consciousness. One misconception is that nurse anesthetist only watch over patients, while in surgery, but that isn’t true. In fact, they watch over after, too, making sure all of their vitals are in check. This commonly happens in hospitals, but can