No one becomes a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist by accident. The path to licensure is intense, demanding years of education, hands-on experience, and unwavering focus. But once you’ve made it, then what?
This is a question more CRNAs should be asking themselves.
While it’s easy to get caught in the day to day rhythm of work, it’s important to take time to pause and think about what you truly want from your career. After all, when you’re spending your days prepping patients, managing anesthesia, and documenting care, it’s all too easy to look up years later and find yourself feeling stuck or burned out.
At AANW, we believe that the most successful CRNAs have intentional careers, not just jobs. And one of the most important tools for building that kind of career is learning how to set and follow through on meaningful goals.
The Value of Finding your True North
Career goals don’t have to be grand in scope or scale. Sometimes they’re as simple as “I want a better work-life balance” or “I’d like to learn a new technique this year.” While they can absolutely be long-term visions of becoming a department head or moving into a specialty field, what matters most is having something to work toward. Something that can guide your choices including where you work, how your work, and who you work with.
Goals give you a reason to say yes to new opportunities, and just as importantly, the clarity to say no when something doesn’t fit.
Setting Goals that Actually Mean Something to You
If you’ve ever set a New Year’s resolution that fizzled out before groundhog day even showed up on the calendar, you already understand that setting a goal is the easy part. It’s the follow through that typically gets you.
This can happen for a number of reasons, but typically failure to follow through starts with the setting of vague intentions like “I want to grow professionally.” These loose goals rarely lead to lasting changes because they aren’t specific enough. Think about what you’re aiming for, why it matters to you, and how you’ll know when you’ve made progress.
For example, consider these specific goals:
- “I want to transition out of night shifts within the next year so I can spend more time with my family.”
- “I’d like to mentor a CRNA student this spring to give back to the profession.”
- “I’m interested in outpatient surgery and want to explore openings that offer more predictability.”
Setting goals is much more than setting arbitrary benchmarks, it’s about aiming for targets that represent and reflect your actual values, making them more powerful motivators and much easier to stick with.
Remember That Life Happens
While setting meaningful goals can set you on a path of growth and fulfillment, it’s important to remember that some goals can simply take longer than you might have expected. Others can change entirely. That’s not failure; that’s life. Your circumstances, interests, and priorities will shift over time. The key is to keep checking in with yourself, adjusting course when needed, and surrounding yourself with people who support your growth.
At AANW, many of our CRNAs come to us at a turning point in their careers. They’re looking for something better. Maybe it’s more autonomy, a different pace, or even a new challenge. We help them make that shift with purpose, not just out of convenience.
And for those who stay with us long-term, we make sure there’s always room to keep growing. Leadership tracks, mentorship roles, and flexible scheduling all begin with conversations about what matters most to you.
The Power of Small Wins
Setting a big goal can be inspiring, but it can also feel overwhelming. The trick with big goals is to break them down into smaller manageable steps and celebrate progress along the way.
Want to move into a specialty setting? Start by shadowing a colleague. Interested in leadership? Volunteer to take the lead on a project or join a committee. Thinking about relocating? Schedule a few informational interviews with peers in that region.
Each step gets you that much closer to your goal. And with each win, no matter how small, you can build the momentum and confidence to realize your aspirations.
Start with a Simple Question
What do you want your career to feel like one year from today?
Think beyond the job title or paycheck. Focus on your energy, your satisfaction, your growth. Then write down one step you can take this month to get you a little closer.
And if that step includes exploring new opportunities, we’d love to connect. At AANW, we’re building a team of CRNAs who want more connection, more growth, and more purpose from their work. You don’t have to have it all fingered out, you just have to start.
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Check out our available opportunities to find that next step or reach out if you need a little help defining what that next step or goal looks like.
