A newly graduated CRNA and a fifteen-year veteran can go to the same conference, sit in the same panels, and still walk away with completely different takeaways. One is trying to find a single friendly face, while the other might already have multiple connections lined up before the closing session. Neither is doing it “wrong”, per se. They’re just at different points in a career where networking can hold different meanings.
Networking gets talked about like it’s one skill you either have or you don’t. In reality, early-career CRNAs are looking for something completely different than someone eyeing a lead role or subspecialty transition needs. Knowing which stage you’re in changes who you should be talking to and what questions you can ask for the maximum impact.
New Grads: Building From Zero
Your first year out of school, your network is basically your program cohort and whoever precepted you during clinicals. That’s a real foundation, but it’s a small one, and it can feel isolating once everyone scatters to different hospitals and states.
The fastest way to widen the net isn’t chasing chief CRNAs or medical directors. It’s more about connecting with people who may only be two or three years ahead of you on their own career journey. They remember what it’s like to be new. They’re not threatened by your questions, and they often hear about openings and shifts in their department long before anything gets posted publicly.
State-level nurse anesthesia associations are also worth joining early. The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology represents approximately 90 percent of the nation’s CRNAs, and most state chapters run new-member events specifically designed to connect recent grads with practicing clinicians in their region. Showing up to even one or two of these a year puts you in rooms you wouldn’t otherwise be in.
You have seven seconds to make a strong first impression. People may not remember exactly what you said in those seven seconds, but they will remember how you made them feel.
— Michelle Aube, CRNA, Chief at Whidbey Health Medical Center
Mid-Career: Widening the Circle Beyond Your Unit
Somewhere around the fifth or sixth year in practice, most CRNAs hit a plateau where their network has stopped growing. This is the point where you feel fully confident in your position. You know your department and the surgeons you work with regularly. But somehow your world has quietly narrowed to the four walls of your OR.
This is typically the stage where subspecialty involvement starts to pay off for most CRNAs. If you’re drawn to regional anesthesia, obstetric anesthesia, or pain management, organizations built around those specialties tend to have tighter, more accessible communities than the broader profession. Volunteering for a committee or helping with event logistics gets you remembered in a way that just attending sessions never does.
It’s also the stage where cross-disciplinary relationships start to matter more. Surgeons and physicians notice CRNAs who communicate clearly, anticipate problems, and remain unflappable when cases get complicated. Those relationships often turn into references and recommendations years later, sometimes for opportunities you didn’t even know existed yet.
If you’re weighing whether a mentor relationship is worth pursuing at this stage, here’s a closer look at how mentorships can shape and guide your anesthesia career and how to find the right fit.
Leadership-Track: Networking With Intention
Once you’re aiming at a lead CRNA role, a department leadership or management role, networking stops being about finding your next job and starts being about visibility within the broader system. The people who decide who moves into leadership roles are often two or three degrees removed from your daily work: department heads, hospital administrators, or regional medical directors.
Getting onto their radar usually means volunteering for hospital committees, presenting at conferences, or taking on quality improvement projects that put your name in front of people outside your immediate team. It’s slower and less direct than earlier stages, but it’s how CRNAs end up recommended for roles before they’re even posted.
If leadership is genuinely the direction you’re headed, this guide to building leadership skills early in your career should be a useful next read.
It is important to remember that you have worked hard to become an anesthesia professional. You have spent years mastering your art and developing a level of knowledge and skill that will remain with you for the rest of your career. When looking for a job, make certain that the opportunity is about more than just money and benefits—it is about finding a home where all of your hard work can truly be put into practice.
You want an environment where you can thrive, grow, expand your knowledge, and continue developing your practice while caring for those in need of your expertise. The right position should allow you to use the skills you worked so hard to achieve while continuing to challenge you. Of course, providing for yourself and your family is of the utmost importance. However, it is equally essential to immerse yourself in a position that is professionally rewarding. Finding a role that supports your growth, values your abilities, and offers fulfillment will ultimately be one of the most important decisions you make for your career.— Dr. DeRemer, President of AANW
Where AANW Fits Into It All
Here’s the honest version: building a strong network takes years, and most CRNAs are doing it on top of twelve-hour shifts, continuing education requirements, and everything else that can come with the job. Nobody gets a real break for it.
At Anesthesia Associates NW, our recruiting relationships already reach into the parts of the profession that can take a decade or more to access. Chief CRNAs, medical directors, and department heads across the Pacific Northwest work with us directly, often before an opening is announced anywhere else. That doesn’t mean your own network stops mattering. It means you don’t have to build every single connection yourself before good opportunities start finding you.
Whether you’re a new grad still building your first circle or an experienced CRNA ready for what’s next, you don’t have to do it alone. Check out our current openings or reach out to our team to talk through where you’re headed.
