A CRNA job interview runs in both directions: the employer screens you, and you screen a job you may live with for years. The questions you ask usually matter more than the ones you answer, because anesthesia groups hide their problems in staffing and call.
This page covers both sides, plus extra questions for independent and 1099 roles. (Looking for CRNA school interviews instead? See /crna-interview-questions/.)
Key points
- Your questions matter more than your answers; probe staffing and call.
- Ask how many positions are open and for how long.
- Always ask who pays malpractice tail if you leave.
- Insist on talking privately with staff CRNAs before accepting.
What employers ask CRNAs
Most clinical interviews are conversational. Expect questions like:
- Walk me through your experience: settings, case mix, typical day.
- What cases are you comfortable doing independently on day one?
- Regional and lines: which blocks do you do, how many, what approach? Arterial and central line experience?
- Tell me about a critical event you managed: a difficult airway, hemodynamic crash, failed block, or OB emergency. They want your thinking and your honesty about what you learned.
- How do you handle disagreement with a surgeon about proceeding with a case?
- Why this job, this town, this group? Retention is expensive, and they want people who will stay.
- Scheduling realities: can you take call, work late rooms, cover OB?
- For new grads: where you trained, your case numbers, and how you ask for help. See /new-grad-crna-first-job/.
Answer clinically and concretely. Inflating comfort levels backfires fast in this field, because your first weeks will reveal exactly what you can do.
What you should ask them
Staffing model and stability
- How many CRNAs and anesthesiologists are in the group, and what is the staffing model: care team with medical direction, supervision, independent, or mixed? See /crna-scope-of-practice/ for what those mean.
- How many positions are open right now, and how long has the longest been open?
- How many CRNAs left in the past two years, and why?
- Who holds the contract: the hospital, a physician group, a national management company? Contract turnover can change everything about a job overnight.
Call and schedule
- What is the call model, monthly call count, and average callbacks per call? In-house or home call?
- What happens to call burden when someone resigns?
- Is post-call time off guaranteed? How far ahead is the schedule published? Full list of call questions at /crna-call-schedules/.
Backup and safety
- Who is immediately available when I have a difficult airway or a crashing patient?
- What is the OB coverage arrangement, and is there a second provider for simultaneous emergencies?
- How does the group handle breaks and relief?
Case mix and skills
- What is the case mix, and which parts would I cover?
- Do CRNAs here do blocks, lines, OB? Is there a pathway to add privileges?
- Anything CRNAs are not allowed to do here that I should know about?
Pay structure and benefits
- Is pay salaried, hourly, or units-based? What do overtime, late rooms, and call pay look like?
- What is the full benefits package: retirement match, CME money, PTO, health insurance, malpractice? Compare offers with /crna-benefits-package/.
- Is malpractice occurrence-based or claims-made, and who pays tail if I leave? See /crna-malpractice-insurance/.
- Sign-on bonus or stipend terms: commitment length and repayment rules if either side ends it early.
- Ask for the contract early and read it before you negotiate. See /crna-contract-negotiation/.
Ask to speak privately with one or two staff CRNAs. A good group arranges it readily. A group that will not let you talk to the people doing the job is telling you something.
Extra questions for independent and 1099 roles
Contractor roles shift risk to you, so the questions change. See /1099-crna/ for the full picture.
- What exactly is the rate, and what does it include: call, callback, late hours, travel, cancellation terms?
- What is the guaranteed minimum: hours per day, days per month? Who eats cancelled cases?
- Who provides malpractice, and is it occurrence or claims-made? If claims-made, who pays tail?
- Who credentials me and how long does that take before I can start billing time?
- Who bills for my services, and does anything about the billing arrangement depend on my documentation?
- What supervision or collaboration documentation does the state and facility require from me?
- Am I really a contractor under IRS rules, given the control the facility expects? Worth a one-time conversation with a CPA.
Compare any 1099 rate against a W2 offer properly, since benefits and employer taxes are worth a large percentage on top of W2 pay. Use /crna-1099-vs-w2-calculator/ and /crna-take-home-pay/.
How should I prepare?
Know your case numbers and comfort zones, bring your license and certification details (see /crna-resume/), and prepare your own question list in writing. Research the facility's size, services, and ownership beforehand.
Is it rude to ask about money in the first interview?
No. Pay structure is a normal professional topic, and groups expect it. Phrase it as structure first (how pay works), then numbers.
What is the biggest red flag?
Chronic unfilled positions plus a big sign-on bonus plus vague answers about call. That pattern means you will become the staffing solution. More red flags at /new-grad-crna-first-job/, and current listings at /best-crna-jobs/.