Locum CRNA Jobs
Locum tenens assignments for certified registered nurse anesthetists through MedStaff Locum Tenens: hospital ORs, surgery centers, OB coverage, and rural CRNA-only departments, with malpractice covered, credentialing handled by us, travel and lodging arranged, and one coordinator for the whole assignment.
Locum CRNA assignments go to the bench first
Anesthesia coverage needs move fast, and most are filled from the bench before they are ever posted. Join the bench and you will see assignments matching your licenses, case mix, and dates in your portal as they open. We are also running 5 permanent CRNA searches right now.
Pay
What locum CRNAs earn, and what the rate leaves out
Advertised locum CRNA rates on national job boards commonly run about $175 to $250 an hour in 2026, and some assignments pay more. The rate climbs with call, nights, cardiac or pediatric case mix, short notice, and remote rural locations, and it is stated on every MedStaff assignment confirmation before you accept, along with guaranteed hours, the call rate, and travel and lodging terms.
Most locum CRNAs, including those placed by MedStaff Locum Tenens, work as 1099 independent contractors. Nothing is withheld from your pay. You owe both halves of Social Security and Medicare as self-employment tax and pay estimated tax quarterly, and you can deduct legitimate business expenses. Health insurance, retirement savings, and paid time off are yours to fund.
The arithmetic is worth doing honestly. At $200 an hour, forty hours a week for forty-six weeks is $368,000 before self-employment tax, benefits, and the weeks between assignments. Against a permanent offer with a retirement match, health insurance, and paid leave, the gap is real but smaller than the hourly rate suggests. Our CRNA pay guide works through the full comparison, with state pay data.
Assignments
The locum CRNA work we place
Hospital OR coverage
Main OR rooms on a care team or as the sole anesthesia provider, covering a vacancy or a leave. Days, with call stated on the assignment confirmation.
Rural and CRNA-only hospitals
You are the anesthesia department: OR, OB, and emergencies, often for weeks at a time, with travel and lodging arranged. The most independent work, and often the best paid.
Surgery centers
High-volume orthopedic, GI, and ophthalmology rooms with weekday hours and no nights. Regional skills open the most doors.
OB and call coverage
Labor epidurals, cesareans, nights, weekends, and holiday call. Call is paid at its own rate.
Each confirmation states the practice model, so you know whether you are joining a care team or working as the only anesthesia provider. 27 states have opted out of Medicare's physician-supervision requirement for CRNAs; our CRNA recruiting page lists them.
How it works
Locum CRNA work with MedStaff, start to finish
Apply once
A short application with your NPI, licenses, and the settings you want. A coordinator reviews every application personally and invites you to the provider portal if it is a fit.
Credential once
Upload your licenses, NBCRNA certification, DEA where you hold it, BLS, ACLS, PALS, and CV to your credential vault. We verify them and remind you before anything expires.
Set your availability
A calendar in the portal shows the dates you can work and the states you are licensed in. Assignments are matched to it.
Review and accept assignments
Each assignment arrives as a written confirmation with the rate, guaranteed hours, call and premium rates, travel and lodging terms, and dates. Accept it in the portal.
Work, log hours, get paid
Enter hours in the portal or by text link. The facility approves them, and pay statements follow on a regular schedule with expenses and stipends included.
Locum CRNA work, answered
- How much do locum CRNAs make?
- Advertised locum CRNA rates on national job boards commonly run about $175 to $250 an hour in 2026, with some assignments above that. Call, nights, cardiac or pediatric case mix, short notice, and remote rural locations push a rate up. With MedStaff Locum Tenens, every assignment states its rate, guaranteed hours, and call rate on a written confirmation before you accept.
- Are locum CRNAs 1099 or W-2?
- Most locum CRNAs work as 1099 independent contractors, including CRNAs placed by MedStaff Locum Tenens. You are paid without withholding, pay both halves of Social Security and Medicare as self-employment tax, make quarterly estimated payments, and can deduct legitimate business expenses. Health insurance and retirement are yours to arrange, which is why a locum hourly rate should be compared with a permanent offer’s total package, not its base salary.
- Is malpractice covered on locum CRNA assignments?
- Yes. Professional liability coverage is provided for every MedStaff Locum Tenens assignment, and the certificate of insurance goes to the facility with your credentialing file.
- Who handles credentialing and licensing?
- We do. Your credentials are verified once and kept current in the provider portal, with reminders before any license, certification, or registration expires, and the credentialing file for each facility is assembled and delivered by our team. A multistate RN license under the Nurse Licensure Compact covers the RN part only; advanced practice authorization is still issued state by state, and we help you plan licenses around the assignments you want.
- Can I work locum CRNA assignments in CRNA-only departments?
- Yes, if you have recent independent practice. 27 states have opted out of Medicare’s physician-supervision requirement for CRNAs, and many rural hospitals in other states run CRNA-only departments with the surgeon as supervisor. Each assignment confirmation states the practice model, so you know before you accept.
- How long are locum CRNA assignments?
- From a few days of coverage to several months. Leave and vacancy coverage often runs for weeks or months; call and surge coverage can be shorter. Dates and guaranteed hours are on every assignment confirmation.
- Can a locum CRNA assignment turn into a permanent job?
- Yes. Many facilities use an assignment as a working interview, and conversion terms are built into the client agreement. MedStaff Nationwide’s permanent CRNA recruiters can also run a permanent search for you alongside your assignments.
Apply to the locums benchAll locum tenens jobsFacilities: request CRNA coverage