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$300K Salary Without Medical School
How to become a Certified Anesthesiologist Assistant
Think you need an MD to make ‘doctor money’? Think again.
Chabely Rodriguez is proof that there’s more than one way into the operating room and a six-figure salary! As a certified anesthesiologist assistant (CAA), she makes over $300K a year, and she never went to med school. 😲
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From The Lab to The Operating Room
Meet Chabely Rodriguez, a CAA who started out as a chemistry major, with a focus initially on pharmacology and research rather than surgery.
So, what prompted the move to anesthesiology?
“I craved a role where I could see the immediate effects of my care,” she explained. That spark led her to explore healthcare careers beyond becoming a nurse or doctor, and she discovered the CAA field.
“Anesthesia stood out to me because of how quickly you can see your interventions take effect. A single medication can immediately relieve pain or reduce blood pressure. When I shadowed a CAA, I was hooked,” she said. “It had the perfect blend of real-time decision-making, procedural skills, and patient advocacy. I knew this was it.”
How to Become a CAA
The path to becoming a CAA is rigorous, but it doesn’t require any medical school – queue the sigh of relief. Instead, it requires a science-focused bachelor’s degree, a Master’s-level CAA program, and passing a national certification exam.
Requirements:
Earn a bachelor’s degree, usually in the science field, such as chemistry or biology.
Complete prerequisite coursework, similar to medical school.
Volunteer or work in a clinical or biomedical setting.
Take the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) or GRE (Graduate Record Examination).
Complete an accredited CAA Master’s program.
Pass the National Certification Exam.
Get licenses in your state (check if your state recognizes and licenses CAAs here)
Complete hospital credentialing
How Much Do CAAs Make (& Student Debt)
Due to high demand and a provider shortage, CAA and anesthesia salaries have seen an upward trend. ZipRecruiter reports a nationwide average salary of $140K for anesthesiologist assistants, while Glassdoor states a median salary of $273K. Our Salary Database reports salaries of $177K and $210K.
As for Chabely, she started her career in the mid-$100,000s. Thanks to the growing demand and numerous weekend shifts, her salary quickly increased. “Within two years, my base pay reached $200,000,” she said. “With overtime, I earn about $50K more per year.” Today, her annual income tops $300,000.
But what about student loans?
Like many in healthcare, she took on over $120,000 of student loans for her Master’s program. However, careful financial planning, working overtime, and the student loan pause helped her pay off that debt within a year of working.
Advice for Aspiring CAAs
Chabely urges future healthcare professionals to look beyond the doctor-or-nurse binary. CAA is still a relatively new field, but it’s growing fast as one of the potential top jobs of the future.
It’s a powerful way to make a direct impact without the time, cost, or competition of medical school, and could be a role that inspires other emerging healthcare roles in the years to come.
Her top tips?
Research different areas you might like to work in.
Start with a bachelor’s degree and look for CAA-accredited Master’s programs.
Shadow a CAA.
Budget realistically for student loans.
Stay curious and keep learning.
Curious about additional benefits and the lifestyle of a CAA? Read the full interview here!
Are you making what you’re really worth, or are you low-key being ripped off?
In this episode of Two Cents, we’re breaking down exactly how to know if you’re being underpaid (and what to do about it). We’re sharing insider tips on finding your market rate, the biggest red flags that scream “you need a raise,” and how to have those tricky money conversations without tanking your career.
🎧 Hit play to find out if your paycheck is keeping up with your worth, or if it’s time to ask for more.
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See you next week for more career tips, money moves, and transparent advice! 💚
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