catcolalex said:
The impression I get is that a lot of Anesthesiologists are not neccessarily in support of CRNA's. I also understand that they are in support of AA's. can someone explain this to me from your perspective? What is the reason for the difference in opinion if any?
You reallllly want to open up this can of worms again?
🙂
Although CRNA's will vehemently disagree, CRNA's and AA's basically do the same thing. We administer anesthesia. The main difference between the two is that CRNA's are able to practice independently from an anesthesiologist, and AA's will always be part of the anesthesia care team WITH anesthesiologists.
Although CRNA's have been around for over 100 years, longer than anesthesiologists (as they are very fond of reminding everyone), AA's are hardly a brand new profession. The first AA graduates began practice in 1971. While the profession has expanded slowly because of licensing issues in the various states, we gradually are branching into more states and becoming more well-known. The third AA program (in Savannah, GA) started last month, and at least two more programs are in the planning stages.
CRNA's are trained in a "nursing" model, often in hospitals with a college or university affiliation enabling them to grant a master's degree in nurse anesthesia. AA's are trained in a "medical" model, in a university medical-school affiliated training program, and also recieve a master's degree. Interestingly, AA's have been receiving master's degrees for more than 30 years, whereas this is a relatively recent phenomenon for CRNA's. There are literally thousands of CRNA's practicing around the country with no degree at all.
The ASA, among other reasons, supports AA's because we believe in the Anesthesia Care Team concept. We always have, we always will.
Conversely, the friction between the ASA and nurse anesthesia organizations stems from their desire to practice independently of anesthesiologists. Some even consider themselves equals to board certified anesthesiologists. It's worth noting that the push for independent practice comes from the organizational level. There are many thousands of very competent CRNA's working in anesthesia care team practices every day throughout the country.
Contrary to popular opinion, AA's are not a cheaper alternative to CRNA's. In groups that hire both AA's and CRNA's, the salaries and benefits are the same for comparably-experienced anesthetists. The work is the same, the pay is the same.
I'll stop here - let the flames begin!
😀
