Anesthesiologist Assistant Question

[Tylerc]

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I have a few questions about an AA,

1. How do you become one?
2. Is it hard to become one?
3.Do you have to be very good at math to be one?
4.Is the job competitive?
5. I heard that AA's arent avaliable to ALL 50 states, but soo will be, is this true? Whay aretn they avaliable to all 50 states? & is it avaliable o the sate o California? and if not, do you know if it will be anytime soon?
6.is this profession "hard".

 

[jwk]

I have a few questions about an AA,

1. How do you become one?

You have to complete an AA program at one of the accredited programs at Case Western, Emory, South, Nova, or UMKC. This is a master's degree program.


2. Is it hard to become one?

Admission to the programs is very competitive. The program is 24-27 months in length. The curriculum is rigorous, including both didactic and clinical work.


3.Do you have to be very good at math to be one?

Several of the programs require a semester of calculus in college.

4.Is the job competitive?

Job opportunities are excellent right now. There is a shortage of anesthesia providers pretty much nationwide.

5. I heard that AA's arent avaliable to ALL 50 states, but soo will be, is this true? Whay aretn they avaliable to all 50 states? & is it avaliable o the sate o California? and if not, do you know if it will be anytime soon?

AA's are working in 18 states and DC at present. Not all states recognize the AA concept, but one or two states get added each year. Virtually all of the debate and problems getting into new states is political and has nothing to do with clinical capabilities or competence.

6.is this profession "hard".

It is a challenging profession. You're in a high-acutiy clinical setting - much of the work is routine, but every patient is different. You will be expected to make quick and correct decisions regarding your patients - screwups obviously can carry catastrophic ramifications

 

[Endee]

JWK - Do you know about any ongoing progress passing licensing legislation in other states? Is there any indication when more major states might come on board-New York, California, Illinois, Texas (full licensure)?

Does the AAAA expect to be in all/most of the 50 states within the next 10..15..20 years? I'm curious as to how they have the growth of this profession road mapped.

Thanks.

 

[jwk]

JWK - Do you know about any ongoing progress passing licensing legislation in other states? Is there any indication when more major states might come on board-New York, California, Illinois, Texas (full licensure)?

Does the AAAA expect to be in all/most of the 50 states within the next 10..15..20 years? I'm curious as to how they have the growth of this profession road mapped.

Thanks.

If the AANA would step aside and stop fighting us at every opportunity, we would already have been in all 50 states. The simple fact is they're scared of competition. It's really funny, because they try and pass themselves off as fully independent providers, but the fact is, almost 2/3 of them work in practices involving anesthesiologists. So - if all AA's work with anesthesiologists, and 2/3 of CRNA's work with anesthesiologists - what would be the reason behind opposing AA practice, except for competition?

Never mind that AA's had master's degrees years before CRNA's even thought of it.

 

[Josh L.Ac.]

But JWK, you are forgetting that being a nurse first allows one to practice anesthesia better than a person coming from a pre-medicine background.


Duh.



Seriously though, I am curious how long it will take Kansas to drop. In addition, I would like to know how much an AA would make teaching a few classes a week at the local AA program.

 

[zxc1234]

If the AANA would step aside and stop fighting us at every opportunity, we would already have been in all 50 states. The simple fact is they're scared of competition. It's really funny, because they try and pass themselves off as fully independent providers, but the fact is, almost 2/3 of them work in practices involving anesthesiologists. So - if all AA's work with anesthesiologists, and 2/3 of CRNA's work with anesthesiologists - what would be the reason behind opposing AA practice, except for competition?

Never mind that AA's had master's degrees years before CRNA's even thought of it.

I thought that maybe the reason 1/3 of nurses working independently because they are allowed to practice independently in a few states.