From a money stand point only--if AAs only need two years of school but make around as much as a doctor, why aren't more people chasing this career? I've been considering it but something seems fishy.
Anesthesiologist Assistant
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You can only work in like 11 states. The nursing unions don't like you. Push against allowing AA's in more states. No career upward mobility. Good & stable mid-level career, but can't really do much in terms of autonomy, research, intellectual gains, or being the boss.
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Wow you must interpret confidence intervals quite liberally.
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I know someone (married with kids) who pursued this option after not getting into med school. He wanted a career that would allow him to get on with his life and take care of his family. So far, he's been happy with his choice. It's worth looking into for someone who understands what they're getting into and what their limitations will be.
All you guys need to chill lol I'M not chasing money, but you would think a lot of People would be @whatever5 @md-2020 @is0632894
Thank you for sharing this. That is what I'm looking for, but I thought this career would be a for for a larger population. I guess the licensure limitations really have an effect though.
Yeah but what I'm saying is why do people become insurance adjusters, store managers, etc? Usually (from who I've met) it's because it s a job that would take care of them. I'm just wondering why more of THOSE people aren't pursuing this career. It seems suspicious how few applicants there are for these schools etc
AAs make around as much as PCPs and pediatricians
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because you will always be told what to do instead of making definitive decisions
That's how SO many jobs are though. I feel like this is such a good pay for such little school that more people would be pursuing it, you know?
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I agree. And yes many jobs are like that but thats why we all chose to pursue med school
True, but then why are there more PAs then AAs? They have limited room for decision making as well
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PAs have: more autonomy, flexibility in choosing specialties, the ability to practice medicine (somewhat), more prestige (this matters to some people), and more job security... the list goes on.
AAs are limiting themselves to one specific "job" with no upward or lateral movement in switching specialties. Sounds less appealing than becoming a PA.
This. ALSO, AA is almsot equivalent to a CRNA, except CRNA's can work in more states, have the backing of the nurse's union, and if not now, will have more autonomy than an AA will have (mostly because of the nursing unions and how much they push for NP, DNP, and CRNA autonomy)
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-Now, AA'S can work in 18 states including Washington DC with limitation in Texas and Michigan so technically we can say 20 states.
-AA'S can make anything from 120k-250k depending on many factors ( location, hours, experience,overtime.....).
-currently AA'S are fighting to be official in California ( Assembly Bill 890) and there are positive feeling about AA'S becoming official in CA by 2019.
- three new AA programs just opened ( Indiana university, medical college of Wisconsin, university of Colorado).
-AA=CRNA expect that CRNA'S can make more in rural areas (since the can practice in more states and without MD supervision in some locations.)
-why AA'S when we have CRNA'S?
The answer may be funny but simple, CRNA'S are becoming powerful and AA's are needed to make sure that CRNA'S don't become so powerful to replace MD Anesthesiologists. When Anesthesiologist and CRNA practice independently and perform the same job ( with exception to pain management specialists) hospitals and clinics will hire CRNA's over anesthesiologists because they get paid way less than MD's. How to prevent CRNA'S from becoming that powerful in the future? answer is AA'S.
-all those changes happened in less than 5 years and the scope on AA practice is getting wider and it's safe to say that AA'S may become official in 35 states by 2025. The need for Anesthesia providers in the US is big and as less anesthesiologists are graduating ( due to competitions for residency spots.) AA'S and CRNA'S are needed to cover shortage in the market.
- In conclusion, AA'S are needed to cover shortage in the Anesthesia market, balance the power between anesthesiologists and CRNA'S. and add more diversity to the health system ( same with PA and NP, MD and DO).
sources: AA shadowing, American Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants.
-AA'S can make anything from 120k-250k depending on many factors ( location, hours, experience,overtime.....).
-currently AA'S are fighting to be official in California ( Assembly Bill 890) and there are positive feeling about AA'S becoming official in CA by 2019.
- three new AA programs just opened ( Indiana university, medical college of Wisconsin, university of Colorado).
-AA=CRNA expect that CRNA'S can make more in rural areas (since the can practice in more states and without MD supervision in some locations.)
-why AA'S when we have CRNA'S?
The answer may be funny but simple, CRNA'S are becoming powerful and AA's are needed to make sure that CRNA'S don't become so powerful to replace MD Anesthesiologists. When Anesthesiologist and CRNA practice independently and perform the same job ( with exception to pain management specialists) hospitals and clinics will hire CRNA's over anesthesiologists because they get paid way less than MD's. How to prevent CRNA'S from becoming that powerful in the future? answer is AA'S.
-all those changes happened in less than 5 years and the scope on AA practice is getting wider and it's safe to say that AA'S may become official in 35 states by 2025. The need for Anesthesia providers in the US is big and as less anesthesiologists are graduating ( due to competitions for residency spots.) AA'S and CRNA'S are needed to cover shortage in the market.
- In conclusion, AA'S are needed to cover shortage in the Anesthesia market, balance the power between anesthesiologists and CRNA'S. and add more diversity to the health system ( same with PA and NP, MD and DO).
sources: AA shadowing, American Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants.
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Not really interested in anesthesia but just a general curiosity, has increased midlevel care in anesthesia like AA and CRNA driven down anesthesiologist salaries? I don't see why a hospital or surgical center would hire a anesthesiologist if they could hire an AA or CRNA for 1/2 the price and they can do all the same things excluding pain management?
As if hospital-employed physicians are their own boss
Do what makes you happy, and that very well may be AA over primary care.
I wish more people understood this. Working in a private practice? Even if you own it, the clients are your "boss". Outside investors? Got to please them too. Even though being a physician has more autonomy, everybody answers to someone.
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there are many jobs on GASWORK.com that offer CRNA'S 250k-320K will full autonomy and without MD's supervision. CRNA's can practice in many places without supervision. As less anesthesiologists are graduating due to the competition between MD/DO/IMG for the same residency spots, CRNA'S will always be there to cover the missing spots.The relationship between Anesthesiologists and CRNA'S is like the relationship between cashiers and head cashiers, you still need head cashiers but most of the job can be done by the cashiers.
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That's crazy money. That program should be insanely competitive I would imagine.
Edit: Just looked up some in my area absolutely crazy, 160k per year minimum M-F no call or weekends off at 4 PM for one. I have a friend who claims to be dead set on gas, I think he should seriously consider this instead.
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Competitive but not even close to med. The worst nightmare for CRNA's is the GRE which is a joke compared to the MCAT. 3.2 GPA and 512 gre score should get you interviews for at least 10 CRNA schools. You don't have to be the best nor the worst for CRNA programs in-between is ideal.
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most of the CRNA positions pay 120k-210k similar to AA. Only those working in rural and undesired locations make 250k-320k (top 25%.)
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I don't get what the catch is. Or do people just not know about it? Or do people value the autonomy that much?
I mean obviously it's great that they're filling the spots needed for anesthesia but I wonder how long until they try to push further and further into other specialties besides primary care and gas.
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They already are and many CRNA'S claim to be equal to MD anesthesiologists. In fact, they practice independently in some states and that's why their pay is slighty higher than AA's. CRNA's can't push into primary care nor other specialties only anesthesia CRNA (CERTIFIED REGISTERED NURSE ANESTHETIST)
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I didn't explain myself enough, my apologies. I know CRNA is anesthesia only I was talking about midlevel providers as a whole like NPs for primary care. Saying they is already a pretty prominent presence of midlevel providers being consistently elevated or treated as equal to MDs in some situations and was just throwing the idea out there that I wonder if they'll try to keep pushing further and further into a physicians scope of practice. I was reading an old thread from around 2012 and it was saying NPs wanted to start to be able to do residencies to specialize even further, similar to medicine. Just thought it was an interesting point.
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You will never ever everrrr be able to do harder cases that anesthesiologists get to do.
Also fwiw.... hospitals will hire a MD/DO anesthesiologist for the same amount of pay that they will hire a CRNA for.
If the sky ever falls in gas (like it already is)... groups will hire a md/do doc over some nurse who can only do simple cases.
So....
If you do decide to go this route... don't let your self esteem or ego get the best of you and know your place. Simple.
You are a nurse. Not a doctor. Vice versa is true. Your role will be different.
If you have a problem with that.. do not go this route.
Also fwiw.... hospitals will hire a MD/DO anesthesiologist for the same amount of pay that they will hire a CRNA for.
If the sky ever falls in gas (like it already is)... groups will hire a md/do doc over some nurse who can only do simple cases.
So....
If you do decide to go this route... don't let your self esteem or ego get the best of you and know your place. Simple.
You are a nurse. Not a doctor. Vice versa is true. Your role will be different.
If you have a problem with that.. do not go this route.
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True but medicine is a big sea compared to anesthesia. NP's and PA's just can't perform the job of physicians nor physicians can perform the job of the specialists. Anesthesia is a small lake compared to medicine and and unlike NP's or PA's, it's easy for CRNA's to perform most of the anesthesia job. Again MD anesthesiologists will always be needed for advanced cases but for the most part CRNA'S can do the rest. As AA's compete with CRNA's for mid level positions, CRNA's chances of gaining more power and independence are not guaranteed. In fact, this is why CRNA's don't like AA's and this is also why their union is pushing away any bill to make AA's official in anymore states.
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And doctors are never told what to do by administrators, professional societies, or patients themselves.
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Here we go one more person who respond to any thread without reading the thread itself. You are not doing anything here but confusing us with external topic that has nothing to do with thread. what I am saying is that AA's don't claim to be equal to MD anesthesiologists like CRNA's do. If you read my previous comments, you will see that I am actually supporting your point. If you like to start a war with CRNA's go to the nursing fourm, trust me sdn is not the best place for that.
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Lol I am not the one who started (never ever everrrr)
