Why is everybody so concerned with the salary everyone else makes? A CRNAs income is well above that of a staff nurse with good reason. The same as an anesthesiologist salary is well above that of many other physician specialties. You're paid for the supply demand issue as well as the responsibility and knowledge base you bring with you into the OR. If you don't like your salary as a CRNA, you know how things work, quit moaning and go to med school if the bigger paycheck is your incentive for anesthesia.
I understand why some CRNAs percieve the current system to be unfair, but look at the bigger picture. The bottom line is we need the anesthesiologists as well as the anesthetists for a variety of reasons. One thing many people don't consider is that the anesthesiologist is not just there to "supervise" CRNAs, they are also there for lunch breaks, pee breaks, to bounce ideas off of in a case, to be that second set of hands in a case that goes bad unexpectedly, and plenty of other uses. Plus, the MDs manage the patients in recovery, so if we did have CRNAs delivering anesthesia solo, who would manage their patients in the recovery period? The surgeon? Give me a break. That's why the ACT- anesthesia care TEAM exists. No one can be everywhere doing everything at once. Patients get the best care when everyone works together and complements the roles of their co-workers.
Do your job the best you can, worry about yourself as an employee, and let everyone else do the same. We'd have a lot less moaning and groaning. I'm not saying don't be proactive about your profession, but save your energy for issues that really need to be fixed. JMO, but the current system of ACT benefits everybody.
