- Joined
- Aug 16, 2005
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What are your reasons for not wanting a CRNA?
You also mention "your" field's training as a reference to MD/DO training. The first professional group to provide anesthesia in the US was nurses. So what do you mean by "your" field?
The saying goes that the person who graduated last in Medical School is still an MD. Would it be fair for me to request care from only those who graduated in the top 25%, 5%? As smart as those top notch students are, how does that translate to clinical practice? Most residents require the guidance and direction of the nursing staff regardless of whichever top tier medical school and class ranking they bring to the table.
While I 100% agree with being able to "choose" MD or CRNA, I think the reasoning behind your choice stems from the ego that comes from your white coat and thinking you actually make the most difference. The military prefers to use CRNA's because of their prior nursing experience at the bedside.
MD's have 4 years of medical school and as far as I know 3 years of residency. CRNA's have 4 years of nursing school, X number of working years at the bedside in an ICU and 3 years of advanced training as a DNP or DNAP. As far as I am concerned, nurses bring far more to the table than MD's do.
By all means continue to believe that your white coat colleagues are better, that is your right. As a CRNA I get paid less to do the same cases, whilst able to work better hours and "have a life." I also don't compare myself to MD's because I value the background and training that everyone brings. So instead of sitting here lambasting CRNA's, get educated and realize that we all work together for patients.
Yes there are exceptional nurses as well. However, medical school is a smaller pool and the barrier to get into it is much higher than nursing school. You cannot compare the two. Residency is also much more intense than nursing training. Your DNP might help you with administration or research, but it cannot be compared to the clinical experience of residency.
Secondly, several years of caring for patients as a nurse in the ICU under the direction of an MD does not prepare you to critically think for yourself either. The foundation of knowledge that the typical MD possesses cannot be replaced just by a few years of nursing.