At the urging of mocdoc, here is the truth about who I am and why I want to help.
My spouse is an anesthesiologist. I have watched for years the training that was fought through, the endless study and the residency process.
Im in a freelance business and as such have a certain amount of free time.
I spent a great deal of this time learning about the CRNA / MD situation. I have heard MANY first hand stories from my spouse regarding issues at work that arise from CRNAs who think they are taking over the profession, the snide remarks ect
Some are an asset, while others have the attitude that its only a matter of time before the MD is out of the picture.
It seems to me that the AANA is an incredibly political machine with a clear agenda. They are well funded and as a group know what theyre fighting for and how to fight.
What is killing me is that so many of the MDs are sticking their heads in the sand saying dont worry, but if one looks at the number of new CRNA schools opening up and ever increasing new graduates vs. the relatively stagnant amount of MD residency slots over the last several years, it seems a simple matter of numbers before they represent a real threat to the MD career. (This would be true even if the studies were correct regarding the amount of increased surgical procedures due to an increased aging population.)
Even if that were not the case, if this fight for total independence is won by the CRNAs that takes much of the control of out the MDs hands in other ways. And as I stated, once this happens on a large scale in the U.S. there will be no undoing the damage.
Either way, in short is pisses me off that after seeing what my spouse has gone through that they have the nerve to think they are on an equal level - and that they represent a threat to lessen all that has been worked so hard for.
As I have posted, it is my feeling that the battle of public opinion could be easily won if only the ASA would respond with the same kind of advertising campaign that the AANA employs. I dont understand why they wont. After all, patients will demand the best care available for themselves and their loved ones, but the fact is in most cases they simply dont know that the CRNA is a midlevel provider.
My expertise is in advertising and sales, and what I see is a lesser competitor beating a superior competitor though a combination of effective marketing and lobbying. This does not have to be the case if only the superior competitor realized how much there was to be lost and took up the fight.
As for what I suggest, firstly start a letter writing effort to the leadership of the ASA regarding the desire to see a PR campaign and keep writing. Secondly, an email campaign to the ASA membership asking them to support this idea.
You are correct that even if the leadership of the ASA does not want to get on board for their own reasons that a smaller group of the membership might want to create an independent organization. (It seems to me there is too much money being made by the 50+ year old MD from the CRNA. They do not have the same motivation that the younger MD has to win this battle.)
Marketing is the key to this situation if enough people actually care.
The second key is the AA. As UFCRNA keeps posting, they AANA will do anything to stop their training and certification. The ASA should be fighting just as hard to help them open more schools and compete with CRNAs as extenders.
My spouse is aware that I monitor this site and occasionally have input. Most of what I write is discussed first. I guess seeing some of the pro CRNA posts were the last straw for me and I jumped in.
As I said, perhaps I should bow out of this altogether, but now you know why I did not respond immediately, the truth of my allegiance, and why I would like to help.
