Radio commercial

[badgas]

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So I was on my way to the hospital this morning and an odd commercial comes onto the radio. Let me first start by saying that I don't have a bad thing to say about a single nurse anesthetist I've ever met. So anyways this commercial comes on and says "if you are going to surgery, you need to let your NURSE ANESTHETIST know what medications you are on. you must be honest with your NURSE ANESTHETIST because it is your NURSE ANESTHETIST that controls your anesthesia and needs to know possible complications of medications you are on." It was sponsored by whatever governing body oversees the nurse anesthetists. I kid you not, the words NURSE ANESTHETIST were markedly louder and more pronounced than anything. The commercial had no point other than to let people know that the nurse anesthetist runs the show. Now I have no problems w/ them as I understand that we will all be in business together as long as surgery exists, but come on... does anyone else find this a bit annoying or aggressive??

 

[JohnnyOU]

Sounds creepy to me. A very odd commercial.

 

[SleepIsGood]

what state are you in OP?

I think your state's Anesthesiology Interest Group should be made aware of this.

 

[BIS]

So I was on my way to the hospital this morning and an odd commercial comes onto the radio. Let me first start by saying that I don't have a bad thing to say about a single nurse anesthetist I've ever met. So anyways this commercial comes on and says "if you are going to surgery, you need to let your NURSE ANESTHETIST know what medications you are on. you must be honest with your NURSE ANESTHETIST because it is your NURSE ANESTHETIST that controls your anesthesia and needs to know possible complications of medications you are on." It was sponsored by whatever governing body oversees the nurse anesthetists. I kid you not, the words NURSE ANESTHETIST were markedly louder and more pronounced than anything. The commercial had no point other than to let people know that the nurse anesthetist runs the show. Now I have no problems w/ them as I understand that we will all be in business together as long as surgery exists, but come on... does anyone else find this a bit annoying or aggressive??

what state do you live in? It was most likely sponsored by that particular states Association that makes decisions independent of the AANA. Havent heard any here.

 

[jwk]

Just the AANA at work - anyone can buy commercial time on the radio or TV.

 

[rainking]

all the asa has to do is start a nationwide campaign educating patients and public on the level of education and training of anesthesiologists and the level of education of anesthetists and urge patients to insist on having an anesthesiologist take care of them.. put that in the budget on a yearly basis.. and I would pay an extra 50 bucks a year of asa membership dues for that. if need be.. the crnas have gotten out of control and need to be put in their place,, as subordinates.. thanks..

 

[BIS]

Like JWK said anyone can buy advertisements. Thinking about running an ad myself telling the world about how incredibly hung I am. I have heard people here call for ASA advertisments. I would be willing to bet you that there is a fierce political battle underway in that state between its associations of Nurse Anesthetists and Anesthesiologists. LEts get all the facts here before we start making claims on each others entire profession.


Anyone know what state this was in? If this poster doesnt reply to let us know than he is probrably trolling and attempting to throw gas in the fire.

 

[tkim]

Just a quick reminder before things get crazy that the 'ignore' button works very well.

 

[Cap'nOblivious]

[SRNA post courtesy disclosure - Engage Ignore function as needed]

Did the message not mention anything about anesthesiologists or the surgical team or pre-op nurses? If not, I can see how you guys find this annoying, as it seems to be a thinly veiled ploy to promote the idea that CRNA's are the ones who REALLY need to know. On the other hand, it seems to me that nurse anesthesia suffers from a "What the hell is a nurse anesthetist?" problem with the general public. Maybe you guys like it that way, but you can't blame 'em for trying to raise some awareness. And if you think people will have a problem with the idea that advanced-practice nurses deliver anesthesia too, perhaps this will have an effect you deem desirable.

 

[badgas]

[SRNA post courtesy disclosure - Engage Ignore function as needed]

Did the message not mention anything about anesthesiologists or the surgical team or pre-op nurses? If not, I can see how you guys find this annoying, as it seems to be a thinly veiled ploy to promote the idea that CRNA's are the ones who REALLY need to know. On the other hand, it seems to me that nurse anesthesia suffers from a "What the hell is a nurse anesthetist?" problem with the general public. Maybe you guys like it that way, but you can't blame 'em for trying to raise some awareness. And if you think people will have a problem with the idea that advanced-practice nurses deliver anesthesia too, perhaps this will have an effect you deem desirable.

This was in virginia and I've only heard it once. And no, there was no mention of anything other than nurse anesthetists... and I kid you not, they said nurse anesthetists 2x as loud as anything else. I just found it pretty damn inflammatory. And I don't get in to the MD vs CRNA thing at all.... but that commercial would aggrevate any MD and 90% of CRNAs.

 

[blocks]

We as docs need to get serious when it comes to educating the public on anesthesia related issues. We tend to discount these sort of public service messages and even lobbying efforts, and because it appears that organized nursing has already taken the gloves off and is pummeling us, we have ground to make up. They don't really speak for the average Joe nurse, but they get things changed and the have an agenda. Most people don't even know how much safer surgery is now than it was 25 years ago, and if they do learn this, we don't want it to be in the context of "it's so remarkaby safe now that the nurse who cares more about you as a person should be giving it to you unsupervised".

One of the GI attendings that I worked with last month told me frankly that in the years after Katie Curic started pushing colon cancer screening on the Today Show, his annual income has doubled. Do not give the public too much credit in thinking that they will figure this out on their own. They need direction, and if they don't get it from us, they'll get it somewhere else.

 

[DrDre']

Blocks,
Excellent post. There are so many people on this board (that I respect very much!) who have a very supportive, passive take to this.

I truly hope this newer generation will get off their ass and do what it takes to at least maintain our position.

And yes, I agree with "them" that most CRNAs and midlevels do not want what their governing boards desire but the governing boards ARE getting what they want...

My wife is an NP. She thinks the DNP is laughable so do ALL her friends but it is still a true threat.

I am so happy to be sincerely and strongly interested in CCM becuz I don't see a future in anesthesia most days of the week ( I am a true cynic but...)

We as docs need to get serious when it comes to educating the public on anesthesia related issues. We tend to discount these sort of public service messages and even lobbying efforts, and because it appears that organized nursing has already taken the gloves off and is pummeling us, we have ground to make up. They don't really speak for the average Joe nurse, but they get things changed and the have an agenda. Most people don't even know how much safer surgery is now than it was 25 years ago, and if they do learn this, we don't want it to be in the context of "it's so remarkaby safe now that the nurse who cares more about you as a person should be giving it to you unsupervised".

One of the GI attendings that I worked with last month told me frankly that in the years after Katie Curic started pushing colon cancer screening on the Today Show, his annual income has doubled. Do not give the public too much credit in thinking that they will figure this out on their own. They need direction, and if they don't get it from us, they'll get it somewhere else.

 

[Monty Python]

So I was on my way to the hospital this morning and an odd commercial comes onto the radio. Let me first start by saying that I don't have a bad thing to say about a single nurse anesthetist I've ever met. So anyways this commercial comes on and says "if you are going to surgery, you need to let your NURSE ANESTHETIST know what medications you are on. you must be honest with your NURSE ANESTHETIST because it is your NURSE ANESTHETIST that controls your anesthesia and needs to know possible complications of medications you are on." It was sponsored by whatever governing body oversees the nurse anesthetists. I kid you not, the words NURSE ANESTHETIST were markedly louder and more pronounced than anything. The commercial had no point other than to let people know that the nurse anesthetist runs the show. Now I have no problems w/ them as I understand that we will all be in business together as long as surgery exists, but come on... does anyone else find this a bit annoying or aggressive??

Is there contentious anesthesia-related proposed legislation currently in your state's capitol? My bet is yes.

 

[VolatileAgent]

So I was on my way to the hospital this morning and an odd commercial comes onto the radio. Let me first start by saying that I don't have a bad thing to say about a single nurse anesthetist I've ever met. So anyways this commercial comes on and says "if you are going to surgery, you need to let your NURSE ANESTHETIST know what medications you are on. you must be honest with your NURSE ANESTHETIST because it is your NURSE ANESTHETIST that controls your anesthesia and needs to know possible complications of medications you are on." It was sponsored by whatever governing body oversees the nurse anesthetists. I kid you not, the words NURSE ANESTHETIST were markedly louder and more pronounced than anything. The commercial had no point other than to let people know that the nurse anesthetist runs the show. Now I have no problems w/ them as I understand that we will all be in business together as long as surgery exists, but come on... does anyone else find this a bit annoying or aggressive??

link please.

 

[foxtrot]

all the asa has to do is start a nationwide campaign educating patients and public on the level of education and training of anesthesiologists and the level of education of anesthetists and urge patients to insist on having an anesthesiologist take care of them.. put that in the budget on a yearly basis.. and I would pay an extra 50 bucks a year of asa membership dues for that. if need be.. the crnas have gotten out of control and need to be put in their place,, as subordinates.. thanks..

I definitely don't think that they are subordinates. That kind of attitude just fosters negativity. I think that CRNAs definitely play a valuable role in anesthesia. And we do need them because there are not enough anesthesiologists to provide anesthetics at all the remote locations in this country. However, that being said, I truly believe that it is time for the ASA to start a nationwide campaign educating the public on the levels of education and training between a CRNA and an anesthesiologist. I have said this many times, the majority of the public does not know that an anesthesiologist does not take care of them in the OR. If people knew the differences, I think that alot of this banter would be put to rest. I would definitely pay an extra $50 a year to the ASA for this. I do not understand why the ASA does not take a more aggressive stance on this issue. No one is saying that the ASA should say that CRNAs are bad. But I think that it is up to the ASA to state the facts regarding education and training. Many of the CRNA's where I train have stated that their knowledge is equivalent to an MD and they truly feel like they are equal to an MD or even better. This kind of attitude just adds fuel to the fire of many of the residents and med students on this forum who witness this kind of behavior, which is why so many of us have negative attitudes towards CRNA's. I am hoping that when I get out into private practice that these types of issues won't be so much of a problem as what they are in academic medicine. Nevertheless, I still feel the public has a right to know the differences in education and training.

 

[jwk]

Although better PR would be great, remember that the ASA doesn't sit on the sidelines. Many of their battles are fought in the statehouses and congress.

The best PR? Make sure YOUR patient knows exactly who YOU are and WHAT YOU DO, whether it's personally providing the anesthetic or providing medical direction to a CRNA or AA.

I tell my patients who and what I am, and what I will personally be doing for them during their procedure. And since I'm an AA, they'll usually ask something along the lines of "what the hell is that?" , and I'll explain the differences between AA's, CRNA's and anesthesiologists.

 

[BIS]

Master Chief are you saying that the CRNA's that you supposedly manage dont use the appropriate title when speaking to their pts.

This ad is a fair and square political/publicity move. The ASA can take an ad out tom. if they want to. Not sure what is going down b/t the 2 professions in virginia but Id bet some bill or amendment to practice acts are up for vote, debate or comment.

 

[SleepIsGood]

I urge those of you that have expressed interest in increasing awareness to the public to join the Private Forum. We can then perhaps formulate a letter and the send it to the ASA,etc.

Regards.