University of New Mexico Department of Anesthesia

[Noyac]

It is my understanding that the department of anesthesia at UNM has gone to all AA's. I can't confirm this as of yet but I understand that they were threatened by their crna's that if they hired AA's then the crna's would leave. Well they did.

Can any of you out there confirm this?

This may move UNM way up in the rankings as far as I am concerned and if in fact true, should warrant a visit by all med. students interested in anesthesiology.

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[jwk]

It is my understanding that the department of anesthesia at UNM has gone to all AA's. I can't confirm this as of yet but I understand that they were threatened by their crna's that if they hired AA's then the crna's would leave. Well they did.

Can any of you out there confirm this?

This may move UNM way up in the rankings as far as I am concerned and if in fact true, should warrant a visit by all med. students interested in anesthesiology.

I have heard several left, but they still list a bunch on the UNM website. Whether that's an old webpage, or whether it's all AA or not, I don't know.

Not knocking NM, but as a less populous state, it seems like there wouldn't be that many anesthesia positions there to begin with. Leaving a perfectly good job just to prove a point (a misguided one at that) is pretty stupid.

http://www.asahq.org/Newsletters/2003/03_03/neeld.html

 

[toughlife]

I have heard several left, but they still list a bunch on the UNM website. Whether that's an old webpage, or whether it's all AA or not, I don't know.

Not knocking NM, but as a less populour state, it seems like there wouldn't be that many anesthesia positions there to begin with. Leaving a perfectly good job just to prove a point (a misguided one at that) is pretty stupid.

http://www.asahq.org/Newsletters/2003/03_03/neeld.html

This article underscores the point that both providers are capable of providing equal care under the ACT model despite the AANA rhetoric. This line is telling "Once a decision has been made to add AAs to an existing care team practice, department leaders may be surprised to learn firsthand that opposition to AAs by members of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists is second in priority only to their continued efforts to achieve independent practice for nurse anesthetists" and it goes to show they directly want to compete with MD/DOs for jobs.

 

[MacGyver]

The guy who wrote that article is an dingus and a sellout.

He KNOWS how militant hte CRNAs are, yet he has 33 of them on his staff.

he's a punk ass sellout.

 

[BLADEMDA]

The guy who wrote that article is an dingus and a sellout.

He KNOWS how militant hte CRNAs are, yet he has 33 of them on his staff.

he's a punk ass sellout.

Dude, you are way off base here. The real world is NOT Medical School and that guy has a department that needs staffing. This means that for NOW we are stuck dealing with the AANA and CRNA's. For Now. There are ONLY 600 AA 's in practice across the USA. There are about 35,000 CRNA's and 40,000 Anesthesiologists. Thus, even if your stance was correct it takes time to achieve the goal of 100% AA's.

There are NOT enough providers in the USA for an ALL MD/DO model. AS for an all AA ACT team I explained how unrealistic that is at this time.

Again, Surgeons need anesthesia providers to do the cases. Like it or not the AANA is a big player in the field.

Blade

 

[jwk]

The guy who wrote that article is an dingus and a sellout.

He KNOWS how militant hte CRNAs are, yet he has 33 of them on his staff.

he's a punk ass sellout.

Chill out Mac - you really don't know what you're talking about. He's a past-president of the ASA and a friend of mine. He also knows far more about the politics of medicine than you ever will, and is involved with both the ASA and AMA in keeping physicians, not nurses, in the forefront of medicine. If you paid attention to the real politics going on you might know this.

This practice is 100% medically-directed and strictly by-the-book TEFRA rules. Every single case directly involves an anesthesiologist. All of our CRNA's (and of course AA's) choose to be in an ACT practice, and many have been with us for more than 20 years. If they don't like the game we play, they're welcome to leave, but the long tenure of our staff speaks to the quality of the group as a whole. It's one of the larger groups in the US, the busiest anesthesia practice in the southeast and the busiest OB practice in the country.

 

[Noyac]

MacGyver, you are rapidly becoming one of the most uninformed posters here with one of the biggest mouths. You are obviously anti-anesthesiologists and never have anything positive to say here. Do you think you could try giving us something useful for a change?




I doubt it, seriously.

 

[VentdependenT]

That guy has been on my ignore list for 4 years.

 

[Noyac]

Its about time this whole forum ignores him.

 

[BLADEMDA]

Chill out Mac - you really don't know what you're talking about. He's a past-president of the ASA and a friend of mine. He also know far more about the politics of medicine than you ever will, and is involved with both the ASA and AMA in keeping physicians, not nurses, in the forefront of medicine. If you paid attention to the real politics going on you might know this.

This practice is 100% medically-directed and strictly by-the-book TEFRA rules. Every single case directly involves an anesthesiologist. All of our CRNA's (and of course AA's) choose to be in an ACT practice, and many have been with us for more than 20 years. If they don't like the game we play, they're welcome to leave, but the long tenure of our staff speaks to the quality of the group as a whole. It's one of the larger groups in the US, the busiest anesthesia practice in the southeast and the busiest OB practice in the country.

JWK,

I think the LARGEST Group in the SouthEast is located in Charlotte, North Carolina. www.SEAnesthesiology.com Your Group is big though. Other HUGE Groups include AMG in Nashville and JLR in Orlando. www.amg-group.com and www.jlrmedicalgroup.com

Blade

P.S. I recommend AMG and JLR but NOT Southeast Anesthesiology for those looking for a good job. You will find a FELLOWSHIP really enhances your opportunity with those Groups.

 

[jwk]

JWK,

I think the LARGEST Group in the SouthEast is located in Charlotte, North Carolina. www.SEAnesthesiology.com Your Group is big though. Other HUGE Groups include AMG in Nashville and JLR in Orlando. www.amg-group.com and www.jlrmedicalgroup.com

Blade

We're up over 110 in the group - definitely not tiny. And I have sooooo much fun doing the scheduling. 😉

 

[BLADEMDA]

We're up over 110 in the group - definitely not tiny. And I have sooooo much fun doing the scheduling. 😉

Yes, you are BIG. But Southeast has 150-180 CRNA's and AMG a similar amount. Both have about 70 doctors. I think that makes you THIRD in the SouthEast with JLR coming in 4th. Critical Health Systems in Raleigh is big as well but it functions more as a billing company these days than an actual Group.

Blade

 

[jwk]

Yes, you are BIG. But Southeast has 150-180 CRNA's and AMG a similar amount. Both have about 70 doctors. I think that makes you THIRD in the SouthEast with JLR coming in 4th. Critical Health Systems in Raleigh is big as well but it functions more as a billing company these days than an actual Group.

Blade

Ah, I never claimed to be the biggest. We were at #19 in size in some survey I read a few years ago. I think the big difference is these other practices appear to cover a multitude of hospitals and centers in their area. For example, I think GHA covers almost everything in Houston except the university hospitals. We cover two hospitals and an outpatient surgery center all owned by one hospital. At 40,000 + procedures a year across those three sets of OR's, and 18,000 deliveries a year in just one hospital, we do earn our keep.

I'll have to chat with some of those big boys in NC - AA's will be coming their way next year. 🙂

 

[Gern Blansten]

One of the guys in GHA who happens to be a Texas state representative once told me that his group, GHA was affectionately nicknamed DBAG(or damned big anesthesia group).

 

[AnesCoord]

It is my understanding that the department of anesthesia at UNM has gone to all AA's. I can't confirm this as of yet but I understand that they were threatened by their crna's that if they hired AA's then the crna's would leave. Well they did.

Can any of you out there confirm this?

UNM has about 20 mid-level providers, and it's about equal, CRNA and AA. Nobody threatened to leave, just the usual turnover as people move, retire, etc.

 

[Noyac]

UNM has about 20 mid-level providers, and it's about equal, CRNA and AA. Nobody threatened to leave, just the usual turnover as people move, retire, etc.

Yeah, I looked at the current midlevel listings on the web site and there are still some (very few) that were there when I was there.

There were quite a few very good midlevels there during my training. AA's and Crna's. One of the AA's taught me how to do an axillary block.