Thanks for the input, RT. When I was working in the field full-time, CRNA's still needed years of experience in ICU or another critical-care field.
I'm fairly certain that you'd be exposed to the same situations as a "mid-level provider," even with "too many experiences." There certainly is "NOTHING wrong with being a mid-level provider" in your words, but I never said I was interested in any other path than becoming an MD.
For future reference, I'm not even a "mid-level provider" (AKA nurse) and I find your answer to be demeaning. Without even using proper language, you've managed to denigrate the careers of nurses and nurses practitioners. Before you apply to medical school, work on how you word things.
Wow. Thank you for the critique. I don't know what made you so angry, but I suggest that you work on that issue before you apply as well. I am 90% sure that the CRNA programs never required more than 12 months experience, it was just that, because of more applicants than slots, a lot of programs wouldn't take nurses unless they had several years of experience. That could be where the confusion was coming from.
I don't know for sure what point your second paragraph is attempting to make, but I believe that you are saying that a NP/PA would have the same experiences as a physician. You also said that you have no desire to become anything other than a physician. I wasn't trying to insinuate that you were wanting to be anything other than a physician, however your initial post was regarding the question "Why MD instead of NP". I was actually debating the difference between medical school and AA school (not an NP, obviously, but a similar mid-level role), so my thought process regarding this question was still fresh in my mind. Therefore, I attempted to express my own thoughts as they pertain to your initial question.
I also respectably disagree with your certainty that a mid-level provider and a physician provider would have similar work experiences. If a patient is crashing in the ICU, who are they going to call - a board certified intensivist, or a nurse practitioner? This is not meant to be a slight to nurse practitioners, they just usually aren't the ones managing the incredibly sick people - which is what I want to do... therefore my not being happy with the mid-level route.
For future reference, you might realize that the overall "tone" of an internet posting might be meant differently than you take it. You don't need to get all defensive. If the term "mid-level provider" was the target of your rage, please check this
link. That term is widely used, and is not meant to be derogatory. I again am wondering what got you so angry. My initial post was meant to clarify some points, as well as convey my thoughts regarding "MD instead of NP". I re-read it and didn't see anything that was demeaning. Please elaborate how I denigrated the careers of nurses and nurse practitioners.
Best of luck to you in your future endeavors.
-RT2MD