Is the AA profession gaining ground?

The anesthesiaassistant.com website is a commercial website with no affiliatin with AA's or the AAAA. COMMERCIAL is the key word. Every one of those links to manufacturer and employment agency websites generates a commission every time someone clicks on one of those links. Is there some useful info about AA's on the site? Yes. Is there inaccurate info about AA's (and CRNA's) on the site? Yes. There is no attempt to mislead on our part (the same can't be said for the occasional CRNA who floats to that site), but we can't control what is said on a private, commercial website. Much the same as this website - some people take every post as fact - others realize much of what is here is opinion. Is allnurses.com the official website and source of knowledge for all things related to CRNA's? I don't think so.

Quick question. According to the AAAA which is your Prof. Org. exactly how many practice AA's are out there at this day in age? Just curious. I see people throwing around the 2,000 and 4,000 mark but just wasnt sure of any official numbers stated by the AAAA or someone that would truely have an idea of an accurate number.

Why would you want to shut it down...it is closer to the name of your actual profession than www.anesthetist.org, which is biting off part of another professions hard earned name. It should be www.anesthesiologyassisstants.org.

How would AAs feel if anesthesia techs started calling themselves AAs or anesthesia assistants or anesthesiologist assistants? All three names could describe their "role" if you will, sort of like a certified nursing assistant. I'm not putting actual AAs in this category,

just pointing out the dangers of trying to selectively rename a profession or role.

sure you are.



And of course student nurse anesthetists referring to themselves as "Residents" is perfectly acceptable. I make very sure my patients understand exactly who I am - but nurse anesthesia students referring to themselves as residents borders on fraud.

Yeah I here you on that. I can maybe see if the SRNA/RRNA was training at a hospital that had no residents than ok. But at academic facilities where there are MD residents all over the place this could be confusing to patients that are already usually confused over roles. My program is sticking with SRNA.

As a nurse in the Unit pts called me Doc all the time despite me reminding them a million times and clarifying my role in their care.

A title is just that though.

I would never wish to cause someone to be unable to provide for his family. I do willfully however, help to impose the standards for anesthesia training designed by CRNA's. Why are we supposed to welcome AA's? Yes, I would like to see the abolition of all AA programs. Does the UAW welcome foreign workers? No other profession says, "Here's your competion, now play nicely together.". If you want to become an anesthetist, go to nursing school. Spend your time in the ICU. Go to CRNA school. Viola! You now have 50 state recognized credentials and are free from your legislative worries of the AA. Plus you now have the backing of 30, 000 brothers and sisters.

Cmon guys, I'm as pro-CRNA as they come, but there is some MAJOR hypocrisy coming from the nurses here.

The bottom line is this: its a FACT that outcomes are the same for anesthesia, regardless of whether its a CRNA, MDA, or AA doing the case. Thats a flat out FACT WHICH CANNOT BE DENIED. ITS BEEN PROVEN OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

Therefore, we need to level the playing field. MDAs, CRNAs, and AAs should all be allowed independence to do their cases. Their outcomes are all equivalent.

For the CRNAs to argue that they are just as good as MDAs with less training, and then say to the AAs that they arent as good because they dont have as much training, is ABSOLUTE HYPOCRISY. You cant have it both ways guys. Either training period matters, and MDAs are better than CRNAs, or training length does not matter (as the evidence shows) and CRNAs = MDAs = AAs.

The evidence is clear. There should be no artificial barriers to the professions of anesthesia. Until you have data proving that outcomes with CRNAs are better than those with AAs, then you dont have a leg to stand on trying to put up artificial hurdles to protect your $$$. Thats what the MDAs tried to do and it failed and showed them to be frauds, liars, and greedy hypocrits. I cant believe you CRNAs advocate that same platform.