Is the AA profession gaining ground?

Here's an amusing cross-post..........

"Anesthesiologist Assistants — Another Trojan Horse?
http://www.asahq.org/Newsletters/2003/06_03/lte06_03.html


We’ve traveled this road before when there existed a “shortage” of nurse anesthetist providers and a concomitant ignorance of the complexities of safe anesthetics. The fact that 90 percent or more of the procedures were completed in an uneventful manner only enhanced the idea that anesthesia was no “big deal” and almost anyone could safely administer it to patients.

Only after a few of our esteemed colleagues became involved did we realize the true depth of the problem. It is this direct involvement of the physician in the process that has yielded our continuing march toward “safe” delivery of these noxious agents. Following the example of pioneer anesthesiologists, will we soon see “pilot assistants” take over the more mundane portions of a flight plan in a Boeing 747? Shouldn’t we have the most highly trained professional involved at the most basic level of care to recognize and correct a “train of errors or omissions” early in the sequence to break the process? Piloting a complex aircraft and administering a complex anesthetic procedure are very similar beasts.

AAs do not address the true origins of the shortage of well-trained physician anesthesiologists. Only fair reimbursements will do that. Witness the number of hospitals that now financially support anesthesiologists to be available for tough Medicare cases. Where adequate reimbursements exist, there is no shortage of anesthesiologists to do the cases.

Now that our ASA leadership has endorsed the concept of AAs, anesthesiologists will begin to “supervise” two, three or four AAs doing the mundane, boring work while physicians engage in the more “heady” tasks of our profession. How long before AAs begin to think that they do not “need” us 90 percent of the time and try to launch out on their own, at full billing rate, of course, stating they are just as “good” as us? Does this sound familiar to the ASA leadership?

J--- E. C---, M.D.
Scottsdale, Arizona"

My beef isn't with AAs specifically (meaning if you can do anesthesia and properly trained then you should be able to make a living out of it). My problem is the reason there is such a big push NOW by the ASA to promote the AA profession. When CRNAs weren't as free in the 80s and early 90s you barely even heard of an AA ( the reason that there's only 4 or 5 schools in 30 damn years). Why didn't the ASA pump up the AA profession then????Why now. Shortage huh? More like control and money. The TSA (Texas Society of Anesthesiologists) are trying to, on one hand, question the safety record of CRNAs plus trying to tighten our practice, and on the other, promoting the AA profession and even going so far as to say they can work in a 1:4 ratio. Doesn't make sense to me to promote safety and promote AAs (not saying AAs are unsafe). Just saying that they want AAs to practice like the very profession that's unsafe in their eyes(CRNAs).

Just face it. If the ASA wants AA's, it's just a matter of time before all 50 states will have laws to support them. Texas will accept AA's because they have a long history of being receptive to market competition. The ASA is throwing its full support behind AA's now because the AANA has gone militant on them. I have no doubt that this hard push by the AANA for independence and equivalence will backfire on them in the future by angering the MD's and reducing the salaries for CRNA's.

Baloney. If they haven't gotten traction with AAs in 30 years, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. Fewer than a thousand of these well-intentioned folks exist.

Competition? The A$A wants competition?? More baloney. The A$A wants market dominance, not competition.

The AANA may 'militantly' defend CRNAs, yes; defend them from the anesthesia doctors' unrelenting attacks. But independence? No health care provider has true independence. None. Nurse anesthetists have always worked in collaboration with surgeons, for well over a hundred years now. And counting. Proudly. All 36 thousand of us.


deepz

When did CRNA's first get independence? It's only been 2001. Before that, there was no need to push for the AA's. The anesthesiologists are finally waking up. We haven't seen the full brunt of their resolve yet.

2001 is some strange fabrication, far as I can tell. ?? If one refers to Medicare billing, CRNAs were the first APNs to get individual Part B billing rights, dating back to 1987. CRNAs have functioned independently as anesthesia providers, working with surgeons of course, for a long, long time.

2001? Someone's been watching too many Spacey Odd movies, and dreaming up God-like fantasies.


!

Please take time and research the facts before you post false statements. It is obvious you don't fully understand the history and current practice of nurse anesthetists.

Please forgive me, but a number of your posts have raised my suspicions as to who you really are and what your personal motivations may be in anesthesia. Care to share?

I support increased access to anesthesia care. That means having more providers and that's why I support AA's. You are all hypocrites with your arguments that AA's are less capable than CRNA's. It's the same arguments that the MD's used against CRNA's. AA's and CRNA's with 3 years of experience are the same. We are shooting ourselves in the foot by being so aggressive with our demands for full autonomy. We are now waking up the sleeping giant. The naive of you will laugh and say it won't happen. But we who have seen more battles know better. I am seeing more agitation now from the other side than ever before. Enjoy your time now because it will not last.

Greg - I have no doubt that you are a good guy and mean what you say. However, you ARE against AAs if you are a dues paying member of the AANA. A percentage of every dollar that you pay to them goes directly towards efforts severely curtail or eliminate AA practice rights. You can't have it both ways. If you disagree with what your national organization is doing then I hope that you are voicing your opposition in some way other than posting it on a nursing forum. Otherwise, you are paying to put your friends out of work.