Is the AA profession gaining ground?

die, thread, die.

die, thread, die.

I'm intrigued! I never realized the deep rift that exists between these two professions.

I would be very interested in knowing what the motivating factors are that compel a prospective student of anesthesia to choose one path over the other.

I would be very interested in knowing what the motivating factors are that compel a prospective student of anesthesia to choose one path over the other.

CRNA schools require ICU experience. First, I don't think ICU experience determines your success as an anesthetist. There are many AAs who have never worked at critical care setting, but they are great anesthetist. They know what they're doing. As one of the members said in this post, "You get proficient at anesthesia by practicing anesthesia rather than critical care."
In my case, I would be willing to work in ICU's but not as a nurse. That's why I'm choosing the AA route.

Second, I prefer the medical model. I've been in nursing school, and the teaching did not include much science. They emphasized practical skills and critical thinking...but not so much about science. I tend to be scientific minded. I think with the medical model, not only you'll learn the clinical skills, but there is more science involved.