Why don't CRNA's like AA's

ep71,
Keep in mind that CRNA's have fought long and hard to maintain their level of practice. They have been attacked on just about every conceivable angle to have their practice restricted. So when AA's enter the picture under the guise of "anesthesia shortage relief" it is no wonder that this is met with some sceptisism by the CRNA community.

Ask yourself this question. How do AA's help the anesthesia shortage in rural America (where the shortage really exsists) if no MDA is going to go there to supervise them?

If they don't help the shortage what purpose do they serve?

they are part of a organized plan by anesthesiologists to limit the practice of CRNA's

ep71,
Keep in mind that CRNA's have fought long and hard to maintain their level of practice. They have been attacked on just about every conceivable angle to have their practice restricted.

Let me equate this to something you should be able to relate to if you are an RN.

there is currently a shortage of RN's. To fix this shortage, I am going to allow anyone who is interested to become an RN. I am going to require them to have no experience and i am going to only give them positions in the ICU upon completion of their program. At the same time, i am going to cut the pay of current ICU RNs and additionally I am going to place restrictions on the practice of ICU RNs, so that I do not have to administrate more than one kind of provider.

This is what is happening to CRNAs in some markets. AAs move in, the MDAs don't want to supervise two types of providers, so they limit the practice of CRNAs to equal the practice of AAs in that facility. Later taht year, administration asks the question why are we paying CRNAs more if they are doing the same limitted job of the AA? CRNA salaries fall, and CRNA practice deteriorates. Over time, this has the potential to become the norm in big hospital practice. It would not take many AAs in a hospital to bring about a change like this.

IMHO this is one of the reasons CRNAs are less than friendly in supporting the practice of AAs.