[nia_king]

Hi everyone,
I am a CRNA hopeful, and I came across this message from the president of The North Carolina Association of Nurse Anesthetists regarding the bill HB503 which thankfully has been thrown out:

If passed, this bill could allow Anesthesiologist Assistants licensure to practice in North Carolina. Our Anesthesiologist colleagues have lead the NC General Assembly to believe that there is a shortage of anesthesia providers in our state and that AAs would fill this void. THE FACT IS THE THERE ARE TWO CRNAS LICENSED FOR EVERY OPERATING ROOM IN NORTH CAROLINA, THIS IS HARDLY INDICATIVE OF A SHORTAGE."
This concerned me a bit because is he saying that the CRNA field in NC is saturated or at least sufficient and there may not be room in the future for more? I am really passionate about being a CRNA but I hope I won't have to pound the concrete to find a job! It will be devastating....
You can find the whole address at http://www.ncana.com/newlook/subpages/presmsg.html

[skipaway]

Nia,

There will be jobs in the future and there are 49 other states who also need CRNAs. Just focus on getting to school and through school. No need for hysterics yet.

[nia_king]

Geez! That was patronizing!
Trust me I am focused on getting into school. I know there are 49 other states available but I also know that there are people with commitments in NC myself included. I was just hoping I could get some perspective from those of you out in the market right now, and I don’t know what I said to make you think I was hysterical.

Originally Posted by skipaway

Nia,

There will be jobs in the future and there are 49 other states who also need CRNAs. Just focus on getting to school and through school. No need for hysterics yet.

[Mississippi_RN]

Sounds like he is saying that there is no need to allow AA's licensure to practice in NC due to there is no shortage of CRNAs (where his point about 2 crnas to every OR would become relevant). You may be corrrect, Nia, in the fact that finding a position and your pay could become somewhat compromised (prob not that much though) with so many people working as AAs. It's logical, really...the more you have, the less you need more and the less competitive you are in getting more (of anything)...

[Papadoc]

Hey Everyone!
Sorry, I felt like jumping in on this one.
I'm a SRNA hopeful also. I don't remember the specifics, but here and there I've been reading some national trend predictions for the anasthesia providers in U.S. What they say is more CRNAs and A/MDs retire earlier (?),than the schools are able to pump new ones onto the market.Is there any truth to that? Ormay be it's a regional thing cost of living, reimbursement, State laws etc. Also, talk about Geography, are there known CRNA friendly vs CRNA non-friendly States?
Thanks

[chansonsrna]

Nia, I would not be terribly concerned as of yet that the market is completely saturated. What you should note is what was said "there are 2 CRNAs licensed in NC for every OR suite"....this doesn't mean that there are physically 2 CRNAs trying to work for every suite. Some people are licensed in multiple states, and may not even be practicing in NC. Becoming a CRNA is a wonderful career decision (not implying that it's an easy road for which my fellow S/CRNAs will vouch), don't let anything like this intimidate you.