BSN Student Seeking Information

Hello! I have a question for anyone willing to respond. I'm currently pursuing my BSN in Michigan and am very much interested in a career in anesthesiology. I would like to know, however, what practicing CRNA's consider the greatest pros and cons of the profession. Thanks!

[yoga crna]

Dreamer,

Pros (in no special order)

1. Individualizing anesthesia care to each patient

2. Independent practice--no doctors, no nursing supervisors, no hospital administrators telling me what to do.

3. Ability to have my own business

4. Pre and post anesthesia patient evaluations

5. Excellent income

6. Great professional organization--AANA

7. Many type of work situations to select

8. Necessity for constantly updating and evaluating practice.

9. Outstanding peers--there is no better group in all of medicine than CRNAs

10. Strong educational programs (however, we need a little less nursing theory and more science)

Cons (no special order)

1. High cost of malpractice insurance

2. Long hours sitting in one spot

3. Fights with anesthesiologists - related to money and power

4. No one knows who we are

5. Cold operating rooms and loud music -- my idea of anesthesia hell.

6. Those terrible rare moments of things like, unable to ventilate, unable to intubate.

7. Patients who are not honest about medications and history.

8. Surgeons who aren't very good (I don't work with any now, but have in the past)

9. OR personnel who think they know more about anesthesia than I do.

I could probably think of more, but in my opinion, the pros outweigh the cons. Understand that I have been doing this for many, many years and my answers would be different than one who does OB or works in a trauma center.

Yoga

[dreamer616]

Yoga,

Thank you for the insight! It's nice to get the opinion of someone who is actually going through the experience as opposed to the random information I've come across. I don't know exactly where you are and whether your location will make a difference, but can I ask--how much is the malpractice insurance?

Dreamer

[yoga crna]

My malpractice insurance is around $6000 a year and is slated to go up to over $10,000 in the next two years. This is the way the cost of "claims made" insurance is calculated. I have never been sued, and I understand that those who have pay more in premiums. Anesthesia is a high liability field, when it comes to pay-out on claims.

Yoga

[dreamer616]

Again, thank you for the information--I'm genuinely appreciative. It's been so hard to come across this information prior to my discovery of this web site.

Dreamer