How do you really feel about AA and would you go that route now if you could do over?

Specialties CRNA

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Just curious, I see all this information about AA's and now wonder how everyone in the field honestly feels about them.

Also would this be the route you would have taken had the choice been available to you at the time you went to school?

I am so curious about this route to education and not convinced but I am definately watching, as it may be a choice in my future.

CRNA is still the route I want to take- but at the same time I will be learning all I can about this specialty.

Thanks everyone!!

Having the opportunity to work with AA's and occasionally having to take AA students at work, I feel that I can speak to this topic. Some AA's that I work with are OK but there is a definite difference between AA and CRNA in the OR. Anyone can learn to do clinical tasks........not everyone is able to learn and develop critical thinking skills and this is where the huge difference is found. AA students for the most part are light years behind where a CRNA student would be a comparable stages........some of the AA students we get have never held a job prior to graduating and some have been consultants, stewardesses, etc...............So you have to ask yourself who do I want putting me to sleep: Someone with 24 months of a so-so education or someone who worked for years in an ICU making critical decisions and followed that up by 27-30 months of intensive education/clinical experience where they are trained to THINK and think also about practicing without an MD in certain situations!

JWK- I will ask again- Can YOU provide the links for the same information that you are asking of the CRNA program for the AA programs?

I don't see how the above does not satisfy that yes, regional is taught- that is directly from the aana website.

I am thankful that after many requests you have provided me with some information on the AA's

Seems like you are fighting a battle. Maybe you could change the tactics and the "fight" will become easier. I don't think you even realize how negative and defensive you are about the whole subject. Instead of providing me with the information I wanted so badly you engaged for days regarding information about a program other than your own. So instead of becoming informed, I became frustrated and turned off the idea of AA's. I will of course look at things in the future, but doubt now that I will choose that route given I am already on the RN track.

Having the opportunity to work with AA's and occasionally having to take AA students at work, I feel that I can speak to this topic. Some AA's that I work with are OK but there is a definite difference between AA and CRNA in the OR. Anyone can learn to do clinical tasks........not everyone is able to learn and develop critical thinking skills and this is where the huge difference is found. AA students for the most part are light years behind where a CRNA student would be a comparable stages........some of the AA students we get have never held a job prior to graduating and some have been consultants, stewardesses, etc...............So you have to ask yourself who do I want putting me to sleep: Someone with 24 months of a so-so education or someone who worked for years in an ICU making critical decisions and followed that up by 27-30 months of intensive education/clinical experience where they are trained to THINK and think also about practicing without an MD in certain situations!
Yes, there are indeed a wide variety of students coming into AA programs. Stewardess? Doubt it, but hey, if that stewardess has had organic chemistry, physics, and a full pre-med courseload like every other AA student, fine - we'll teach them what they need to know.

Your "so-so education" comment is rooted in ignorance, not fact. AA's were receiving master's degrees in anesthesia for more than 20 years before it became a requirement for new CRNA's.

We all have our anecdotes about students and graduates. I've worked with CRNA's with years of experience that I wouldn't let touch your dog, much less my dog. I've worked with AA's I wouldn't let touch my dog either. All of them are few and far between. There are a few in all three anesthesia professions that slip through the cracks.

And let's be honest - there are many CRNA's that are getting into school with only a year of critical care experience. Many of those were accepted after only six months in the ICU - those are the ones that, if you ask them, will tell you that they're only in the ICU as a means of satisfying the pre-req's for a CRNA program and would gladly bypass that year if they could go directly to anesthesia school - they knew when they were in nursing school that they wanted to be a CRNA. Many have parents that were CRNA's, so they already know what they're in for in a career track. Yes, some have several years of experience, often because they worked for several years before they even made a decision to go to anesthesia school.

Well said!

Regarding "so-so education" comment: Can only base this on observance of students in the OR and the associated performance. The program I attended (after 8 years of ICU experience) was extremely difficult: we were required to do 30 care plans per semester (organization of anesthesia plan) and also were told what cases we would have so we could prepare prior to arriving in the O.R. (often at 5 A.M. to prepare for open heart/AAA).

The AA students we get pick the cases when they arrive somewhere at 7 A.M. or after.........Many of the students who are 6 months or less from graduating can't answer basic questions such as what is the induction dose of propofol or what is a contraindication of hanging hespan..........I've had students not even check the airway circuit prior to cases who are getting ready to graduate! Our senior year of school was spent doing cases independently..........not answering basic questions or checking airway circuits would get u sent home..........some of the students I've had asked me if I was "having a bad day" if I stressed the importance of checking a circuit or not knowing basic drugs.......yes, bad day indeed. We also worked call, nights, weekends, holidays.........Yes, there is a big difference in the training. To be fair, I have had some very good students as well who I thought would be good practitioners. Yes, you made a good point about the good and bad apples out there but I just don't see the same level of didactic and clinical ability at similar stages.....perhaps some of these students will become good practitioners at some point.

Point regarding ICU experience: Not even close to being correct. Most of the people I attended school with were critical care nurses for at least 3 or more years. Having chemistry and pre-requisites is great but doesn't help you evaluate patients, doesn't provide you with the fundamental skills to interact with a patient and family, etc. etc. ICU experience has nothing to do with anesthesia but provides a great basis of medical experiences to build on. The best AA's I've seen were R.T.s prior to going into anesthesia!

Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

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