CRNA or MDA?

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Hello everyone!

I'm in the dilemma of choosing between crna or mda(or even pharmd before..lol).. Im an rn currently working in cvicu. The path I took was leading to the crna route. I have bsn and 2 yrs cvicu experience.. And now that I'm here, I'm thinking should I go crna, which later on I might question myself why I just didn't pursue med school when I had the chance, (i know there are some crnas who later on pursued med school) or should I go to med school and later find out that prestige and money isn't really the most important thing in the world..

I believe one of the most bitter thing in life is not being happy of who you become, because of you shoul've/could've and you didn't.. I can imaginge being a crna and being the best in my field, and despite that feel inaqeduate because I dont have the MD after my name..

But despite all of that I still consider becoming a crna.. Is it because it entails less sacrifice? probably yes. Doesn't mean that I look down on crna schooling, it is very intense and it's full time schooling, you have to drop everything you're doing and focus only on school during that 24-32 months..

but it is way less compared to the sacrifice of being an md.. And that is why I haven't made my desicion yet..

Question is how do I want to spend my life? We only live once and I'm not sure I want to dedicate a very significant portion (if not most) of it in my career.. I was talking to my patient (a pediatrician, former er doc, who has an or rn sister also in the room), he was my patient for 4 days and we've had enough rapport to talk about my dilemma.. He told me that when choosing your path, consider the 3 biggest things; time, money, and power..

When you become an md, you have money and power, but you dont have time (some may mention that you can be an er doc, radiologist,etc and not be on call, but we're talking about time you spent in school, plus trainings, keeping up with the current med issues, the business side of med.etc).. henceforth quality of life is questionable...

When you become a crna, you have money, power (not as much as md, but you're also high in the hierarchy of healthcare professions.. its actually just the md who's above you, i hope this doesnt spart a debate but really they deserve it) and time (not as much as regular 8-5 weekday jobs, but definitely better than mds)...

So bottomline is I'm not sure if I want to stop my life for say 8yrs to have the power, prestige and knowledge of an md.. and miss out on my younger years.. Who knows how long we're going to live..lol., and who knows, I might be one of those few cranky older mds who are really good mds but might be missing out on the more important sides of life..

Or be one of those crnas who's not satisfied with their role yet get stuck with it because "it's too late now, or could have done it before".. but if you accept your scope of practice, I think its a lot better than wiping butt and bedside nursing plus you're making serious money.. Of course it's not the most important thing but its a tool to give us a comfortable life.. its also more intellectually stimulating than being an overworked and under-appreciated rn..

Oh I also remember, my friend's dad is an internal med md, we often had like father-son talk before and he was encouraging me to pursue medicine.. I was inpired by his dedication and sense of fulfillment.. but at the same time, his wife was telling me not to do it, because he never had time for her..ouch.. And now that he's retired, he went back to practicing part time because he got already so used to working.. My friend anyway also is never close to her dad.. Of course this doesn't apply to everyone, I know there's a way to budget time..

So fellow crna hopefuls, crnas, and srnas.. pls share your opinions about this.. I know I might get different reactions based on some of my opinions but pls lets make it peaceful and educational..

Thanks everyone for reading...

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Specializes in ICU, currently in Anesthesia School.

No one can tell you how to live your life. No one can tell you what the sacrifice required for each of these paths is going to be for you. I am sure there are others here who are more than glad to set you straight on what the details are.

As to the money,power, and time issue- I will tell you that it is all relative( and probably some stuff that your patient read in a psych 101 class). A neurosurgeon I worked with was making well into upper six figures, (lots of lami, was a senior partner) had alot of time off and you could say he "oversaw" others in his practice (power), still- he complained on a frequent basis that it was not enough. Point is- if your not happy now, sacrificing for a "job" (MDA, CRNA, PharmD, Ballet teacher, whatever) You will probably not be happy later. Find a career that you are passionate about.

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I'm really glad you made this thread, I'm in the same boat trying to figure out what to do. Although, I still need to get my RN but I like to plan ahead lol.

Anyways, one thing that sways me to MDA is how lifespan is going increase probably in the future. Of course, it might seem silly to think about but it makes schooling more worth it if you're going to work longer.

I've been wondering, just how long are the weeks for MDAs generally? I've heard that they often work a lot of hours but never have found out how many. I've seen salary reports for locum tenens and the difference on there is about 100k, but if CRNAs are working 40 hours a week and MDAs work 60 or however many hours a week, it might balance it out a bit.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Emergency.
Hello everyone!

I'm in the dilemma of choosing between crna or mda(or even pharmd before..lol).. Im an rn currently working in cvicu. The path I took was leading to the crna route. I have bsn and 2 yrs cvicu experience.. And now that I'm here, I'm thinking should I go crna, which later on I might question myself why I just didn't pursue med school when I had the chance, (i know there are some crnas who later on pursued med school) or should I go to med school and later find out that prestige and money isn't really the most important thing in the world..

I believe one of the most bitter thing in life is not being happy of who you become, because of you shoul've/could've and you didn't.. I can imaginge being a crna and being the best in my field, and despite that feel inaqeduate because I dont have the MD after my name..

But despite all of that I still consider becoming a crna.. Is it because it entails less sacrifice? probably yes. Doesn't mean that I look down on crna schooling, it is very intense and it's full time schooling, you have to drop everything you're doing and focus only on school during that 24-32 months..

but it is way less compared to the sacrifice of being an md.. And that is why I haven't made my desicion yet..

Question is how do I want to spend my life? We only live once and I'm not sure I want to dedicate a very significant portion (if not most) of it in my career.. I was talking to my patient (a pediatrician, former er doc, who has an or rn sister also in the room), he was my patient for 4 days and we've had enough rapport to talk about my dilemma.. He told me that when choosing your path, consider the 3 biggest things; time, money, and power..

When you become an md, you have money and power, but you dont have time (some may mention that you can be an er doc, radiologist,etc and not be on call, but we're talking about time you spent in school, plus trainings, keeping up with the current med issues, the business side of med.etc).. henceforth quality of life is questionable...

When you become a crna, you have money, power (not as much as md, but you're also high in the hierarchy of healthcare professions.. its actually just the md who's above you, i hope this doesnt spart a debate but really they deserve it) and time (not as much as regular 8-5 weekday jobs, but definitely better than mds)...

So bottomline is I'm not sure if I want to stop my life for say 8yrs to have the power, prestige and knowledge of an md.. and miss out on my younger years.. Who knows how long we're going to live..lol., and who knows, I might be one of those few cranky older mds who are really good mds but might be missing out on the more important sides of life..

Or be one of those crnas who's not satisfied with their role yet get stuck with it because "it's too late now, or could have done it before".. but if you accept your scope of practice, I think its a lot better than wiping butt and bedside nursing plus you're making serious money.. Of course it's not the most important thing but its a tool to give us a comfortable life.. its also more intellectually stimulating than being an overworked and under-appreciated rn..

Oh I also remember, my friend's dad is an internal med md, we often had like father-son talk before and he was encouraging me to pursue medicine.. I was inpired by his dedication and sense of fulfillment.. but at the same time, his wife was telling me not to do it, because he never had time for her..ouch.. And now that he's retired, he went back to practicing part time because he got already so used to working.. My friend anyway also is never close to her dad.. Of course this doesn't apply to everyone, I know there's a way to budget time..

So fellow crna hopefuls, crnas, and srnas.. pls share your opinions about this.. I know I might get different reactions based on some of my opinions but pls lets make it peaceful and educational..

Thanks everyone for reading...

well, to make this short:

time is better

pay is good

autonomy is good

vacation is great

hours are better

responsible for myself (and my patient) only

for these reasons, among others, i chose CRNA..

you need to be happy down the road whatever you choose...

that will be the difference in the end no matter what !

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Specializes in SICU; Just accepted to CRNA school!.

mambutz7hart,

i agree with a lot of the things you said! there's always sooo many floor nurses and icu nurses that say they had to choose between rn & md. in my opinion, the general bedside nursing role and the md role are completely different and are nothing alike. medicine is very different from nursing as we all know. but, in the anesthesia world it's a different story b/c the 2 roles practice together, and have the same job duties in many institutions...although the mda so does sometimes does a lot of supervision/induction only. so, this is a dilemma i can understand and relate to. i was just accepted to crna school in the philly area...and after thinking about this for a long time, that's the best decision for me. you have to look at many aspects...i'm 23, and i want to be a mom someday and actually get to see my kids. plus, seeing what those residents go through???? ugh, no way! i think that if i hadn't worked in hospital as a tech and then as a nurse, my opinion would be different, but i see how hard the residents work, and they have no time for anything. i think the crna route will provide me with job that i am happier with and allow for more autonomy. have you shadowed any crna's/mda's yet? that may be a good idea for you. i just know that i need to have a life outside of work and that's what made my decision for me. goodluck!

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Specializes in SRNA.

I did some similar thinking before anesthesia school. For me it all boiled down to lifestyle. Sure, the money is better as an MDA but being a doc in general has a greater negative impact on your lifestyle. I could find many MDAs at work that were dissatisfied with the way their work impacted their lives and, well, no CRNAs that had the same complaint. I'd rather take less of the green stuff and more time with my family and my bagpipes.

-S

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A cuurent MD-A Resident told me that the odds of you becoming an MDA when you get to med school were probably not good. Why? BEcause you are exposed to so many feilds as a resident that you might find something else you like. With that said, I believe the CRNA route is good for me. I dont mind going to med school after CRNA is accomplished if I feel like im not being challenged, and with the lifestyle that a CRNA has, it would not be hard to save up for MEd School, etc. My resident friend also mentioned that "CRNA's have the greatest gig in the biz, and they know it!"

I personally know a CRNA mom who worked as a RN in ICU for 5 years and then went on to CRNA. She works Friday night to Monday Morning on call and has the rest of the week off and spends it with her children while her husband works. I thought that rocked! :D

I shadowed a Neurosurgeon for a few cases, he was on call and sometimes was limited to the time he had with his family. yes both the doc and his family suffered and still do for it. I prefer not to get into much more details about how they suffered but my personal eye witness experience leads me to focus on becoming a CRNA over an MD any day! Time is certainly more valuable the older you get! Time iwth family, kids, and personal actualization.

I hear there are some awesome Doctorate programs for CRNA's I would love to know more about those! i think it would be awesome to learn more and more and more about a feild I find fascinating. Please excuse my spelling, im not all that great without word. God Bless.

Tony

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