CRNA Vs. MD

[Amir]

Hello everyone, just found this site so this is my first post.

Currently I am an undergrad working on acceptance to medical school. I'm not going to lie though, a majority of the motivation is the money. I just discovered CRNA's though and they make a lot of money with little debt doing roughly the same thing I wanted to do in the first place. I have a few questions I hope someone can help me out with here:

1) On a day-to-day basis, what would a CRNA end up doing? This can be broad, I just want to get an idea of if it's just put patients to sleep and wake them up or more.

2) How long would it take me to get a CRNA. Currently I am a sophomore in Psychology (finished all physics, bio, chem, math).

Thanks!

[loveanesthesia]

I could take a person off the street with absolutely no medical training, and within a few months have them giving a smooth anesthetic that would rival what MDAs or CRNAs could give.

This is where the internet is a big disadvantage, because without any nonverbal cues, I have no idea if you are serious. On the one hand I think, 'this is a joke', but then sometimes I think you are serious. After working with brand new SRNAs for a lot of years, who already have a lot a patient care knowledge, I can assure you, you are mistaken.

[stanman1968]

I have not broken the law in any way shape or form, the law requires that I am under the direction of an operating practitioner, it does not say that I have to do as they say. Pt comes in with horrific COPD the surgeon does not like regional anesthesia and demands a GA I just tell them no I will not do it, I will however perform a spinal or PNB. Please point out the "law" I have broken.

[paindoc]

Whether you have broken a law is a matter for the attorney general of our state to evaluate. As for taking a person off the street and training them in anesthesia....I am dead serious. It has been done in Africa for decades and works quite well with limited monitoring capabilities. With our modern monitoring techniques, it is rare for an anesthetist (MDA, CRNA, AA) to get into any significant trouble since they are anticipating events. Writing a cookbook for the delivery of anesthesia for the 99% of the time things are routine is actually quite easy. It is really no different than an ACLS algorithm.

[lyela]

As for taking a person off the street and training them in anesthesia....I am dead serious. It has been done in Africa for decades and works quite well with limited monitoring capabilities.

Citation please, Dr.

[stanman1968]

right, look it is quite simple, no nurse is required by law to execute an order you can always refuse, in the area of advanced practice we are expected to use our clinical judgment related to our specialty, such as anesthesia. Now according to your strange view I would in some way be be breaking some "law" if I were to perform an anesthetic that is clearly unsafe such as SAB on a patient with cricitcal AS, or perhaps a thoracic epidural as the sole anethetic for a laprascopic procedure, but to refuse these orders and insist on a safe anesthetic plan is breaking the "law".

Seriously dude give up your efforts on law you may be a legend in your own minf relative to pain managment, but on this topic you are so way out of your depth, silence would be really good for you now.

[foreverLaur]

If a CRNA and MDA are equally as good at providing anesthesia, why haven't the anesthesiologists realized they are wasting their time with 8 years of education and 3 years of residency? They could do it in 6.5 years instead of 11!

[bread angel]

The best provider is the one who knows what they are doing, is vigilant (no reading novels, checking email, etc.) and who know how to STAY out of trouble. CRNAs have an excellent history of providing anesthesia to the highest risk patients where MDAs doing want to work because the major bucks are not. If you want an answer to the question, follow the money!

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Okay - gentleman since this has become a contest between two members how about taking it privately where you can both agree to disagree.