CRNA vs. Politics

[MrRacer98]

CRNA vs. Politics

Hello everyone, I have a question that perhaps will reveal some opinionated replies.

I am only a phlebotomist, EMT and LPN, working on my ADN. However, I'm young and level headed. I Enjoy healthcare and genuinely appreciate the job descriptions of CRNA's and my goal so far is to have my CRNA in 8 ½ years. There's only 1 problem. I hate politics. This however does NOT mean I don't care. I care a lot, but I quickly get annoyed with the irrelevant, illogical debates that often go on within politics in general. I don't wish to join a profession and work hard at school the next 8 years of my life to inadvertently join a field that in my spare time I need to be throwing my political weight around to keep the profession quality. That is my major concern.

For clarification, I AM NOT stereotyping CRNA's or CRNA's on this board. I DO care. I AM NOT as informed as I want to be about this topic (which is the reason of me writing this thread). I DO NOT take 1 persons point of view as fact.

To my question...Are there CRNA's out there that don't feel the need to become a part time politician? I am not implying that these people don't care about their field, or let others do the work. Honestly though, can a person live a quiet life of patient care, enjoying your job as a CRNA, with out having to have a deep interest in politics?

Yes, this question has been spurred on by some recent thread activity here. I realize that this is but a small portion of CRNA's in America, but I believe it is a quality sample group nonetheless. If people are worried by repercussions of a post, please private message me. Thank you all for your quality, professional thoughts on this subject.

Jeremy

More so, what is considered an active, pro-profession CRNA consist of?

[jwk]

Nice to know y'all think about me when I'm not around.

Hey, even though the politics can sometimes be frustrating as hell, it's also very interesting, regardless of the side of the fence any of us are on. I've been in anesthesia a long time, but am really just getting into the political side of things the last couple of years.

You'll never regret getting involved - you'll damn sure regret not being involved when you could have been.

[deepz]

.....even though the politics can sometimes be frustrating as hell, it's also very interesting......

Interesting indeed. As in the Chinese curse: May your life be 'interesting.'

So long as AAs remain allies in the pocket of the A$A your perspective will vary significantly from that of the average beleagured CRNA.

deepz

[sproutsfriend]

...As long as AAs remain allies in the pocket of the A$A your perspective will vary significantly from that of the average beleagured CRNA.

I agree. Although AAs feeling crapped on by CRNAs is probably very much simular to how CRNAs feel when they are crapped on by MDAs.

[jwk]

So long as AAs remain allies in the pocket of the A$A your perspective will vary significantly from that of the average beleagured CRNA.

deepz

Allies? Yes. In the pocket of the ASA? Nope. I know, I know, we'll have to agree to disagree, 'cause you know we're not going to change each other's mind. :chuckle

[Diahni]

Hello All,

This thread is very interesting to me as a nursing student planning to go to anesthetist school. In yesterday's USA today, there's a very good article about the doctor shortage, (USA Today, March 3, '05,) which was brought to you by the AMA. Physicians, according to the article, have the only profession that can totally regulate how many of their own there are in the workplace. Because of the tight control of numbers of medical students, we have a doctor shortage that will not improve in the near future. The shortage was because AMA members were afraid of a glut of doctors and limited how many people could attend medical school. This was not, of course, due to anything but self interest. Basic economics says that a glut might lower doctors salaries, or worse, create unemployed doctors, which would be unthinkable. I'm not aware of this, but are CRNAs in general more "politcal" than other nurses with advanced training? I'm wondering if this has something to do with the fact that 42 percent of CRNAs are male. Women, nurses or not, have to speak up for themselves. Nurses are invaluable, yet you don't see hospitals treating them that way. Maybe all nurses should make more noise for better pay and better working conditions. "Being political" doesn't take much. Even a letter to one's representatives packs a punch. The nursing shortage has not made nurses more valuable salary-wise. Rather, nurses are taking care of seven patients instead of four. This is a great solution for hospitals, but not for nurses, and definitely not for the patients. Anesthesiologists are trying to curtail nurse anesthetists in many ways. This has everything to do with their own salaries, and little else. To be or not be political is a personal choice, but the squeaky wheel gets the oil. And the money.

[BigDave]

Speaking from a male nurses' perspective, I think the increased number of males in nursing occurred in close proximity to another change in nursing--a shift from females floating in and out of the role to care for families to nurses that were working moms and dedicated professionals. I've often heard that the increased numbers of males (using whatever model you choose) had a significant part in the paradigm shift, but I'm not so sure anymore.

As far as nurses salaries go, in grad school we were taught to attribute the majority of the problem to the fact that nurses pay is tied into the room charges. If it were billed separately (and visible) it would be a great thing for our profession. Reason being, an obscurity of the nurses' true value in the system. Also, since the "daily room charge" is the highest expense for a hospital, bean counters are always on the attack. On the other side, nurses have a "moral?" reputation as being patient advocates. If nurses pay were a sepatately billed item, I am told that it would make us appear greedy...personally, I would take that risk!!

[Diahni]

Reason being, an obscurity of the nurses' true value in the system. Also, since the "daily room charge" is the highest expense for a hospital, bean counters are always on the attack. On the other side, nurses have a "moral?" reputation as being patient advocates. If nurses pay were a sepatately billed item, I am told that it would make us appear greedy...personally, I would take that risk!!

Big Dave,

Count me in on that! Around the world, women have historically worked harder for less money, and in the case of child care and housework, for free. An uprising of nurses would be a formidable thing.