CRNAs in doctors/dentist offices.....

[dreamon]

I saw this questioned being asked on another website, but no answer was ever posted...

"How common is it for a CRNA to work in a doctors/dentists office...how is the pay in relation to working in a hospital?"

Thanks in advance for the help!

[yoga crna]

If you go to the AANA website, you should be able to find the statistics on practice areas. I do know that office surgery is the fastest growing section of surgery.

I have practice in an office setting for the last 20 years and absolutely love it. As a medical-legal consultant, I have also reviewed a number of office anesthesia legal cases and have formed some strong opionions about the setting,

1. All anesthesia practitioners (including MDs) should have at least 5 years of strong hospital experience before ever attempting office practice. Trust me on this one, you are never so alone in anesthesia as you are in an office setting.

2. The economic component of an office practice is substantially different than hospital practice. By definition, office practices are usually owned and managed by the surgeon. Money is the big issue and requests for you to take shortcuts are commonplace. If you are not creative in compromise, they will find someone who is willing to take the shortcuts.

3. Yes, the money is probably better, because it is a good opportunity for a CRNA to set up a private practice. That is another whole discussion.

My bottom line, get plenty of experience.

YogaCRNA