CRNAs vs. Anesthesiologist

[Nikinels]

I am a high school student and as a honors graduation requirement I must thoroughly research and deliver my views on a controversial issue. My goal is to eventually become a CRNA.

I know that CRNAs vs. Anesthesiologist has become a controversial issue. Most MDs and Anesthesiologist see CRNAs incompetent to administer Anesthetics without their supervision and claim that CRNAs cannot handle irregular situations, especially tramatic one. CRNAs claim that this in untrue because nearly 65% of Anesthetics are provided without the supervision of Anesthesiologist and that most surgical patients are never even acknowledged by Anesthesiogist. CRNAs also claim that they have safely administered Anesthetics for nearly 100 years, longer then Anesthesiologist have existed, and that this is not an issue of patient safety but merely a "turf" battle.

With CRNAs gaining more control in Anesthetics, will hospitals prefer CRNAs over Anesthesiologist since it is a lower paid profession? Now that the HCFA (Health Care Financing Administration) has ruled that CRNAs do not need to be supervised by Anesthesiologist, and that the hospitals can continue to be reimbursed by Medicare, what do you see for the future of Anesthesiologist? Over time do you think that this field will disappear and that Anesthetics will return to CRNAs? Being a high school student do not know the full responsibilities of both of these occupations but is there a possiblity of Anesthesiologist disappearing or is their role in medicine too valuable?

Please give me any insight possible! Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected]! Thanks!

[swumpgas]

I am a high school student and as a honors graduation requirement I must thoroughly research and deliver my views on a controversial issue. My goal is to eventually become a CRNA.

I know that CRNAs vs. Anesthesiologist has become a controversial issue. Most MDs and Anesthesiologist see CRNAs incompetent to administer Anesthetics without their supervision and claim that CRNAs cannot handle irregular situations, especially tramatic one. CRNAs claim that this in untrue because nearly 65% of Anesthetics are provided without the supervision of Anesthesiologist and that most surgical patients are never even acknowledged by Anesthesiogist. CRNAs also claim that they have safely administered Anesthetics for nearly 100 years, longer then Anesthesiologist have existed, and that this is not an issue of patient safety but merely a "turf" battle.

With CRNAs gaining more control in Anesthetics, will hospitals prefer CRNAs over Anesthesiologist since it is a lower paid profession? Now that the HCFA (Health Care Financing Administration) has ruled that CRNAs do not need to be supervised by Anesthesiologist, and that the hospitals can continue to be reimbursed by Medicare, what do you see for the future of Anesthesiologist? Over time do you think that this field will disappear and that Anesthetics will return to CRNAs? Being a high school student do not know the full responsibilities of both of these occupations but is there a possiblity of Anesthesiologist disappearing or is their role in medicine too valuable?

Please give me any insight possible! Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected]! Thanks!

There never has been a requirement that CRNA's be supervised by and anesthesiolgist (MDA), only a doctor, generally the supervising surgeon, and that only applied in about 27 states. The Bush administration, rather that follow the recommendations of HCFA after a few years of researching the subject., dumped the rule that CRNA's no longer needed supervision to be reinbursed by Medicare (via HCFA) It was left to individual states to decide if MD (not MDA) supervision was reuired at the state level. To this date, I believe 12 states have made the decision to not require any MD supervision. Most other states did not have any requitrement at all. I was strictly an issue to reimbursement.

Rather than take up a lot of bandwidth here, I would refer you to the Association web page http://www.aana.com

there's a ton of infor there about just the issues you are asking about. You will find becoming a CRNA very "challenging", but a very worthy goal.

Good Luck..

http://www.ifna.info/