Ekklesia

I have not made it to OB rotation yet, but I pick up some super-heavy bad-vibes whenever I go near the L&D dept where I work as a tech. They could burn a hole through my head with the way they stare at me. Just last night I had to go there to drop off some breast milk and as a joke I announced that I was thinking of becoming a L&D nurse... The only thing more deafening than the silence was when they collectively caught their breath.

I don't want to speak for anyone else, but I took the post to mean that when physicians got (heavily) involved in anesthesia is when the salaries started to climb--even for nurse anesthetists.

No kidding. Especially since "little fish" answered his/her own question!

Good question, as I am wondering the same thing. Is "Hello, I'm Doctor Smith your Nurse Anesthetist" going to fly?

Just wondering what opinions are concerning proper attire while in nursing school, specifically on non-clinical days (b/c we wear our "scrub uniform"). On non-clinical/didactic days we are to wear "business casual" and (sometimes with a lab coat) and am wondering if a tie is OK or too much? I want to be as professional as possible but don't want to seem like I'm trying "too hard." A couple of nurses I work with thought I might come off as a "physician wannabe." (Please, no flames). I'm all for raising the bar on professionalism even with basic appearance. I, for one, do not like scrubs. What say you?

True. Nevertheless, I find this info interesting and can share in the discussion. I have talked to two recently graduated CRNA's and they both started out in the $120K range (Ohio). I also personally know a CRNA who has over 30 years experience and was recently offered a job in a large hospital for $240k (Michigan).

Ian, you handled yourself very well and stayed cool, calm and collected. I hope I'll be able to do that if I experience that level of bigotry.

LOL. I was interviewing at a "Big 3" car manufacturer for a temporary foreman position and was asked by one of the dozen or so interviewers what I was majoring in in college. I said nursing and they all busted out laughing, and started calling me "Gaylord Focker." I know for a fact that that department has downsized and axed over half of those guys, so I'll have the last laugh.

OK my bearded friends; what about long hair? I had very long hair about 3 months ago but have since cut it short.

jheathRRNA, thank you for your post, and welcome to allnurses.com.

I agree with piper, you see what you want. Please give five examples of posts that explicitly state that "CRNAs can do all that an MD can do" AND 5 explicit examples of "MDs are useless in anesthesia." You can't do it.

Therein lies the problem. This is what happens when we start coming up with our own interpretations of what a word "means." Nowhere in any dictionary do I see the term "disposable" and I certainly don't take it as that. If the original poster had meant disposable...well then, I would be rather upset. One definition that is in dictionaries is "those of secondary importance" and I DO have a problem with that one. The main definition is simply "one of lower rank" and it comes from the military history of our country. Yes, it sounds harsh and stodgy and I really don't hear it too much in the actual workplace. We are all subordinate to some higher "rank" or power. Frankly, I think we're all on the same page, notwithstanding the semantics of one word.

Meh, it reads like an opinion essay to me. While the term "subordinate" may not sound "nice" it is a fact that I, as a tech, am a subordinate to the nurse(s). And, I'm OK with that. The organizational psychology class I just finished utilizes the term "subordinate" throughout.

I start school this fall and have been told everything from, "beards look unprofessional" (even though I see many docs with beards) to "the more you cover that ugly face, the better." What say you?

That's better! Jeez, there is no other topic as incendiary as anesthesia, docs and CRNAs's!!!