Questions about the duties/role of CRNA's

RedCell · Oct 11, 2009

I would be grateful if CRNA's could answer the following questions about their job role,
What is the CRNA's role in ICU?
What is the CRNA's role in the ER/ED?
Do CRNA's attend all inhospital Cardiac/respiritory arrests?
many thanks

CRNA role in the ICU: drop the patient off from surgery, give report to RN, go get coffee, start next case in OR. Anesthesiologists with fellowships in CCM at times get consulted for assistance in the ICU, CRNAs have nothing to do with this. Maybe there are some CRNAs with ACNP certification that would disagree, but I still feel my statement holds water.

CRNA role in ED: Go intubate the patient that the paramedic student, intern, resident and ER attending missed. Pray that the airway is not too bloodied to see anatomy and/or bubbles. Place snorkel, go get coffee, start next case in OR.

CRNA attendance at cardiac/respiratory arrests outside of the OR varies by institution. At the main hospital I work at, anesthesia gets called when previous intubation attempts have failed. Basically we go to the code, place the snorkel in the dead guy, make a short note in the chart, go get coffee, start next case in OR.

As a side note, not all CRNAs drink coffee, but I happen to think it is a great weight loss plan.

vblaides · Oct 11, 2009

http://www.aana.com/

Good luck

LewisN · Oct 11, 2009

see we have a different situation in the UK,

anesthetists (only MD's in the UK) attend the ER for all patients in Resus as they are the only doctors to intubate, they attend all in hospital cardiac arrests and anesthetists the the only doctors in ICU

ICUmama · Oct 13, 2009

this is the case in many US hospitals with anesthesiologists as well. however, you asked about CRNAs, not anesthesiologists