RRNA or SRNA for title, What is your opinion?

Nursing Students SRNA

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I have seen RRNA and SRNA quite often here and just wondered what you all thought of the 2 titles. I like RRNA myself. They way they explained it to us at TCU is that it can ease some pt anxiety when they see SRNA they are thinking oh my goodness a student doing my anesthesia. And if 16months or longer is not a residency I don't know what is. After all we, like some medical residents will be spending plenty of time sleeping at the hospital (maybe not sleeping, but sleep-walking). I think if all programs switched to the RRNA it also looks better on the profession for everyone to be more uniform. Just interested in what everyone else has to say.

I deleted jwk's offending message which appeared throughout the thread.

Nurse anesthesia students feels strongly about this, and you know it, JWK! That is so stereotypical and UNFAIR to play the ol' "wannabe doctor" card. The members who are posting to this thread are particularly proud to be nurses, and it is apparant in their posts. These are not nurse anesthesia students who are going to tell people they are residents in order to get jollies in deceiving pts and go on a power trip. The arguement is valid in this thread. I draw the line when members start instigating arguments and say, "let the flames begin".

While many, many members value your input and view as an AA, this is a nurse anesthesia board. We will be steadfast in advocating for it.

Thanks Ether! I did not intend the thread to start anything except a discussion on what title was most preferred/appropriate and would be best for the profession. For the most part this jwk person just posts antagonistic remarks. Again, good job!

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TexasCCRN, this is a valid thread. I'm sorry it got sort of butchered. I wonder if AANA will ever have a standard title for students.

By the way, I hope you're safe down there. Our prayers are with you this weekend!

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Our program director says we are not to be called "residents" because it isn't very p.c. Apparently, some physicians were getting ruffled feathers. You do have to be careful about how you say "student" though, because I agree, it freaks patients out. When we introduce ourselves we are supposed to say, Hi, I'm EmeraldNYL, a registered nurse anesthesia student" OR "Hi, I'm EmeraldNYL, a registered nurse on the anesthesia care team".

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TexasCCRN, this is a valid thread. I'm sorry it got sort of butchered. I wonder if AANA will ever have a standard title for students.

By the way, I hope you're safe down there. Our prayers are with you this weekend!

I agree that an AANA recommendation would be a good solution.

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I usually introduce myself and tell the patient I am part of their anesthesia team for the day - when questions arise - i use the opportunity to explain my exact role - that I am a nurse currently training in anesthesia - i give them my history as far as experience and try to educate them regarding nurse anesthesia.

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Designated SRNA here. I just tell them I am "one of the nurses with anesthesia and I will be with you in the OR, make sure you are comfortable, blah, blah". No questions, no raised eyebrows, ever. Our MDs respect our position and introduce themselves as "I'm working with (insert my name) and they don't try to show us up in front of the patient - they make too much money off seniors running cases independently anyway.

Seems to work well, but maybe folks around here in TN just don't get it - which BTW is very possible.

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Our program director says we are not to be called "residents" because it isn't very p.c. Apparently, some physicians were getting ruffled feathers. You do have to be careful about how you say "student" though, because I agree, it freaks patients out. When we introduce ourselves we are supposed to say, Hi, I'm EmeraldNYL, a registered nurse anesthesia student" OR "Hi, I'm EmeraldNYL, a registered nurse on the anesthesia care team".

What a pitiful program director. Let the director be an example to us all of how we should stand up for ourselves or we will continue on with the way things have been for ages. I am of the opinion that being politically correct is one of the worst thoughts ever made up my anyone. People should just be honest...heck..what ever happened to the golden rule. Wouldn't need to think PC if everyone just followed that. Ok Sorry for the little rant!

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Designated SRNA here. I just tell them I am "one of the nurses with anesthesia and I will be with you in the OR, make sure you are comfortable, blah, blah". No questions, no raised eyebrows, ever. Our MDs respect our position and introduce themselves as "I'm working with (insert my name) and they don't try to show us up in front of the patient - they make too much money off seniors running cases independently anyway.

Exact same situation here also.

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I know about other advanced practice nurses but other professions in health care use resident and intern. Physicians don't hold the market on these designations.

Referring to any student, whether that be a nursing student or a medical student, as a resident at the hospital is misleading. The term resident has a defined meaning, and most people who have seen medical drama on TV are aware of that definition. If they haven't and they go to look it up in the dictionary they're going to find something like this -

RESIDENT - A physician receiving specialized clinical training in a hospital, usually after completing an internship., The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, Copyright 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.

While I commend your desire to make patients feel more comfortable, I think most people would agree that misleading them is an ethically suspect way of doing so. You have to ask yourself why using the term 'resident' makes them more comfortable than the term 'student'? Nobody is confusing any of you for a 20 year old 3rd year nursing student, as one of the posts stated. But the fact of the matter is, you are students, graduate level professional students, but students none the less.

I agree that patients are uncomfortable with the idea of students doing their anesthesia, but that's the fact of the matter. I just don't think that misleading them is the right way to handle it.

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Specializes in Anesthesia.
Referring to any student, whether that be a nursing student or a medical student, as a resident at the hospital is misleading. The term resident has a defined meaning, and most people who have seen medical drama on TV are aware of that definition. If they haven't and they go to look it up in the dictionary they're going to find something like this -

RESIDENT - A physician receiving specialized clinical training in a hospital, usually after completing an internship., The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, Copyright 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company........

Oh please. The definition quoted above is one of many for the word resident. As English and all languages continually evolve, definitions evolve also; dictionaries are therefore historical documents, essentially describing the usages of words as they have been in the past, not necessarily as they are currently being used. Dictionaries should be viewed as descriptive, not proscriptive.

Lighten up on the territoriality.

deepz

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i believe it is also misleading for patients to assume that a "resident" has more experience than a "student" nurse anesthetist... but it happens. and you are absolutely WRONG - when you say i am a nurse anesthesia student - they hear nurse and student...bypassing the anesthesia part...it is akin to equating a resident w/ a premed student - and insulting at that. by way of explaination and show of intelligent confidence it is usually not a problem - however there must be some way for nurse anesthesisa students to get their "credit" as well. the same way a 3rd yr resident would like to be distinguished from a 1st yr.

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I would also like to add that medical residents are still "students" too. I have worked with plenty of anesthesia and surgical residents over the years as they learn to place PA caths and A-lines in the ICU. Well, now it is me that is learning to place PA caths and A-lines ect. I am a student but I could just as easily be called a resident. I spend a lot of time sleeping in the hospital and getting calls in the middle of the night to do cases, intubate on the floors, or place an epidural cath in OB. How is my training (other than number of hours) any different than that of a medical resident? It isn't! No one group should have a monopoly on a title and resident does not mean just mean MD or DO. My program does not use the term resident and I am okay with being an SRNA, but I also think there is nothing wrong with other nurse anesthesia programs using the term RRNA.

Physicians call themselves doctors, but there are other people who are not MDs or DOs that refer to themselves as "doctor so-and-so" (professors and scientists ect). These people have every right to give themselves credit for receiving their doctorate.

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