Posted by TS on March 3, 2009, 9:24 pm, in reply to "An Angry CRNA"
98.18.123.82
(Note to CRNAs that aren't as moronic as the person who wrote this - I like most of you. I like the CRNAs I work with a lot. They are smart and capable in most cases. I disagree they should be without a doctor, but I do trust them. This letter is designed to be scathing to a CRNA with an agenda. I LOVE my ICU nurses and CRNA co-workers!!)
I appreciate your candid letter. People such as you are easy to tear apart and contribute to CRNAs looking foolish and uninformed, which only hurts your cause - and helps ours.
As an ICU/CCU physician assistant,I enjoyed giving orders to future CRNA's who would panic at the site of anything that wasn't "normal" in their extensive basic biology and chemistry training.
We all know that a little knowledge is dangerous, and CRNA's and ICU nurses practice by this daily. To be sure AA's are not doctors. AA's are wiser than CRNAs, as we put patient safety first and are under no illusions that we are better than a doctor or should be independent. Can a CRNA say this? No, they insist 2 years of training and taking orders from a PA or MD in an ICU is equivalent to medical school. CRNA's are guilty of hubris (you don't know what this word means, so look it up). You are talking about AA's risking your family's lives, while you as a CRNA are advocating work without a real anesthesiologist to support you.
We all know you are independent - and you will kill and hurt people until your goal becomes patient safety. Right now it seems your only goal is to protect your independence. Fortunately real doctors are aware of this and are taking steps to remediate the problem in more states every year.
The good news is this. We are winning battles every year. CRNA's become more controlled every year. How do we know this? The more scared they get, the more they rant and panic. Just like they do with an unstable patient or during an emergency.
I must say I enjoyed the part where you state that a registered nurse is THE standard of care in the world. Not a doctor or a pharmacist, a nurse is the torchbearer of clinical medicine today.
How about this part: "They can take care of a patient alone before they enter CRNA school." Yes, they can take care of a patient - under a real doctor or PA's orders. This translates to acting as an independent physician how? I can drive a car, so I guess I'm an engineer
You see, your lack of skills isn't just in the OR. It's also in your political action committees and in your letters to the message boards
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