Posted by TS on May 7, 2009, 12:52 am, in reply to "Re: An Angry CRNA"
75.90.23.33
No problem.
Paramedic for 8 years, with running 100% independent codes (compared to your 70%) and intubations and other procedures you weren't allowed to do - with no physician, no RT, no code team - just me and maybe an EMT or first responder. Also experience as a medic in a CVICU/CCU doing what the nurses did. Then PA school, worked in EM and ICU. Also some hospitalist stuff for fun.
As you know, general nursing clinicals are much easier than CRNA and AA clinicals. You may not like me saying this but I bet you agree - there are many RNs who probably would not make good CRNAs but are very good on the floor or in an ICU, and nursing school does not and should not weed them out. Not a good comparison for you to make, in my mind. CRNAs are some of the highest trained providers I know. But everything is learning, and after school is out is when you really learn, right? It all just takes time.
I will not say you aren't well trained, however. You clearly are. Most CRNAs don't have the experience you do. Some do. I'm glad you have experience and I would trust you to protect my life if I needed anesthesia. But saying an AA is just an assistant is the same as saying a CRNA is just a nurse - it is a statement designed to make someone emotional and provoke hatred towards another profession, which I don't have. I like the CRNAs I work with, but I also like screwing with bored CRNAs on the internet looking for a fight.
The logical fallacy you make is that only an RN has experience to do anesthesia, not any other provider. We get the brightest from all sorts of fields - you can just get RNs, which isn't a bad thing, but certainly isn't all you make it out to be.
Furthermore, you seem to talk much about AAs having inferior training and experience and how AA's complain about CRNAs; but do AANA and many other CRNAs not complain an fight AAs whenever they can? I don't see how you have the moral high ground there.
You are also trying to argue that the only path to being a competent anesthesia provider is the one you have taken. By this rationale, most CRNAs you know aren't competent either. I know of many CRNAs who are competent, but don't have nearly the ICU time or experience you do. Do you direct your criticism at them too?
Finally, you make a big deal about AAs having big heads about their education and level of training. Without any irony, you say this after the posting the longest resume of a persons' skills (yours) that I have ever seen on the internet. Was that intentional or do you not see the irony?
Now, please in the future hit the "enter" button after series of sentences and you will have a paragraph. Use this to your advantage so others like me won't have to work so hard to read your comments. 
In case you get angry, may I ask that you please don't! I'm sure you are a good person and a fine anesthesia provider. I just take offense that you insinuate that I and my colleagues are not. If times were different, we might even be friends. But on the internet, there can be no friends... you must trust NO ONE!
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