competitors? i'm glad your enthusiastic about your profession but better review the facts, you are a nurse and will always be working under a doctor. In the military you may be the big cheese and not have to answer to anyone, but that isn't because the country thinks your equals but rather the military is too cheap to pay for more anesthesiolgists. That's why when you get back into the real world the only places that you can work independent of a MD is out the the rural little hospitals where the biggest case you will do may be an emergency SBO. I don't like the controlling micro-managers either but don't blow your own horn too much there buddy.