Posted by ss on December 17, 2006, 10:46 pm, in reply to "R.N. to A.A."
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Posted by ss on December 17, 2006, 10:46 pm, in reply to "R.N. to A.A." Quite a few RN's have gone through the AA programs instead of a CRNA program. There are usually two main reasons that I've seen. One is simply location. There is an AA school located in or near their current location that doesn't require them to move. Emory is a prime example. The closest CRNA schools to Atlanta are Augusta, Chattanooga, Birmingham, and the new school in Macon. The 2nd reason fits your situation. An RN, but with a bachelor's degree in something besides nursing. That rules you out of most nurse anesthesia programs. RN's usually do quite well in the AA programs. The catch there is that most RN's aren't going to have some of the more advanced science courses needed for the AA program. As a biology major, you may already have most if not all of what you need that RN's usually don't have - organic, biochem, physics, and perhaps calculus. If you like the idea of doing bigger cases - hearts, neuro, vascular, thoracic, complex laparoscopies, etc. - then you're going to be in a practice with anesthesiologists, either as part of a group or working for the hospital. CRNA's, as much as they want you to think it's true, simply do NOT routinely do these types of cases outside of an anesthesia care team environment. There are a few exceptions, but as a rule, they don't. Anyone that tells you otherwise is pretty much blowing smoke. I would defy anyone to name a hospital anywhere in the US that does open heart surgery and neurosurgery (I'm talking tumors and vascular) as part of their normal caseload that has an all-CRNA department with no anesthesiologists around. They don't exist. If you like the idea of working in smaller hospitals or clinics, with more independence in your practice, go the CRNA route. You'll do lots of little cases, maybe lots of plastic surgery (boring) and the occasional bigger case that's too sick to ship out to a real hospital. Want to do lots of blocks? CRNA is usually the better route, but if you measure your professional existence by where you can (or can't) stick a needle in someone, you will be sorely disappointed. AA's are trained to work as part of the team, and I'll put our training and education up against any CRNA program. CRNA's are trained in today's political climate, to think they are the equals of anesthesiologists. They simply aren't, and all their foolish statements that they are show an amazing arrogance and disregard of simple facts that even a high school student with no medical training can comprehend.
Re: R.N. to A.A. Archived Message
OK - let's give you some actual useful information after the other two.
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