If you do NOT like your job, no amount of money is going to make you happy doing it.
If you LIKE doing anesthesia then that is the right job for you. I like to think everyone who is doing anesthesia LIKES doing it.
As far as inflated locums work, I do have to comment. $800-900 per day for 8 hours is not out of line. You have to remember that as a locums, you are considered an independent contractor and self employed. As a result, you have to pay BOTH halves of the Social Security "tax." That is 15.3%. And since you probably will make over $100,000 a year, you get hit with another 20-30% in federal income tax. Depending upon where you work and where you made the money, you may have to pay state income tax to one (or more states) so figure another 5% for that. Then you have to add in whatever expenses you had running your "business" such as malpractice insurance. By the time it is all said and done, if you get to keep $500 per day, you are doing good. Then you add the fact that locums is not a steady job. You may have 2-3 months at one job, then go without work for a month or two. The bottom line is you have to look at the bottom line and not be fooled by the $800 per day figure. I personally think that whatever a CRNA gets for working under MDAs is what an AA should get also, and the same with locums work.
