Posted by Mike CRT on January 20, 2008, 7:47 am, in reply to "AAs vs. CRNAs"
Sharon,
If you are truly interested in writing a story about AA's and CRNA's, I would suggest spending some time shadowing both in the OR setting. I have been a respiratory therapist for nearly twenty years. Unfortunately, the state that I live in does not allows AA's yet. However, I have had the opportunity to work closely with CRNA's and have shadowed with AA's. I can tell you that both are highly qualified and well trained professionals. If I needed surgery, I would not hesitate to have an AA deliver my anesthesia. The main difference is that CRNAs can work surgical cases without the Anesthesiologist being readily available because of the wording of their licensure. Personally, I like the idea of having the anesthesiologist in the building for backup in case of unforseen complications.
