I feel that unless a person has worked along side several AA-Cs (not just 1 or 2 second year students), and found that he or she is without question an inadequate provider, there is no merit behind bad talking or degrading AAs, their professionalism, and abilities. Most of the CRNAs that post "bad talk" against AAs, statistically due to only 18 states being open, haven't worked with any AAs. This being said, you are making assumptions based on rumor and writing rather than personal experience. Now, I am sure there are a SELECT FEW of you who love to write on this message board who do work with AAs. That being said, I am also sure there are a select few of you (CRNAs) who work with an AA or two and may have "bad" things to say about them. I also would assume you could have some of the same things/issues to say about a CRNA or two that you have worked along as well.
I challenge those of you to honestly post on this, your experiences, and your thoughts. For the most part, the CRNA/AA relationship where I work is great. We both provide quality work, with little if any negative outcomes. We help each other, we advise each other, and we teach each other.
Moral of the story; please don't judge an entire profession based on facts written by your AANA or ASA/AAAA, local news writers, or what is considered a lack of a heath care background. Base your facts on actually working with an AA-C and from there you will be able to determine the skill level obtained, and as we all know, a sample size of n=1 (especially if a student) is just not adequate. If this is not a possibility, base your facts on fellow CRNAs who have worked along side AAs. There are "bad" MDAs, "bad" AA-Cs, and yes believe it or not "bad" CRNAs in this country.