Of course one needs to understand that if you go the CRNA route you have more options but are required to become a nurse, work a minimum of 1 year in the ICU, and be represented by a professional organization that uses lies and deception to advance its goals.
But if you plan on working in a metro center (and some rural hospitals) under the ACT model and you don't see the rationale for becoming a nurse in order to perform anesthesia, then the AA route works great.
Hey Stan, how much of your 12 hour shift in the ICU directly translated over into the delivery of anesthesia? Conversely, how much of that time was learning skills and procedures that wouldn't translate efficiently (in terms of time spent doing it versus how long it would take a non-nurse to learn them) - charting, nursing care, calling and paging docs...