Posted by Dave J on August 5, 2009, 4:22 pm, in reply to "The Future???"
I am a CRNA, retired Military.
Whenever one group is not supplying needs, another group comes in.
Right now neither the MDA/DOA schools nor the CRNA schools are graduating enough of either or combined to supply the demands of today. With the baby boomers about to retire, neither is coming close to fulfilling demands of the future.
And neither is setting up to do so. The CRNAs are moving towards a Doctorate type program so basically they will be anesthesiologists by another route. That is greatly going to increase cost and reduce the overall numbers who can afford the schooling. With the nursing shortage, the pool they can pull from is also in trouble. I do not see much expansion of the CRNA career field.
The Anesthesiologists are also in a bit of a bad situation. With the CRNAs shooting more directly at their jobs and the cut in pay by Medicare and other agencies, many doctors are not going to see anesthesiology as a area to work in. Why work where you have NURSES doing about the same thing?
So there is going to be a shortage of anesthesia providers. And the AAs are right there as a growth "industry" ready, willing and ABLE to do the job.
I say this because I am not worried about competition as there is more than enough work to go around. I am more concerned about the USA having a lack of qualified anesthesia providers and people dying as a result.
My only demand of the AA programs is they turn out people who are professional, who know WHY they do the things they do, and not a bunch of technicians who know how to push a syringe but not know what it is "Propofol before Succ."
If a proposal for an AA practice law comes up in Nevada where I live and work, I will support it. Call me a traitor to my "kind" but I beleive the higher standard of care is having people to provide the care, not who gets to give it.
