Anesthesiologist Assistant - a big gamble?

[Lemon Bars]

I am feeling more and more doubtful that I will enjoy or excel at the role of a PA - being the diagnostician who sees 40 patients a day and sorts out all of a patient's complaints and medications in 15 minutes or less. I may return to my original idea of doing respiratory therapy school. But there is also anesthesiologist assistant school, which sounds promising. Intensely concentrating on one patient is more my speed, rather than switching between patients every few minutes.

 

However, AA's can only practice in 17 or so states, and there seems to be a lot of hate and competition from CRNA's. AA school is expensive, just like PA school, so I don't want to make a mistake. Can anyone shed a little more light on the subject? I have all the appropriate prerequisites except biochemistry.

 

Thanks for any help!

[Latina PA]

I also have been thinking about AA, but being an "older" applicant is holding me back. Not because of the schooling, but I wonder how long can you work doing anesthesiology. When I graduate from PA school I will be 46. I see doctors working in general practice well into their seventies but have not seen the same in anesthesiology (maybe that is just my experience). With PA training I feel you will always be able to fall back into family practice when you get older and need to work at a slower pace than lets say surgery PA or ER PA. But as an AA you are stuck.

[EMEDPA]

I think it might be 18 states now with new ones added every year. if you live in one of those states or want to, AA is a great choice. many MD anesthesiology groups are now hiring AAs preferentially over crnas because they don't think of AAs as competition because they can not work independently like crnas.

PM JWK over at sdn. he is a long time AA and runs a large group of both AAs and CRNAs as the lead anesthetist.

[Lemon Bars]

I also have been thinking about AA, but being an "older" applicant is holding me back. Not because of the schooling, but I wonder how long can you work doing anesthesiology. When I graduate from PA school I will be 46. I see doctors working in general practice well into their seventies but have not seen the same in anesthesiology (maybe that is just my experience). With PA training I feel you will always be able to fall back into family practice when you get older and need to work at a slower pace than lets say surgery PA or ER PA. But as an AA you are stuck.

 

Wouldn't working with a single patient for two or three hours be a much slower pace than running from room to room while interpreting tests every 15 minutes? I'm 42. Is anesthesiology so stressful that age is a factor? I watched two open heart surguries and the anesthesiologist did not seem stressed to me. I believe he even checked email on his phone a couple times during the surgery. Granted he's a very experienced MD, but still.

 

And thank you for the replies so far.

[Fat Albert]

I watched two open heart surguries and the anesthesiologist did not seem stressed to me. I believe he even checked email on his phone a couple times during the surgery. Granted he's a very experienced MD, but still.

 

Hours of boredom punctuated by seconds of terror...like flying a plane.

[EMEDPA]

Hours of boredom punctuated by seconds of terror...like flying a plane.

ABCs of anesthesiology:

airway, book, chair(or coffee break)

[Lemon Bars]

ABCs of anesthesiology:

airway, book, chair(or coffee break)

 

lol ok. But as I understand it the job does involve asking patients about their conditions and medications, evaluating their breathing, intubating, giving drugs, etc, etc. I'm not an adrenaline junkie. I like the OR. No drunk people yelling or family members complaining in there.

[EMEDPA]

the pre-op hx from anesthesia is often very short. I had an elective procedure a few years ago and this was the sum of the interview:

him: hi, I'm dr x, your anesthesiologist. did you have a good breakfast this morning?

me: uh, no, I've been npo since midnight.

him: good. any allergies?"

me: no

him: ok, well I'll see you in there.

[whoRyou]

I just looked where I live and they offer here is a Masters program. www.anesthesiaprogram.com I assume it is at the same level as CRNA's. I'll call and find out ... Perhaps a PLAN B or PLAN C just in case, which I hope I do not have to think about. :=-0: Oh, I bet they want me to be a nurse first, :ohnoes: so, we will see. I just found this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxQB1R8AF4A, so maybe I found my answer, but I'll call anyways.

 

FYI this link also mentions a 'Doctor Nurse" (DNAP) OR as a Doctor of a Nursing Degree.

[EMEDPA]

YUP, AA and CRNA programs are equivalent and teach the same material to do the same job.

the only difference is that AAs don't have to be nurses first. many are medics, RTs, etc who I would argue know more about airways than a typical RN, even more than most critical care RNs as they only manage airways, they don't initiate them like medics and RTs.

[whoRyou]

Thanks EMEDPA you saved me a phone call (although I might call just in case :wink:).