TWR Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 Do PAs do anesthesia or just nurses (with approporiate training)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgriffiths Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 I have never seen or heard of a PA in anesthesia...but wouldn't be surprised if there is 1-2 exceptions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKPAC Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 I have heard of PAs in anesthesia, but not commonly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joelseff Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 There were (are?) AA's/Anesthesia Assistants (PA version of CRNAs) but only in some states and I think there were only a handful of AA's practicing. I think their scope was more limited than CRNA too. I'm not entirely certain of this info but when I first looked into PA in the late 90s, I briefly looked into it. Found a Wikipedia page: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anesthesiologist_assistant Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAdamsPAC Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 There is a PA who completed an Anesthesia Residency alongside physicians back in the 80 and is a faculty member of the Yale School of Medicine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hope2PA Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 There are AA’s, training additional to or somewhat separate from PA. Approximately 10 programs, however they have a hard time being able to practice, not sure but heard less than 15 states. Within past 2 years, physicians wrote very supportive letters To legislation so AA’s could practice in Virginia, Nurses lobbied heavily against basically saying AA’s would take away Their jobs and state should further support the CNA’s. Guess who won. I made a comment in a thread a while back that AA and PA should join forces. Scope of practice is quite different, however, CRNA, RN, APRN....have different scope but stick together with strength in numbers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turnedintoamartian Posted August 22, 2019 Share Posted August 22, 2019 My institution has anesthesia PA’s however they mostly do consults, med adjustments, and rounding. They are not involved in the OR. Basically it seems like a cushy job with a good paycheck but absolutely mind numbing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted August 22, 2019 Administrator Share Posted August 22, 2019 In the Washington State PA modernization bill that died in committee last session, the CRNAs were trying to get anesthesia out of PA scope, and WAPA's rep replied that there were six PAs in the state that were already functioning as anesthesiology PAs with approved practice agreements. That's all I've ever heard of it in this neck of the woods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surgblumm Posted August 24, 2019 Share Posted August 24, 2019 Come on an read your PA history. General Shepard Stone of Yale University Hospital is a PA-C and has been in Anesthesia most of his entire career. There are quite a few others. Google him and send him a note as he retired as a A. S. Army Colonel and was made a Brigadier General in the Reserves. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DelusionalEnthusiasm Posted January 12, 2021 Share Posted January 12, 2021 There’s nothing limiting PAs from providing anesthesia services except that Medicare doesn’t recognize PAs as anesthesia providers and thus cannot get reimbursement. Until that is fixed no reimbursement = no jobs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surgblumm Posted January 12, 2021 Share Posted January 12, 2021 Not so. The go-to person for this is Shepard Stone, PA-C who has been giving anesthesia in CT. for more than twenty-five years and is both a professor and recently retired. Shep is also a Brig. General in the Reserves and was military and civilian until his retirement two months ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DelusionalEnthusiasm Posted January 15, 2021 Share Posted January 15, 2021 (edited) I had spoke with Shepard many years ago and that was the gist of the conversation, he had a unique situation that they made it work. If there was the option I would have done anesthesia. Even now I’d consider a residency if it were available and jobs were around. Going back to the Medicare law, until this is changed we won’t see widespread PAs providing true anesthesia services, maybe AAPA can work on changing this law. PAs would have to be included on this list of approved anesthesia providers. AAPA loves to say how difficult it is to change laws, but AAs are on this list so maybe there’s some hope. 42 CFR § 482.52 - Condition of participation: Anesthesia services. (a) Standard: Organization and staffing. The organization of anesthesia services must be appropriate to the scope of the services offered. Anesthesia must be administered only by - (1) A qualified anesthesiologist; (2) A doctor of medicine or osteopathy (other than an anesthesiologist); (3) A dentist, oral surgeon, or podiatrist who is qualified to administer anesthesia under State law; (4) A certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), as defined in § 410.69(b) of this chapter, who, unless exempted in accordance with paragraph (c)of this section, is under the supervision of the operating practitioner or of an anesthesiologist who is immediately available if needed; or (5) An anesthesiologist's assistant, as defined in § 410.69(b) of this chapter, who is under the supervision of an anesthesiologist who is immediately available if needed. Edited January 15, 2021 by DigitalFusion04 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAtoMD Posted January 15, 2021 Share Posted January 15, 2021 25 minutes ago, DigitalFusion04 said: I had spoke with Shepard many years ago and that was the gist of the conversation, he had a unique situation that they made it work. If there was the option I would have done anesthesia. Even now I’d consider a residency if it were available and jobs were around. Going back to the Medicare law, until this is changed we won’t see widespread PAs providing true anesthesia services, maybe AAPA can work on changing this law. PAs would have to be included on this list of approved anesthesia providers. AAPA loves to say how difficult it is to change laws, but AAs are on this list so maybe there’s some hope. 42 CFR § 482.52 - Condition of participation: Anesthesia services. (a) Standard: Organization and staffing. The organization of anesthesia services must be appropriate to the scope of the services offered. Anesthesia must be administered only by - (1) A qualified anesthesiologist; (2) A doctor of medicine or osteopathy (other than an anesthesiologist); (3) A dentist, oral surgeon, or podiatrist who is qualified to administer anesthesia under State law; (4) A certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), as defined in § 410.69(b) of this chapter, who, unless exempted in accordance with paragraph (c)of this section, is under the supervision of the operating practitioner or of an anesthesiologist who is immediately available if needed; or (5) An anesthesiologist's assistant, as defined in § 410.69(b) of this chapter, who is under the supervision of an anesthesiologist who is immediately available if needed. I was today years old when I learned that AAs have an apostrophe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surgblumm Posted January 15, 2021 Share Posted January 15, 2021 Thank you both as Shep is my gold standard and I have heard of PAs taking the CRNA course to segue into the field but your information is salutatory, particularly when you speak of the AA who I thought was the prep person for the anesthesiologist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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