Does anyone know if Canada will ever get a Nurse Anesthetist program?

[BedroomBully11]

I am not sure if you have heard of the profession "Nurse Anesthetist" or "CRNA" but it is a great nursing profession that probably pays close to if not more then some doctors.

 

I was wondering if anyone here knows if we will ever get the program in Canada because it is currently only in the states.

[A-Stark]

I am not sure if you have heard of the profession "Nurse Anesthetist" or "CRNA" but it is a great nursing profession that probably pays close to if not more then some doctors.

 

This should give you your answer. And I don't think the CAS is prepared to give that particular ground.

[Pink Tulip]

I think the West might soon. Toronto also wanted to open a program? There's an article on Google about it, but the MDs of Canada and government are more inclined to keep NPs as a restricted profession. CRNAs are paid as much as GPs because their liability insurance is way above theirs and they need the money. It takes just as long of school to be a GP or CRNA so it does make sense salary-wise, but you still end up with much less as a CRNA because of the liability insurance.

[rswim]

In Canada we have a very different system -

 

Here we have Anesthesia Assistants - these are usually Respiratory Therapists. The scope of their practice varies quite a bit from province to province and hospital to hospital. They often do the intubations, help set up equipment, monitor stable patients, help with lines suctioning etc - it is a good job and such a huge help to the anesthesiologist to have good ones around!

 

We also have GP Anesthesiolgists in our rural communities. This is in my opinion a much better model because it allows a non fellowship trained anesthesiolgist practice independently. For medico-legal reasons a nurse anesthetists requires some sort of physician supervision - so if we Canada were to go that route they'd have to hire an additional physician to oversee anyways! GP's generally go through an intensive one year training program to pick up these skills and even then they are limited in the procedures and complexity of practice.

 

With regards to the money ... it would cost far too much to train and hire CRNAs in Canada - to be competitive with the US they'd have to offer salaries in the range of 150k+ per year and since they would be nurses they'd likely be unionized which means pensions, benefits, paid time off, sick leave etc etc by the time you add all that up you'd basically be paying the same amount as it costs to get an anesthesiologist who has to work 60 hours a week to earn 400k without any benefits, breaks, paid time off, additional benefits etc.

 

 

CRNAs are nowhere near the same as anesthesiologists despite what their ad campaigns may say down in the US - don't forget down there it is all about dollars and cents, not what is best (and safest) for the patients.

 

If you are interested in being involved in anesthesia care - I suggest looking into the anesthesia assistant program - it is a much better model that is already in place here in Canada!

[MedDream]

This program is offered at UofT right now

 

http://bloomberg.nursing.utoronto.ca/academic/programs/graduate-diploma/post-master-of-nursing-np-field-diploma-in-anaesthesia-care

[rswim]

Right - that Nurse Practitioner anesthesia care is a great program - I've worked with NPs that are on the pain service on the wards - they are very knowledgeable about optimizing post operative pain and the overall perioperative management of patients.

 

I thought this poster was referring to a program like in the states where nurses directly administer anesthetics - under the supervision but sometimes scarily independently of the anesthesiolgist.

 

In Canada if you want to be in the OR helping out with procedural things then the Anesthesia assistant program is the way to go - if on the other hand you want to do more the perioperative management then the NP program as above is a good one. The two programs are very different though.

 

As for the US model - YIKES! - and the propoganda ""research"" on the safety of it all - double yikes!!

[Lunasly]

In Canada we have a very different system -

 

Here we have Anesthesia Assistants - these are usually Respiratory Therapists. The scope of their practice varies quite a bit from province to province and hospital to hospital. They often do the intubations, help set up equipment, monitor stable patients, help with lines suctioning etc - it is a good job and such a huge help to the anesthesiologist to have good ones around!

 

We also have GP Anesthesiolgists in our rural communities. This is in my opinion a much better model because it allows a non fellowship trained anesthesiolgist practice independently. For medico-legal reasons a nurse anesthetists requires some sort of physician supervision - so if we Canada were to go that route they'd have to hire an additional physician to oversee anyways! GP's generally go through an intensive one year training program to pick up these skills and even then they are limited in the procedures and complexity of practice.

 

With regards to the money ... it would cost far too much to train and hire CRNAs in Canada - to be competitive with the US they'd have to offer salaries in the range of 150k+ per year and since they would be nurses they'd likely be unionized which means pensions, benefits, paid time off, sick leave etc etc by the time you add all that up you'd basically be paying the same amount as it costs to get an anesthesiologist who has to work 60 hours a week to earn 400k without any benefits, breaks, paid time off, additional benefits etc.

 

 

CRNAs are nowhere near the same as anesthesiologists despite what their ad campaigns may say down in the US - don't forget down there it is all about dollars and cents, not what is best (and safest) for the patients.

 

If you are interested in being involved in anesthesia care - I suggest looking into the anesthesia assistant program - it is a much better model that is already in place here in Canada!

 

Excellent summary.