Another day, another meaningless protest. Ever since the inauguration of President Trump, it feels like there has been a protest nearly every single day. Some people might say this is a healthy expression of democracy in action. I say it's another reason for people to skip work and school.
Today has been designated the Day Without A Woman. Women are staying away from their jobs and stores to prove how important they are. Ironically this boycott by women only goes to show how inconsequential we as individuals are in society. Life goes on whether we show up or not.
By contrast, if you have a day without an anesthesiologist, all hell would break loose. Suddenly ASC's and hospitals around the country would virtually shut down. Their main profit centers, the operating rooms, would go silent, depriving the centers of their life blood. Pain scores would shoot up as the expert care of our pain specialists are removed. There will be lots of broken teeth and traumatized airways as inexpert intubations prevail. Hearts would go unmended. Cancers unresected. Broken hips unreplaced. It would be a calamity.
So all those women can go out there with their pussyhats and march all they want. If nobody notices any difference with them gone, did they really make that much of a contribution? But watch out if anesthesiologists walk out en masse. The country would come crumbling down before the first surgeon can ask, "Is anesthesia here yet?"
You are so right!!! How would the surgeons know how to make coffee without their steadfast anesthesiologist helping them?! You know... when seconds count...
ReplyDeleteYou are a JOKE! I practice everyday without a piece of shit anesthesiologist and my patients do just fine.
ReplyDeleteA couple of things to note...
ReplyDelete1. Many of the anesthesiologists you speak of are probably women.
2. If all anesthesiologists did indeed walk out or not show up, the hospitals would probably notice no change in the work flow, seeing how most of the anesthesia work is done by the CRNAs anyway. In fact, the hospital may wonder why they are throwing so much money out the window every other day of the year.
Come to think of it, anesthesiologists better keep showing up so that their secret doesn't get out.
OF further note, although we do have women in our ranks, still predominately male, about 3 to 1.
Delete2. Some states do allow CRNAs to work independently, but that's the exception and not the rule.
3. I would argue that on a per hour basis anesthesiologists probably don't make that much more (if not less) than CRNAs.
How do you calculate that MDAs make roughly the same hourly salary as CRNAs? Either you work with really well paid CRNAs, or need to renegotiate your contract. Even supposing you work 50% more hours than the nurse anesthetists (doubtful), it is still not even close.
DeleteI have been a nurse for 20 years and worked at 6 different hospitals. Not ONE of them has an anesthesiologist working there...but the ORs were running 365 days each year with wonderful anesthesia delivered by CRNAs....I'm willing to bet those hospitals could care less if you didn't show up...js
ReplyDeletethen why Bill Clinton , whose mother is CRNA, and who allowed CRNAs practice independently in Arkansas, did specifically requested MD anesthesiologist for his surgery?
DeleteI find the comments here a little disturbing. POS anesthesiologist?
ReplyDeleteThe author is a physician anesthesiologist so it only follows he would refer to himself. Clearly the same is true for all anesthesia professionals.
Temperature in OR.
ReplyDeleteIts hard to change things unless the hospital administration is involved. Do you have a "patient satisfaction survey", it's going to be a norm pretty soon. Make sure you tell every patient, if they feel freezing, to give "unsatisfactory" grade and comment on coldness of OR. The hospital reimbursement will suffer and as soon as the bottom line is hurt, changes will be made. Surgeons will complain, but they will loose eventually.
I a mean time remember what Norwegians like to say: there is no such thing as bad winter weather, only bad cloths. So dress in layers, I usually use at least 3 (merino wool base layer, top and bottom, then 2 jackets, and 2 pairs of pants. I also often open a put on a surgical sterile gown. Hospital is willing to keep ORs cold, well, make them pay. Also, the body looses a lot of heat through head and neck, so I use at least 2 hats, and warm blanket around neck. Another thing: you can produce body heat. Before the first case I stop by the gym and do 20 min of HIIT (intervals). That gets me hot enough to get through 1st case. Then there are always stairs. Running fast to 8th floor is for between cases. During long cases I use isometric exercises, anything that will make your big muscles (core, glutes, quads, pecs) work.
Boy are you right, Greg M! Now go start that mediport insertion in room 3 while I put my feet up and make 3 times as much as you.
ReplyDeleteGosh, who would hold down that chair in the office while the CRNAs do the cases? Crisis!
ReplyDelete