No more jobs for nurse anesthetist ?

I was looking into being a nurse anesthetist , but someone told me not to because they are getting rid of them, and getting the Doctor Anesthetists to do all the work. Is this true?

Currently there is a shortage of nurse anesthetist in the US. The anesthesiologist are not happy about the increased use of CRNAs because they do not always fall under the control of the anesthesiologist (as they once did) and the anesthesiologist have competition for the health care $. There was significant resistance in the US when medicare and medicaid allowed payment directly to CRNAs. However, studies have shown no significant difference in outcomes for patients with a CRNA from a physician anesthetist.

The anesthesiologist, in an attempt to get control over the situation, have developed a program called Anesthesiologist Assistant (similar to a PA for anesthesia) they would have to work under the direction of the anesthesiologist.

This is similar to the arguement the physicians have regarding Nurse Practitioners who they have no control over in several states.

As one responder has mentioned, the nurse practitioners have developed a new DNP degree, which is a Doctor of Nurse Practice, which is a doctoral program, after a 4 year bachelor's degree. Some programs are starting now, and there may be a transition as there are enough doctorally preparted faculty to educate the students. This may develop for anesthesia in a few years.

It could be true for a lot of jobs. I know that there has been a push to get higher qualifications as well as a push to keep costs down. Which one will win?

I am not a prophet. I can see both sides of the argument, but doctors may make the decisions, and favour their own kind.

There's been a lot of rumors that many forms of advanced practice nurses are going to be "phased out" or require further education to earn a PhD in nursing or an MD. There is nothing happening to my knowledge that is going to make this happen anytime soon.

Becoming a nurse anesthetist takes you on a long path - you have to get your RN, your BSN or a bachelors in a relevant field, have at least a year of experience as a regular nurse before you can get a job in a critical care environment, then spend another 1-3 years in critical care before you can even apply to anesthesia school. So you've got quite a bit of time to work with, and if it ends up being true that they get rid of CRNAs (which I don't believe for a minute that it will happen anytime in the next 15 years), at least you can still be a nurse and have a good career with lots of diverse job opportunities.

Must depend on the state.. in Northern Nevada, we do not use them as far as I know. At least not at the large trauma hospital I work in.