Of the many respectable professions in America, being a veteran of the military is one of high regard and sacrifice. For decades we have recognized that veterans deserve benefits exclusive to their profession, and as a thank you for their service. Controversy has recently been struck on this subject, when the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs issued a recent proposal that would lower the experience needed by anesthesiologists to treat veterans undergoing surgery.
In an effort to ensure that US veterans would see quicker healthcare service, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs issued a proposal allowing for advanced practice CRNAs to administer anesthetics to veterans undergoing surgery, as long as they work for the VA. This proposal was met with praise by CRNAs while meeting controversy with physicians.
Groups advocating for both sides of this issue have been becoming vocal recently in hopes that their lobbying efforts would bear the outcome they prefer. Organizations like the National Association of Veterans Affairs Physicians and Dentists have been lobbying against the proposal while the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists have been lobbying in favor of the proposal, both using websites and ad campaigns to get their respective viewpoints across.
The American Healthcare industry is one of the best in the world, however it is an undeniable fact that some professionals in healthcare have accrued more years of study and experience than others and are regarded as the pinnacle of quality in their field. It is also an undeniable fact that the wait times to receive care from physicians of pinnacle quality can be highly extensive and MD staff shortages are compounding this problem. Contact your local legislative office to learn how you can get involved in voicing your opinion on this subject.
At Somnia, we support and respect all the trained providers in the anesthesia services community. We are not currently taking a particular stance on this issue, however we hope to see a compromise between the two parties that benefits rather than divides.
SOURCES
Veterans Access to Quality Healthcare
Protect Safe VA Care (ad campaigns)
MD staff shortages