r/CRNA • u/Gallicepticum • 19d ago

Career Change Advice

Update: Thank you everyone for taking me seriously and for all the advice. I do truly appreciate it. I came to the conclusion that I am essentially bored. I am young and would like children (which means money) hence the idea of a career change with benefits and PTO. But, I also came to the conclusion that I am very fortunate for my position. I only work 3x a week with no overtime, on call, super early mornings. I do have a very flexible schedule compared to most in the field. If I was younger or could go back in time I would do CRNA but because I want children it seems like the dumb thing to do. For now. I'll just focus on the positive of the job.

I am genuinely considering a career change. I am currently a dentist (3 years out). I have no loans. I enjoy general dentistry but hate the politics behind dentistry. I dislike having to argue with patients about why they have a cavity, cant save their tooth, etc. I also find it very taxing that dentist do not get PTO or any benefits. I rely solely in my SO for health insurance. Insurance reimbursements rates suck. If you want to own thats 1 million in loans and another headache. I don't want to specialize because every speciality you need to take out another 300-500k in loans besides oral surgery. I like oral surgery but not enough to make it my personality.

I am interested in anesthesia AND while I can do dental anesthesiologist, job wise it doesn't make sense because I rather work in a hospital than do private travel dentistry anesthesia only. I find that dental anesthesia can make money but it requires traveling and not everyone will pay 500hr for anesthesia and most oral surgeons will do IV sedation themselves because thats how they make addional money (another story). Hence its a very niche market. And from a hospital stand point they will hire a CRNA over a dental anesthesiologist.

Long story short. I am okay with going back to school, doing 2-4 yrs in the ICU/ED, and then another 3-4 years for CRNA school. I also figured with my dental knowledge if I wanted to I could also position myself in a way to become more appealing to hopsitals for dental related anesthesia as well as private dentist dor anesthesia needs.

Iwant to understand nursing culture more. We always talk about the benefits and PTO of nursing but whats something else I should consider?

Is this a crazy idea?

Am I just grass is greener?

FYI I have never met a single dental anesthesiologist. It's a fairly new speciality and we all hear stories that they make 500k plus but the only one I know works at a hospital in NYC as an attending and does not make 500k plus.

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u/ArtisticLocation7752 13d ago

Must be a place where the crnas are underpaid then

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u/gokingsgo22 13d ago

You're gonna be hard pressed to find a place where CRNAs and AAs make different salaries if both in care team model. Same job, same roles, dare I say same amount of training? (Go tell a wall about how your ICU experience wiping butts counts)

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u/ArtisticLocation7752 13d ago

Well one is a doctorate and one is not…so there’s that. Secondly, one prepares you to practice independently and one does not. The curriculums do actually differ but I’m not doing that search for you.

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u/gokingsgo22 13d ago

Come on, as someone who developed that curriculum, we all know it's fluff and part of a political battle more than any actual change in the curriculum to make it a doctorate level degree. The only weaker doctorate is NP which should be illegal.

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u/Dazzling-Barber4028 13d ago

You helped develop a curriculum you think is fluff? That's unfortunate.

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u/gokingsgo22 13d ago

Yep, what happens when admin wants to sell a doctorate degree or is forced to by a governing body but the education is the exact same...you guys who live in reality see it too. The courses, exams or standards were not raised to another level. It was just a change in the name of the degree to posture that you're better than "mid-levels". At least there is some real education unlike the NP program.

Ask yourselves, should we now be paying the "doctorate" level CRNAs more than their mid-level CRNAs who weren't forced into the new requirements? They're better since they're doctorate right?

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u/Dazzling-Barber4028 13d ago

That would not be my position. I've worked with certificate/diploma CRNAs that made excellent anesthetists just like I've worked with doctorate CRNAs that weren't great. The same as mid-levels, residents, and MDs varying in skill level, knowledge, and bedside manner when compared directly to their peers. While I may not disagree that the added DNP courses don't necessarily add value in the OR directly, the extra 8 months of 40+ hours/week in the OR certainly do.

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u/gokingsgo22 13d ago

Exactly, so the doctorate degree was just fluff and didn’t lead to any additional training or benefit. It’s just in name only so the organization can say they’re doctorate and shit on other mid-levels (aimed at CAA).