Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 10/3/2010

Question
I am coming to the end of my first career after ten years and have decided
that my next career is going to be in anesthesiology. I am active, intelligent
and fully capable of completing the rigors of medical school. I am also 30
years old with an inability to remain out of work forever and a massive fear of
taking on the type of debt that is required to complete medical school. I have
been considering going into anesthesiology via the route of the CRNA. This
appeals to me from the aspect of being able to work between completing a
BSN and a MSA. What would be the advantages/disadvantages of each route
assuming that I do not care for large amounts of compensation and have no
need to work unsupervised...just the ability to stop pain in order to allow
surgeons and others do their jobs. Thank you for your time and consideration
in this matter.

Answer
If money and supervision are not issues for you, then the CRNA route is probably the fastest and least expensive option although it is very competitive to get into. You will need a nursing degree, 2 years as a critical care nurse and then CRNA school (2 years). The MD route would require a 4 yr college degree, a variety of pre med courses, 4 yrs of medical school and 4 years of residency training. It is very competitive and certainly harder for someone starting at your age.

Ronald Levy, MD
Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston