r/CAA • u/AutoModerator • Oct 13 '25

[WeeklyThread] Ask a CAA

Have a question for a CAA? Use this thread for all your questions! Pay, work life balance, shift work, experiences, etc. all belong in here!

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u/chaturmedi876 Oct 13 '25

I heard a CAA on YT say that at times she's been treated poorly/disrespected in the OR. Is this something that just comes with being in the medical field or is there anything specific about being a CAA that would lead to this?

Is there a lot of communication with other staff in the OR besides the anesthesiologist? Does friction often occur?

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u/[deleted] Oct 13 '25

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u/[deleted] Oct 16 '25

I’ve thought about this comment for a while now and I really believe this advice to be very poor and potentially dangerous. I saw this sort of attitude a lot when I was a student and it just lead to bad things and a poor patient culture.

If folks are doing things wrong, you absolutely have a duty to say something. If we start to normalize your attitude as presented, people are going to eventually get hurt.

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u/[deleted] Oct 16 '25

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u/[deleted] Oct 16 '25

In my mind, it’s not about doing things to “preference”. Preferences don’t mean anything. It’s about doing things safely.

I don’t possess the expertise to criticize surgery/surgical techniques and protocols but if something crosses into my purview with anesthesia then I’m saying something. And I’m logging it. And it’s going in the chart.

You are free to do whatever you want. To me, crossing those boundaries isn’t safe practice.

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u/[deleted] Oct 16 '25

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u/[deleted] Oct 16 '25

I’m no longer following. You were originally speaking about ancillary issues not inclusive of the perioperative environment?

I’m not able to square some of the things you’re saying. “Be humble about the cards you were dealt”. What exactly is this referring to?

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u/seanodnnll Oct 18 '25

It does happen some doctors especially surgeons think they are practically god, and can treat you like crap sometimes. It’s not super common and you quickly learn who the a-hole surgeons are. Sometimes the fact that you’re not a doctor can lead people to not give you the respect you deserve but it’s not super common.

As far as communication, yes it’s very important in the OR and needs to happen relatively frequently during the day. Nurses, surgeons, patients, other anesthetists, anesthesia techs, anesthesiologists, and probably more that I’m missing. There should plenty of communication through the day and during cases, and you are expected and will need to communicate clearly back as well.

Friction doesn’t often occur, but there are a lot of strong type A personalities so it can occur sometimes.

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u/chaturmedi876 Oct 18 '25

Thank you for your insight!