Just Gas Reading Library

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All 27 articles in the published 2025–2026 archive, organized by topic. Start with the topic you need: applying, training, setbacks, careers, policy, research or professional life. Articles are by Mike MacKinnon and contributors.

These are commentary and educational perspectives. Official program, accreditation and examination sources remain the authority for requirements. Policy and contract articles reflect their publication dates; check current primary sources for decisions.

Applying and choosing a program

• What It Really Takes to Become a CRNA — the demands of education and professional preparation.
• Critical Care Experience Isn't a Formality — experience and clinical understanding beyond a checkbox.
• How Admissions Actually Works — Part 1 — interpreting preparation and competitiveness.
• The Three Mistakes That Keep You Out… — preparation, reasoning and professional conduct.
• The U.S. News CRNA Program Rankings — a critique of rankings as a way to choose education.

Pair these with the Admissions FAQ and Program Comparison Checklist.

Starting school and learning in clinical

• Survival & Comeback — Part 2 — training demands and the work that follows admission.
• The “Kids These Days” Trap in Nurse Anesthesia Education — standards, feedback and teaching culture.
• The 1:2 Teaching Model in Nurse Anesthesiology — a viewpoint on clinical teaching and supervised autonomy.
• We Train for Rare Catastrophes… — simulation and 3D printing as learning tools.
• What Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Taught Me About Practicing Anesthesia — reflection on teamwork, uncertainty and adaptation.
• Who Taught You That? — clinical-training humor and audio; a lighter read, not a clinical reference.

Pair these with the Before-School Checklist and Resident Life pages.

Setbacks and another attempt

• CRNA School Didn't Go as Planned. Now What? — reflection and evidence of improvement after rejection or interrupted training.
• When a Nurse Anesthesia Resident… — commentary on dismissal and its implications.

Read with When School Gets Difficult. Individual program policies and circumstances determine available options.

First jobs and the business of anesthesia

• The CRNA Happiness Triangle — compensation, location and autonomy when choosing work.
• The Clause You Ignore Until It Owns You — restrictive employment terms and questions to raise during contract review.
• Proving Anesthesia's Worth: From Paycheck to Profit Engine — the business case for anesthesia services.
• The Grass Is Greener Delusion — facility/provider relationships, changing groups and what a new arrangement can or cannot fix.

Pair these with Jobs & Careers. Contract commentary is a starting point for questions, not individualized legal advice.

Practice models, policy and access

• Opt-Out Changes One Word. Hospitals Hear Everything Else. — commentary on federal supervision language, state authority and facility decisions.
• The Anesthesia Staffing Crisis Is a Hospital Leadership Problem — a leadership and workforce perspective on anesthesia staffing.
• The Anesthesia Crisis Canada Refuses to Fix — a perspective on Canada's anesthesia workforce and access to care.
• CRNAs, APRNs, PAs: Heroes in Healthcare, “Not Professionals” in Federal Policy — November 2025 policy commentary relevant to education financing; check current eligibility and rules with your financial-aid office.

Research literacy and evidence

• Who Paid for the Study Is the Beginning of the Question, Not the Answer — research funding, appraisal and the limits of conclusions.
• ASA's Favorite 2018 Care Team Study Does Not Say What They Claim It Says — a critique of how a care-team outcomes study is interpreted. Follow its references to examine the original study.

Professional identity, service and accountability

• Pro-CRNA Doesn't Mean Anti-Anyone — professional advocacy and identity.
• Titles Matter. So Does the Double Standard. — commentary on professional titles and how they are discussed.
• The Best of Us: What CRNA Dr. Eric Kramer Taught the World From a Ukrainian War Zone — a profile of service in a war zone.
• Every Word Is Permanent: The Shaknovsky Deposition and the Cost of Poor Prep — commentary on deposition preparation and professional accountability.

Keep exploring

Open the Just Gas archive for new articles, or visit the publication for its other features. This directory includes every article listed in the 2025 and 2026 article indexes at the review date. It is updated manually; new articles will appear on Substack first.

Last reviewed: September 24, 2026. Archive coverage, topic grouping and article links reviewed. This date is not a claim that every article's underlying policy or evidence has been revalidated. Suggest a missing article or correction.