By Al Rothstein

Shane Angus had visions of living near the water, taking him back to his California roots.  But his chosen profession, the Anesthesiologist Assistant, is not licensed to work in his home state.

“I wanted to be in a state where there was an ocean culture,” he says.

Things began to fall into place when the legislature for another state known for its ocean culture, Florida, licensed Anesthesiologist Assistants in 2004.  His wife was considering law schools there, making the Sunshine State an ideal choice for the couple.  Shane was well-qualified, having graduated from the AA program at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

Politics Stood in the Way

But Shane didn’t realize the job search would take months.  Even though Anesthesiologist Assistants were licensed, no one had been hired yet, and there was a lot of hesitation among anesthesia groups to do so.  In fact, there was pressure NOT to hire Anesthesiologist Assistants.

“I actually had to talk to many groups,” he remembers.  “All were positive about AAs, but some were apprehensive to hire us even though they desperately needed staff.  This was because of a few vocal nurse anesthetists who openly threatened to walk out if I was hired.”

This did not happen with the group that eventually hired Shane, Anesthesia Unlimited.  But the road through other groups and hospitals was bumpy.

“I was the first AA working under an AA license in the state of Florida and I am proud of that.  However being the original can be difficult.”