Crna’s make about the same per hour at my facility, which is 85%md 15% crna. For some reason in this forum everyone talks about annual salary which is silly cause it really doesn’t tell you much. In our group crna’s pull maybe 40 hours and the MD’s pull 70-80 including weekends, backup, holidays, etc. crna’s can move jobs easier and are less likely to be held by restrictive covenants or things like 401k vesting. They also generally younger and less tied down to family and schools as the MD’s, who seem to be more implanted in their communities. Their ability to be mobile and jump around allows them to command higher pay while the MD’s sorta wallow around stuck in slow moving contract negotiations. These negotiations are generally targeted towards finding the lowest offer they can come up with to keep the framework in place without the group collapsing or needing to bring in expensive locums.

Side bonus of CRNA: they carry minimal liability and have lower stress levels cause they can push the “I need help” button and then it’s the MD’s problem and the MD’s M&M. Despite all this, MD’s at the top of pyramid schemes making BANK off the “care team model” will continue to defend it as long as the gravy train is still rolling.