Why do you want to do anesthesiology?

[GasDaddy]

Just wanted to start a post on why people want to do anesthesiology?
Please be as open and honest as possible. Also, do you think its a lifestyle field and why? Sorry if I offended anyone with this post, but I wanted to hear peoples opinion.

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[OB1🤙]

It's the only legal way I can stab people with needles. I like that.

 

[amyl]

i liked pharm and physio (they were/are my favorite things to study). I like procedures but not anatomy (so no surgery)... I like talking to the patients before they go to sleep, putting them at ease... reassuring them when they wake up all disoriented. I like the idea of using pharm to manipulate physio. I like the OR but I also like clinic stuff so I am looking forward to a pain fellowship but if I get bored or want diversity I can do a couple days a week in the OR. pretty good locum possibilities. I guess for me it just came down to what I could see myself doing...whats going to get me out of bed each morning and make me look forward to the day ahead. I could just see myself being an anesthesiologist. And everyone I tell that that is my choice they all say, oh yeah I could see that. maybe thats what they say to everyone though ;-)
one of my profs said that medicine always comes full circle and to pick what you would be happy doing for no money and too many hours per week...for me the only thing on that list was anes.

 

[The_Sensei]

one of my profs said that medicine always comes full circle and to pick what you would be happy doing for no money and too many hours per week...for me the only thing on that list was anes.

I wonder how many people REALLY would be doing anesthesia, really....if this were actually the case.

 

[EV-Stentor]

Just wanted to start a post on why people want to do anesthesiology?
Please be as open and honest as possible. Also, do you think its a lifestyle field and why? Sorry if I offended anyone with this post, but I wanted to hear peoples opinion.

The lifestyle claims in anesthesia are completely over-rated. If you wish to make lots of money i.e much greater than average then you will be working harder with more calls. I went into anesthesai b/c I like active real time medicine..(fascinating pharmacology and pathophysiology) and doing procedures in OR without the extra role of following pts long term. Good luck

 

[threepeas]

there are pertinent positives and negatives as to why gas is a gas.
i know this question has been asked alot but wanted to give it a stab.

pertinent positives
1. measurable impact on patient
2. instant gratification
3. indepth surface anatomy
4. as mentioned above real time physiology
5. rewarding procedures that provide pain relief.
6. choices for work hours. op surg center, hospital with or w/o certain services
7. patients of all ages and diseases.
8. currently great compensaton
9. avenue to critical care
10. something you can do into retirement part time.

pertinent negatives
1. minimal paper work
2. no stupid floor calls from nurses (relative to most fields)
3. reasonable training hours during residency
3. leave your work at work

 

[Noyac]

one of my profs said that medicine always comes full circle and to pick what you would be happy doing for no money and too many hours per week...for me the only thing on that list was anes.

Not entirely true. My old man has been a pediatrician for 30+ yrs and it has never come around for him. He is still working twice as long as I do and making 1/2 as much. It has never changed for him. But he was the one who told me to go into anesthesia.

 

[Noyac]

I wonder how many people REALLY would be doing anesthesia, really....if this were actually the case.

I'll bet is would be a lot less. ****, if the money and hours were not so good ( as in peds or FP), anesthesia would be performed by nurses mostly.

 

[The_Sensei]

...anesthesia would be performed by nurses mostly.

The AANA claims that this is already the case

 

[GasDaddy]

i respect those who want to do anesthesiology because they truly enjoy the field. but the hype of anesthesiology is so big this year that i cant help but wonder how much of it is salary and perceived lifestyle.

there is no doubt, that if you are willing to work hard in todays market, you can definately be making good money. has there ever been a time when gas docs didnt make good money? but as far as lifestyle, i find it funny to hear people call this profession a "lifestyle field" when u have to basically stay in the hospital overnite when u r on call, show up really early for work and be good at dealing with pressure situations. im not trying to disrespect the field and those in it, but i think that the image a lot of people have of anesthesiologists couldnt be further from the truth. that being said, a good anesthesiologist is a force to be reckened (spell?) with.

the positives in my mind are the following:
1) deal with one patient at a time (if u dont have crnas working for u)
2) minimal patient contact....short, brief yet meaningful encounters in the OR.
3) ability to do small procedures.
4) minimal paperwork as compared to primary care fields
5) when youre done with your work, you go home and can forget about everything....work doesnt follow you home.


im applying for gas this year, i feel i have a pretty good shot to get something somewhere for gas. but now, im starting to really think about IM and doing a GI fellowship. call me F**King crazy. i know you guys are gonna rain on me for this. i know a few GI docs personally, and i feel it shares some similarities to gas.... a lot of procedures, youre more so a consultant and thus dont "carry patients" as much. the only problem with GI is doing IM and busting your ass to get one of the 280 spots they offer per year in the country. and in my opinion, their lifestyle is just as good if not better than gas docs..... can take call from home as an attending, bleeders tend to resolve on their own so there is no rush to treat.

as you can see, im really torn as to what field i should go into. alright, so go ahead and rape me now with the comments! haha. its definately not a good situation to be in, but i really really want to see what is the best long term decision for me... i want to know im going into whatever i choose having giving everything as much thought as i possibly can...... this shyt is like marriage!!

 

[Planktonmd]

As mentioned many times on this board and else where, the most important part of this decision is understanding that as an Anesthesiologist you are going to work in the background and other people will take the credit. Most of the time you are only recognized when something goes wrong.
There will be days when you will regret going to this field, but there will be days when you feel like a hero although no one else might share that feeling with you, and that shouldn't bother you.
There is no glory in Anesthesia unless you stick with academia and don't mind the pay cut, and even then you are still a supporting actor!

 

[Annoyances]

All I can say be sure u know what u're getting into and find out as much about the residency program u apply to. I find sometimes u regret what u perceived as a student to be the case and things aren't always what they seem. If I had to do it over again I wouldn't lol I'd had done something else.

 

[drrosenrosen]

I think a lot of people get the idea that gas is a lifestyle specialty because they only ever see the residency. I think that we're one of the rare specialties where practice is harder than residency. All they see as they're toiling away in their MS3 surgery clerkship is the anesthesia resident and attending bullsh*ting with each other and the surgeons, the residents getting breaks for lunch, and then getting relieved at 4:30 while they stay with the surgery residents until 8pm. Then they look at all this and say "AND they make $250-400K!? I'm going into anesthesia!" What they don't realize is that most pp attendings work their asses off during the day, with no one giving them breaks, and in many places have to take in house call. I think that if more people saw what gas was like in the real world, fewer people would be interested in it. That said, I still think we have a pretty sweet setup, and I'm looking forward to my first attending gig in 2.5 (maybe 3.5) years.

 

[fakin' the funk]

What they don't realize is that most pp attendings work their asses off during the day, with no one giving them breaks, and in many places have to take in house call. I think that if more people saw what gas was like in the real world, fewer people would be interested in it.

OK. But my impression of what people THINK of the academic attending lifestyle (I don't mean how it actually is) is that the attending is there for induction & emergence, and in between is on a "Call me if there's a problem" basis and is chillin in the break room.

Point being, I disagree, I think that people think being an attending is cushy as well, as it is (comparatively so) when you're a resident.