Anesthesia mentors

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PressureSupport

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Hi everyone,

Chief resident at a large Northeast program here. I'm in the CCM fellowship pipeline right now, and have been wrestling with the same questions every applicant has this time of year: what programs are "good," what to look for in a training program, etc. I've thought about posting these questions on this forum, but they are tired topics and there's plenty of useful, general information already around.

I realized that the reason these threads pop up so much (e.g. "I scored a 226 on my Step 1 - HALP!" or "Name the good CCM fellowships") is because the OPs, like me, don't have good, experienced mentors. Someone to walk them through climbing the professional ladder and finding a good job without having to figure it out the hard way. One of the reasons this anesthesia forum is so active is because you regulars here go to great lengths to provide a sort of mentorship to lost souls like myself.

So thank you for your insight over the years. Have any of you cultivated a mentoring relationship with other anesthesiologists? Do you think our personality types in this field make it tougher to find a mentor? My invitation to others (and to myself) is to find someone to mentor now - pay it forward. There are a lot of Lone Wolves who choose anesthesia as a career, but maybe we could do better in showing the ropes to those behind us?

Just my 2 cents.

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Good luck finding mentors. The best ones are senior residents and friendly attendings, but there won't be many. Some people wouldn't volunteer helpful information as if they owned a patent on it. This is also because residency applicants are stupid and don't rank programs mostly based on where their graduates go (show me the money/fellowship).

My program had an official big brother program. It was more like big bother.
 
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Agree with FFP! But yeah, I think we all come across a handful of attendings and senior residents who are pivotal in providing guidance throughout residency. Sometimes it takes a while to find said people. :(

Good luck on the CCM trail man! Glad another chief is going this route. ;)
 
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This is also because residency applicants are stupid and don't rank programs mostly based on where their graduates go (show me the money/fellowship).

^^This. I have said the same a few times on this board in the past. Not only the attendings, but also your current co-residents and past residents are your greatest assets. When my group needs someone new guess what happens - the older guys ask the younger guys if they know any rockstar CA-3's or fellows from our old programs, or if anyone we know might be looking for a new job (we all pretty much trained at one of 2 places). The old guys also call their buddies from the same programs that they went to residency with that stayed on as staff, and ask the same questions. Just like Hollywood, it's all about who you know.

Now I know some of you will chime in and say "Hey, I had no connections. I cold called a bunch of groups and landed a sweet 90% gig." Yes, that's possible, but it's pretty impossible if you're talking about highly desirable locations. I think that's also gonna be increasingly harder to do as the good partnership jobs dwindle as outlined in the other thread. With fewer stellar jobs and an equal number of applicants, things get more selective, and connections become more important.

Which brings me to my next point (and this is not directed at the OP - or anyone in particular - just generalizing here). In even the most malignant of programs, there will still be some good apples as mentioned by rishk. So, if you are really finding it impossible to find a good mentor perhaps the problem is you. Maybe the reason no one will take you under their wing is because either a) you're a douche, or b) you're clinically weak. Nobody is gonna stick their neck out for you if they are worried it's gonna end up reflecting poorly on them (goes back to the whole connections thing).

So . . . work hard to be the best physician, anesthesiologist, and human being you can be. It's not hard to spot excellence. Nor is it hard to spot lazy, whiny, or dumb. Work hard, take pride in your craft, and be a cool dude/dudette and doors will open for you.
 
Which brings me to my next point (and this is not directed at the OP - or anyone in particular - just generalizing here). In even the most malignant of programs, there will still be some good apples as mentioned by rishk. So, if you are really finding it impossible to find a good mentor perhaps the problem is you. Maybe the reason no one will take you under their wing is because either a) you're a douche, or b) you're clinically weak. Nobody is gonna stick their neck out for you if they are worried it's gonna end up reflecting poorly on them (goes back to the whole connections thing).

I have not yet excluded possibility (a) in my own case ;) . I enjoy my program and would choose it again, but the faculty is quite in-bred and I think this is what cripples the useful mentoring options. When I ask what fellowship programs I should consider, I get a blank look and, "... Why wouldn't you just stay here?"
 
My residency program was the same way. Great clinical training, but very in-bred, and mostly no mentors at all. I had to be my own motivation. I'd made up my mind about CCM and went through with it despite having a pretty bad CCM experience in residency (except intern year at a different hospital). Now? I work hard but I love it. Being in the OR 100% of the time would kill me.


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