anesthesiology not competitive?

[rich1234]

Ive read through the FAQ #1-3, and got the impression that anesthesiology is not very competitive? I'm not sure if this is even true or not but, what would make or does make it not so desirable? I was thinking since its one of the highest paying that usually equals one of the most competitive, is this not true for anesthesiology? if so, why not?

thanks in advance everyone,
-Rich

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[VolatileAgent]

Ive read through the FAQ #1-3, and got the impression that anesthesiology is not very competitive? I'm not sure if this is even true or not but, what would make or does make it not so desirable? I was thinking since its one of the highest paying that usually equals one of the most competitive, is this not true for anesthesiology? if so, why not?

thanks in advance everyone,
-Rich

it's competitive at competitive programs. if you look at the ones that have good job placement after residency, have everything you need to see "in house", have high board-passing rates, and are in good standing with the ACGME/RRC, then yes it's competitive. there are a few marginal programs out there that still will pretty much take any warm body.

 

[Bertelman]

Don't buy into the idea of a certain specialty being "competitive". Aside from the uber-competitive like Rads, Ortho, Ophtho and Derm, there is more wiggle room for candidates than you would think. And match rates by specialty vary each year for reasons that are unexplainable

Unless you are truly marginal, as in frequently in the Dean's office for poor performance, you should have a shot at anesthesia.

 

[Coastie]

What programs would you consider marginal programs? I just want to make sure I cover all my basis, as one student at my school did not match into anesthesia.

That's a tricky question. I've heard everything from "a few programs" to "over half".

 

[VolatileAgent]

What programs would you consider marginal programs? I just want to make sure I cover all my basis, as one student at my school did not match into anesthesia.

i won't name names, but i'll give you a few guidelines to consider when looking at a program that should raise your eyebrows:

(1) large number of months in "away" rotations to meet your core case requirements (ie, you'd be spending "a couple of months" each academic year to get your numbers for cards, OB, ICU, and/or peds...)

(2) resident-to-attending ratio greater than 2:1 (eg, if there are 48 residents in the entire program, there are less than 24 full-time attendings).

(3) anesthesiology service running the program is private-practice based.

(4) ACGME/RRC review cycle with less than a 4-yr accreditation and/or some "major" citations (www.acgme.org/adspublic)

(5) few residents showing up to "meet and greet" during your interview.

(6) routinely "doubling-up" in rooms to do cases.

(7) unnacceptably low first-time pass rate for the ABA exam.

(8) large number of foreign graduates in the training program.

(9) directly being supervised/taught by CRNAs as part of your training, even during introductory months.

(10) high faculty turn-over.

i'm sure there are probably others that may make you go "hmmm", but these i think would be the major yellow flags that would make me reconsider.

 

[proclivity]

i won't name names, but i'll give you a few guidelines to consider when looking at a program that should raise your eyebrows:

(1) large number of months in "away" rotations to meet your core case requirements (ie, you'd be spending "a couple of months" each academic year to get your numbers for cards, OB, ICU, and/or peds...)

(2) resident-to-attending ratio greater than 2:1 (eg, if there are 48 residents in the entire program, there are less than 24 full-time attendings).

(3) anesthesiology service running the program is private-practice based.

(4) ACGME/RRC review cycle with less than a 4-yr accreditation and/or some "major" citations (www.acgme.org/adspublic)

(5) few residents showing up to "meet and greet" during your interview.

(6) routinely "doubling-up" in rooms to do cases.

(7) unnacceptably low first-time pass rate for the ABA exam.

(8) large number of foreign graduates in the training program.

(9) directly being supervised/taught by CRNAs as part of your training, even during introductory months.

(10) high faculty turn-over.

i'm sure there are probably others that may make you go "hmmm", but these i think would be the major yellow flags that would make me reconsider.

nice informative post.

 

[Coastie]

Great list. More programs hit those flags than most applicants think, so one would do well to perform alot of research before ranking!

i won't name names, but i'll give you a few guidelines to consider when looking at a program that should raise your eyebrows:

(1) large number of months in "away" rotations to meet your core case requirements (ie, you'd be spending "a couple of months" each academic year to get your numbers for cards, OB, ICU, and/or peds...)

(2) resident-to-attending ratio greater than 2:1 (eg, if there are 48 residents in the entire program, there are less than 24 full-time attendings).

(3) anesthesiology service running the program is private-practice based.

(4) ACGME/RRC review cycle with less than a 4-yr accreditation and/or some "major" citations (www.acgme.org/adspublic)

(5) few residents showing up to "meet and greet" during your interview.

(6) routinely "doubling-up" in rooms to do cases.

(7) unnacceptably low first-time pass rate for the ABA exam.

(8) large number of foreign graduates in the training program.

(9) directly being supervised/taught by CRNAs as part of your training, even during introductory months.

(10) high faculty turn-over.

i'm sure there are probably others that may make you go "hmmm", but these i think would be the major yellow flags that would make me reconsider.