No doubt there are trade-offs to many of these, and no doubt there are negatives. In fact, I posted about several of these in a different thread called "I don't understand all the whining?". People can check it out if they're interested. However, this specific thread is titled "Reasons for Choosing Anesthesia" so that's what I gave. Anyway haters gonna hate.
But in response to your points:
MYTH:Get to be with chill people who aren't full of themselves (generally speaking), and in a specialty with pretty good camaraderie overall. Helping relieve one another, cover for one another, etc.Anesthesiologists are the most passive aggressive bunch Ive ever met.
Your experience vs. my experience. But given the tone of your reply to me, maybe you're right in this case.
MYTH:Intellectually challenging. Especially if you love cardiopulmonary, renal, critical care, etc. As much or as little research as you like. You can say pent/sux/tube for every case and chances are YOU ARE RIGHT!
Um, ok.
MYTHRelatively shorter residency than many specialties. Fellowships also comparatively easier to obtain than say GI or cards from IM. FOUR YEARS plus fellowship is five years. Thats pretty long training.
I did say "residency." Residency is four years. Four years isn't bad compared to many other specialties. That's also what I said.
I only added fellowship at the end but not everyone does fellowship. Of course, we could say it'd be a good idea to do a fellowship given the climate of anesthesiology today, but that's besides the specific point of this thread. Currently, you can still get a job if you're not fellowship trained. A bit harder to get a job as a cardiologist if you're not fellowship trained.
Mobile specialty, where you could get up and move clear across the country for a new job if you like. This is true. But it also hurts you because you can also be replaced very easily. Ask every doc who got their job taken away from them because they were so mobile.
Yes, this is a trade-off. But having patients also involves trade-offs. You could argue the trade-offs of having patients are better than the trade-offs of not having patients, but some of it is bound to be subjective and dependent on the particular person's goals in life, personality, and so on.
Also flexible job. It's easier to take time off than in patient facing specialties.Work hard, play hard. This is true. It is flexible. BUt there are other specialties more flexible.
I never claimed otherwise.
Easier to go on medical missions, etc. than many other specialties.So what
For those interested, this is a "reason to choose anesthesia" i.e. the point of this thread.
When you're off, you're off. True with many specialties
I never claimed otherwise.
Lots of different practice environments to choose. Not really. It is Operating room or nothing. Sure there are different modesl to choose from supervising. medical direction etc etc but you are going to HAVE to go to the OR. Period. Unless you do pain or ICU.
True with many specialties. Some must be in clinic. Some must round. Etc.
No need to build a referral base and business per se but can start earning money right away. huh?
You don't have to try to get patients, to cater to patients, to please patients, to build a referral base from which to get patients from other physicians, to attend conferences or meetings when you're not officially "working" in order to meet and greet in the hopes of building a referral base, etc. Rather, patients in a sense "come to you." (Trade-off: surgeons are your clients.)
No clinics. Or very limited. Preop clinic
Hence I said "very limited" - i.e. preop clinics isn't the mainstay of the job.
No rounding. Post op rounds busy work
Postop rounds are hardly the same as what most think of when they think of rounding (e.g. IM rounding or even surgical rounding).
No long progress notes, discharges, etc. with social work. Anesthesia record every five minutes for hours a a time. Pre anesthesia assessment with a million boxes
Still not the same as what I said. I'd rather do pre-anesthesia assessments than write long progress notes, social work, etc.
No dealing with families or not a whole lot. Who is going to tell the family that you couldnt get the tube in and little johnny lost some neurons.
If you mess up in any specialty, it's possible you'll have to do some explaining to families. But yes, to forestall the inevitable negative reply, in anesthesiology things can go wrong and go wrong quickly and do critical harm, unlike other specialties. If you're well trained, however, you shouldn't mess up on a regular basis!
Ideally care for and focus on one patient at a time. Not if you are medically directing four "chip on their shoulder" CRNAS. Thats potentially 16 patients per day.
True, and one of the big negatives of the specialty. But again that's why I said "ideally." Although many groups involve ACTs, not all groups involve ACTs. (Of course, we could always argue the future looks like it'll be mainly ACTs, but that's again beyond the scope of the specific point of this thread.)
Usually no rectal or other less than palatable physical exams. True. Lots of specialties dont do rectals. Ophtho, Derm, etc
I never claimed otherwise.
Cool technology. Iphone 6 plus is cool technology. Bis monitor is not.
Your subjective opinion vs. mine.
Procedures. Very basic easy to master procedures. Intubation..EMTs with high school diplomas can master this. A lines. big whoop.
Still fun for me. But yes, you could reply it gets old. But (oddly enough) not doing procedures also can get old. Sometimes you just like working with your hands, even if it's easy now that you've done it a thousand times. Again, your subjective opinion vs. mine.
Enjoy the team centered approach to help the patient in the OR. Which kool aid have you been drinking.. geez..
This is true if you're in a practice environment with surgeons who respect anesthesiologists and anesthesiologists who respect surgeons, with helpful nurses, reasonable hospital admins, etc. But it's obviously not true if you're in a bad one. Maybe things will get worse in the future, maybe they'll get better. Who knows. But again I'm focusing on the positives in this thread.
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