Who Said Anesthesiology is a Lifestyle Specialty?

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The_Sensei

The_Sensei

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Don't believe the hype.....

I am on call, it is Sunday, and most of the world is enjoying a relaxing day off prior to beginning their work week. Me? Busy as hell doing one stressful thing after another. It is now 11pm and I have:

1) Done 4 emergency intubations on the floor - 2 on heads weighing over 300lbs
2) Done 3 C-sections; 1 "crash" with GA
3) 2 Epidurals
4) 3 OR cases - 1 of which was for a peritonsillar abscess on a morbidly obese 18 year old -----> awake fiberoptic
5) Fielded the usual number of inane phone calls (i.e orders, "can you start an IV in the ER", add-ons)


I am fully anticipating doing AT LEAST one more epidural/C-section/OR case; possibly several of each.

I love what I do though........that's the important part. DO NOT GO INTO ANESTHESIA THINKING YOU'LL BE KICKIN' IT WORKING 35 HOUR WEEKS WHILST MAKIN' 400Gs.

Please reflect on the above, kids.
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The_Sensei said:
Don't believe the hype.....

I am on call, it is Sunday, and most of the world is enjoying a relaxing day off prior to beginning their work week. Me? Busy as hell doing one stressful thing after another. It is now 11pm and I have:

1) Done 4 emergency intubations on the floor - 2 on heads weighing over 300lbs
2) Done 3 C-sections; 1 "crash" with GA
3) 2 Epidurals
4) 3 OR cases - 1 of which was for a peritonsillar abscess on a morbidly obese 18 year old -----> awake fiberoptic
5) Fielded the usual number of inane phone calls (i.e orders, "can you start an IV in the ER", add-ons)


I am fully anticipating doing AT LEAST one more epidural/C-section/OR case; possibly several of each.

I love what I do though........that's the important part. DO NOT GO INTO ANESTHESIA THINKING YOU'LL BE KICKIN' IT WORKING 35 HOUR WEEKS WHILST MAKIN' 400Gs.

Please reflect on the above, kids.
Click to expand...

The only one in anesthesia with a good lifestyle is the jerk who owns the hospital contract who is at home asleep while you are hard at work, but that doesn't keep him from getting paid for the work you are doing in the middle of the night.
 
The_Sensei said:
Don't believe the hype.....

I am on call, it is Sunday, and most of the world is enjoying a relaxing day off prior to beginning their work week. Me? Busy as hell doing one stressful thing after another. It is now 11pm and I have:

1) Done 4 emergency intubations on the floor - 2 on heads weighing over 300lbs....
Click to expand...



holy crap, how much did the bodies weigh??
 
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oatfield said:
The only one in anesthesia with a good lifestyle is the jerk who owns the hospital contract who is at home asleep while you are hard at work, but that doesn't keep him from getting paid for the work you are doing in the middle of the night.
Click to expand...

how do go about owning a hospital contract?
 
phillyfornia said:
how do go about owning a hospital contract?
Click to expand...

kickbacks, bribes, debauchery, spoils, nothing to do with how good you are.. I only work in open staffed departments...
 
phillyfornia said:
how do go about owning a hospital contract?
Click to expand...

1) Grab handgun, rob bank, bribe the person who awards the hospital contracts.

2) Grab handgun, approach the person who awards the hospital contracts.

;)
 
phillyfornia said:
how do go about owning a hospital contract?
Click to expand...

You bribe the hospital administration, you lie to them and over promise all of the stuff you plan offer the hospital. Then you hire the cheapest anesthesia providers available and under deliver on your promises but keep paying off the key administrators so they don’t kick you out.
 
The_Sensei said:
Don't believe the hype.....

I am on call, it is Sunday, and most of the world is enjoying a relaxing day off prior to beginning their work week. Me? Busy as hell doing one stressful thing after another. It is now 11pm and I have:

1) Done 4 emergency intubations on the floor - 2 on heads weighing over 300lbs
2) Done 3 C-sections; 1 "crash" with GA
3) 2 Epidurals
4) 3 OR cases - 1 of which was for a peritonsillar abscess on a morbidly obese 18 year old -----> awake fiberoptic
5) Fielded the usual number of inane phone calls (i.e orders, "can you start an IV in the ER", add-ons)


I am fully anticipating doing AT LEAST one more epidural/C-section/OR case; possibly several of each.

I love what I do though........that's the important part. DO NOT GO INTO ANESTHESIA THINKING YOU'LL BE KICKIN' IT WORKING 35 HOUR WEEKS WHILST MAKIN' 400Gs.

Please reflect on the above, kids.
Click to expand...

This is just an example of "grass is greener on the other side". If you really want to appreciate what bad lifestyle means, just take a call night with general surgery, where you will be on your feet all night, getting splashed by blood and other disgusting bodily fluids, dealing with the continuous pages from nurses on the floor about trivial issues, draining rectal abscess in the ER, etc...
Or you can take an IM call, where you get dumped on by ortho guys, or deal with weak admits from the ER, or do some H & Ps on an alcoholic complaining of cough. Would you rather do these than anesthesia?
 
salmonella said:
This is just an example of "grass is greener on the other side". If you really want to appreciate what bad lifestyle means, just take a call night with general surgery, where you will be on your feet all night, getting splashed by blood and other disgusting bodily fluids, dealing with the continuous pages from nurses on the floor about trivial issues, draining rectal abscess in the ER, etc...
Or you can take an IM call, where you get dumped on by ortho guys, or deal with weak admits from the ER, or do some H & Ps on an alcoholic complaining of cough. Would you rather do these than anesthesia?
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Absolutely not, which is why I went into anesthesia. In case you didn't get the gist of my post, allow me to explain:

I am making it abundantly clear to those who are entering the field thinking its a "lifestyle specialty" that that isn't necessarily the case. :rolleyes:
 
The_Sensei said:
Absolutely not, which is why I went into anesthesia. In case you didn't get the gist of my post, allow me to explain:

I am making it abundantly clear to those who are entering the field thinking its a "lifestyle specialty" that that isn't necessarily the case. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

i seriously can't wait for these nights and no, i'm not being sarcastic. :eek:
 
Finally someone said it. Good post. I'm honestly so sick of hearing dumba$$ applicants/future dumba$$ applicants (i.e. ms 3's) talk about how much they are thinking about anesthesia/switching from other specialities b/c gas is a "lifestyle" specialty. these are the same people who think they're gonna do fine when they have a patient on the table crashing out of the blue.

i have rotated in anesthesia for the last 3 months, each at different universities, including my own, and have come to the conclusion that med students DO NOT get an adequate exposure to how difficult the field is, esp if they are just around for intubations and cruise out after the free lunch. 2 of the places I rotated at were in the process of trying to fill spots since residents at both universities were dropping out of anesthesia (surprise! it wasn't what they thought it would be). i'm guessing they were like the majority of tools that i meet telling me that they want to do anesthesia too b/c of the easy life and money. go into a cardiac or neuro room and tell me where the lifestyle is after that. this life ain't easy darlin'. whats worse is that you don't get to chose the patient population you treat in the OR. they are the SURGEON'S patients, and when the cowboy with the scalpel screws up, guess who he's dragging into the courtroom with him! ( and then tries to BLAME that lack of a medical career he has on you! )oh yes, as the person who is supposedly there to save the patient (i.e. YOU), you now have to sit there and defend what YOU DID WRONG!! what! i guess i'm just frustrated with random med students chosing gas without even giving it the respect that the field deserves. whatever...everyone gets weeded out somewhere...
 
recently finished a stretch where i worked twelve days straight. that's twelve 12+ hour days.

:(
 
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I'd be interested in knowing what the attrition rate for anesthesia residents is compared with other fields. It does seem that each new CA-1 class has at least one "lifestyle seeker" who has a rude awakening or a surgery/peds/IM flunkie transfer who realizes anesthesia isn't just doing Sudooku in the OR all day. The applicants we have interviewing now even have the balls to say they're choosing anesthesia for the lifestyle. Crazy.
 
foodcoma said:
Finally someone said it. Good post. I'm honestly so sick of hearing dumba$$ applicants/future dumba$$ applicants (i.e. ms 3's) talk about how much they are thinking about anesthesia/switching from other specialities b/c gas is a "lifestyle" specialty. these are the same people who think they're gonna do fine when they have a patient on the table crashing out of the blue.

i have rotated in anesthesia for the last 3 months, each at different universities, including my own, and have come to the conclusion that med students DO NOT get an adequate exposure to how difficult the field is, esp if they are just around for intubations and cruise out after the free lunch. 2 of the places I rotated at were in the process of trying to fill spots since residents at both universities were dropping out of anesthesia (surprise! it wasn't what they thought it would be). i'm guessing they were like the majority of tools that i meet telling me that they want to do anesthesia too b/c of the easy life and money. go into a cardiac or neuro room and tell me where the lifestyle is after that. this life ain't easy darlin'. whats worse is that you don't get to chose the patient population you treat in the OR. they are the SURGEON'S patients, and when the cowboy with the scalpel screws up, guess who he's dragging into the courtroom with him! ( and then tries to BLAME that lack of a medical career he has on you! )oh yes, as the person who is supposedly there to save the patient (i.e. YOU), you now have to sit there and defend what YOU DID WRONG!! what! i guess i'm just frustrated with random med students chosing gas without even giving it the respect that the field deserves. whatever...everyone gets weeded out somewhere...
Click to expand...

Guess what... YOU are a medical student. Therefore, you are not allowed to speak down to medical students until you are no longer one yourself. What makes you think that you are the only student that knows this? The few students who have visions of 20 hr wks making 900K/yr will get shafted so don't worry about it.
 
WAKE UP and SMELL the PAIN! For some of us, NO PAIN, NO GAIN so just go for it. That is until you get shafted
 
Just to let you residents know that your anesthesia practice will be much better in terms of lifestyle than residency. One, you can choose how much or how little to work. Two, you get paid for what you do (some better than others). That is why researching the type of practice will help you make the right choices.
 
badgas said:
Guess what... YOU are a medical student. Therefore, you are not allowed to speak down to medical students until you are no longer one yourself. What makes you think that you are the only student that knows this? The few students who have visions of 20 hr wks making 900K/yr will get shafted so don't worry about it.
Click to expand...

badgas: awesome. just awesome.

foodcoma: ouch. might wanna wait a coupla years before you start issuing patronizing speeches. just ouch.
 
Well, at least the original poster gets to leave when his or her shift is over...without rounding, without getting pages all the next day while trying to sleep to "clarify orders".

I don't care if I'm busy on call...the point is with anesthesia you are either on or you are not. None of "your pts" come back to the ED requiring you to see them even when you aren't on call. You don't get consulted at 6pm on a slow day when you are about to walk out the door, even when you aren't on call. No coming in to round on weekends/holidays even when you aren't on call.

Looks pretty good to me!
 
2nd best paying job on in the country on average.
 
thougth that anes would be lower because they would seperate the surgery subspecialities -- didn't realize surgeons would be all lumped together. figured plastic surgery #1, ortho #2...
 
yeah, its very general

to many jobs out there to break down everything in detail.
 
matt1234321 said:
yeah, its very general

to many jobs out there to break down everything in detail.
Click to expand...

Lifestyle specialties:

1. Plastic Surgery- No doubt this is number one. I know several making more than a million each with an average work week of 40 hours.

2. ENT- In private practice this can be a sweet deal. 40 (45 hours max) with limited call and great lifestyle. $400-$500,000 per year. Great deal.

3. Radiology- Close call with Ortho (depends on practice). They work hard but control their hours with shifts (like Anesthesia). Better long term future than Anesthesia for continued good pay (sorry about that)

4. Ortho- Unless you work in a Level 1 Trauma center Ortho doctors work 45-50 hours a week and make in excess of $600,000. I know a few making more than a million (by adding backs,necks)

5. Hand- Again this depends on Level 1 or 2 Trauma work. They make around $450-$550,000 and work 45-50 hours. Better long term outlook with Medicare than Anesthesia.

6. Anesthesiology- 50-60 hours per week (full partner status) with controlled shifts (usually). CRNA salaries increasing greatly and eating into profits. CRNA's getting more "independent" each year and competing for contracts. Long term Medicare outlook is not good.
 
Here are a few more:


7. Optho- A true lifestyle specialty. Salaries vary widely depending on practice and number of cases. Low end $250,000. High end Million dollars a year for "Cataract Mill" practices. Average work week 35-40 hours.
Boring but a true bang for your buck specialty.

8. Urology- In private practice Call is not bad. High demand specialty with majority of work at Surgery Centers/Office. $500-$60,000 per year for about 45 hours per week.

9. Cardiology- Not a true lifestyle specialty but similar hours to Anesthesia with better long term outlook. 50-55 hours per week but income $600-$650,000 per year (Invasive Cardiology). Cardiology income will pass (if it has not done so already) Cardiac Surgery.

10. Pulmonary Medicine- Better hours than Cardiology but less income.
"Sleep Studies" and PFT's your bread and butter. $300-$350,000 average income in busy practice.

11. NeuroSurgery- No lifestyle but tremendous money potential. In my hospital all Neurosurgeons make in excess of $650,000 per year with a few at $900,000. Huge demand for these guys- you can write your own ticket.
Terrible hours, middle of the night and weekend cases.

12. Surgery- No way. No money lots of hours.

13. Internal Medicine- No money lots of hours or pain in the ass rounds.

14. Infectious disease- Much better hours with better pay.

15. Cosmetic Dentistry/Oral Surgery- Not really M.D. work (usually DDS with brudge to MD) TREMENDOUS MONEY with great hours. Little Medicare, some insurance and lots of cash.
 
EtherMD said:
3. Radiology- Close call with Ortho (depends on practice). They work hard but control their hours with shifts (like Anesthesia). Better long term future than Anesthesia for continued good pay (sorry about that)
Click to expand...

Bah ... you can't practice anesthesia over the internet. Radiology is uniquely vulnerable to real-time outsourcing to basements full of slave-wage radiologists in other countries. Liability's about the only hurdle left to overcome.

Hell, radiology's uniquely vulnerable to a computer reading the films. Your average EKG machine's already better at interpreting those squiggly lines better than most non-cardiologists, and Xrays and CTs are just squiggly lines in two and three dimensions. The software's coming ... already we're seeing signs that software will eventually be better than humans at reading films.
 
pgg said:
Bah ... you can't practice anesthesia over the internet. Radiology is uniquely vulnerable to real-time outsourcing to basements full of slave-wage radiologists in other countries. Liability's about the only hurdle left to overcome.

Hell, radiology's uniquely vulnerable to a computer reading the films. Your average EKG machine's already better at interpreting those squiggly lines better than most non-cardiologists, and Xrays and CTs are just squiggly lines in two and three dimensions. The software's coming ... already we're seeing signs that software will eventually be better than humans at reading films.
Click to expand...


Okay, then go with Interventional Radiology. They make even more money.
 
pgg said:
Bah ... you can't practice anesthesia over the internet. Radiology is uniquely vulnerable to real-time outsourcing to basements full of slave-wage radiologists in other countries. Liability's about the only hurdle left to overcome.

Hell, radiology's uniquely vulnerable to a computer reading the films. Your average EKG machine's already better at interpreting those squiggly lines better than most non-cardiologists, and Xrays and CTs are just squiggly lines in two and three dimensions. The software's coming ... already we're seeing signs that software will eventually be better than humans at reading films.
Click to expand...

This is not what I want to hear..... I love radiology but I keep hearing things like this.
 
The_Sensei said:
Don't believe the hype.....

I am on call, it is Sunday, and most of the world is enjoying a relaxing day off prior to beginning their work week. Me? Busy as hell doing one stressful thing after another. It is now 11pm and I have:

1) Done 4 emergency intubations on the floor - 2 on heads weighing over 300lbs
2) Done 3 C-sections; 1 "crash" with GA
3) 2 Epidurals
4) 3 OR cases - 1 of which was for a peritonsillar abscess on a morbidly obese 18 year old -----> awake fiberoptic
5) Fielded the usual number of inane phone calls (i.e orders, "can you start an IV in the ER", add-ons)


I am fully anticipating doing AT LEAST one more epidural/C-section/OR case; possibly several of each.

I love what I do though........that's the important part. DO NOT GO INTO ANESTHESIA THINKING YOU'LL BE KICKIN' IT WORKING 35 HOUR WEEKS WHILST MAKIN' 400Gs.

Please reflect on the above, kids.
Click to expand...

I don't like working Sundays, seems our M and M cases come from the cases on Sunday for some reason.
 
Trisomy13 said:
I love that this thread was bumped, causing me to laugh at my own stupid joke 5 1/2 years later.

I kill me.
Click to expand...

No kidding. :D Still waiting for that basement full of radioslaves in India to put a dent in radiologists' income, while the CXR-reading software gets perfected.
 
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