Advice for Undecisive 4th Yr. Med Student Please

[miamimd07]

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Hi,
I'm a 4th year med student, and already took my anesthesia rotation at my school, but am still having a hard time making my mind whether or not I want to go into Anesthesiology.
It would be real helpful if someone can be totally truthful and tell me what he/she thinks is the biggest strengths vs. weaknesses in the field? What made you go into it? Are the anesthesiologists you work woth/for generally happy with their career choice?
Is it possible to practice as anesthesiologist in a private group without having to take overnight call, or are you only limited to an ambulatory setting if that's the lifestyle you desire? If so, what are the drawbacks to that(less money made? etc). Also, how big of an issue, if any, is the lack of autonomy in terms of being dependent on the surgeon and/or having to take smack from them?

I''m real confused and want to make sure that I'm making the right decision, so any candid advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[toughlife]

Hi,
I'm a 4th year med student, and already took my anesthesia rotation at my school, but am still having a hard time making my mind whether or not I want to go into Anesthesiology.
It would be real helpful if someone can be totally truthful and tell me what he/she thinks is the biggest strengths vs. weaknesses in the field? What made you go into it? Are the anesthesiologists you work woth/for generally happy with their career choice?
Is it possible to practice as anesthesiologist in a private group without having to take overnight call, or are you only limited to an ambulatory setting if that's the lifestyle you desire? If so, what are the drawbacks to that(less money made? etc). Also, how big of an issue, if any, is the lack of autonomy in terms of being dependent on the surgeon and/or having to take smack from them?

I''m real confused and want to make sure that I'm making the right decision, so any candid advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Here's the truth. If you already did your gas rotation and are undecided then it's not for you.

 

[DrDre']

To the OP, I didn't magically fall in love either. It was more of a weighing of factors. I normally like to go with my gut- but that didn't seem to be working so well for this decision.

Good luck,

 

[MAC Man]

I'm very happy to be in anesthesiology right now. I wasn't blown away by my rotation as a med student, probably because I was watching the CA1's do everything. If you're in doubt and don't want to take a year off to decide, then go with anesthesiology. I have yet to meet anyone who regrets the decision. It's hard to be 100% about any field after experiencing only a few weeks of it. Look at the satisfaction of the residents of each field and let that help you.

 

[pgy13]

I'm very happy to be in anesthesiology right now. I wasn't blown away by my rotation as a med student, probably because I was watching the CA1's do everything. If you're in doubt and don't want to take a year off to decide, then go with anesthesiology. I have yet to meet anyone who regrets the decision. It's hard to be 100% about any field after experiencing only a few weeks of it. Look at the satisfaction of the residents of each field and let that help you.

Better to look at attending satisfaction than resident satisfaction.

 

[DreamMachine]

.

 

[refreshingred]

I also was undecided in my 4th year, in a major way. Nothing really grabbed me, if you know what I mean. Which is too bad, making a decision early in your fourth year and pursuing it aggressively will get you your best choices. However, as anyone will tell you, you'll never *really* know what each field is like untill you actually do it. As to your questions, anything that you can imagine as far as hours, call schedule is out there. If you want less hours or less risk or less call there is a group for that, but yes you will probably make less money. As to your question of autonomy in private practice I can only tell you (i'm still a resident) that your "autonomy" as a gas man is basically a function of your status as a consultant. You balance what is good for the pt w/ what the surgeon needs (or thinks he needs). All in all the strengths of a field is a personal matter. For me, gas is good b/c I like the procedures, I like physio/pharm and I don't like whiny clinic pt's. On the flip side I don't like gas b/c of the early hours, the whiny surgeons, and sometimes the hectic pace.

When you graduate residency you will have to make choices based on what you want out of life, i.e. family vs career. For training, most residencies suck as far as hours and there are plenty of posts re: that on SDN. So, choosing a residency comes down to what you love doing(or like or can tolerate), not how many hours you'd be willing to put in four years down the line.

If your clinical rotations have left you wondering whether to do gas vs med vs er vs. urology vs whatever, maybe you should try and spend some more time within each field. i.e. go hang out in the OR (if your institution will allow it) and find out more about gas. Random opinions gleaned off the internet will probably not help much. I think more personal experiences in the actual practice of gas (or whatever else your interested in) will help you make the ultimate decision.