Anesthesia

[DocYuki]

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So...going into first-year this fall, this is probably the specialty most shrouded by mystery (or at least much more than most specialties). I've scoured the Anesthesia forums and it seems they don't really "advertise" it much, even in medical school.

There is an amazing blog post about the specialty here. She talks about how it combines her love of anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology with surgery, patient-contact, excitement, and so on. Anesthesiology seems to be quite a deep field, and much more than "sit there during surgeries." One of my fellow pre-meds was yelled at for telling a visiting Dr. that she wanted in this field for the lifestyle. The Dr. was an admissions committee member and blew up at her for being so "shallow." 🙄

So it seems like a low-profile specialty, yet a ROAD specialty with a decent lifestyle and moderate competitiveness. Anyone else know more about it from any connections (family/sibling/friend) to the field?

And what's with the "mid-level threat"? Nurse Anesthetists seem to do a lot of things the MD/DOs do, but with less/little liability. Will it be a field that shrinks due to mid-level encroachment, or will there always be a lion's share of business only residency-trained MD/DOs can do? I know there was an argument in the EM forums about this, too, and it seems that, while NPs and PAs can do a lot of bread-and-butter, there's always situations and things that MD/DOs went through hell (school) for.

 

[Blade28]

You want a great blog by an Anesthesia resident? Go here: http://theunderweardrawer.blogspot.com/

 

[DickyV]

You want a great blog by an Anesthesia resident? Go here: http://theunderweardrawer.blogspot.com/

I hope our friend from the co-ed changing forum doesn't see this! 😱

 

[Blade28]

I hope our friend from the co-ed changing forum doesn't see this! 😱

Who? 😕

 

[Tiger26]

I hope our friend from the co-ed changing forum doesn't see this! 😱

very timely->don't want anyone to get their panties up in a bundle

 

[cfdavid]

OP, I agree that the field is poorly understood. But, I'm suprised that you find into lacking over in the anesthesiology forum. Many of your questions will be answered in the various "sticky's" posted over there. Good luck.

 

[brewmeistervi]

I hope our friend from the co-ed changing forum doesn't see this! 😱

 

[DickyV]

Who? 😕

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=424528

 

[Llenroc]

What's so mysterious about it? They intubate patients and administer drugs to make them fall asleep during operations. They work predictable hours, though not easy hours. They spend their time in the OR, rather than on the wards. Nurse anesthetists help them manage multiple cases at one time, by chaperoning the surgery during the relatively dull period in between intubation and extubation when the surgeons actually operate.

There's nothing low profile about it. It seems like everyone and his brother is trying to make a play for Anesthesiology these days.

 

[-Goose-]

What's so mysterious about it? They intubate patients and administer drugs to make them fall asleep during operations. They work predictable hours, though not easy hours. They spend their time in the OR, rather than on the wards. Nurse anesthetists help them manage multiple cases at one time, by chaperoning the surgery during the relatively dull period in between intubation and extubation when the surgeons actually operate.

There's nothing low profile about it. It seems like everyone and his brother is trying to make a play for Anesthesiology these days.

Some of the fellowship options are pretty sweet, too.

Not the field for me, personally, but I see why its highly sought after (regular hours, great pay, flexible scheduling, lower malpractice).

 

[Bertelman]

You want a great blog by an Anesthesia resident? Go here: http://theunderweardrawer.blogspot.com/

Wow. That ****z funny!

 

[Fusion]

So...going into first-year this fall, this is probably the specialty most shrouded by mystery (or at least much more than most specialties). I've scoured the Anesthesia forums and it seems they don't really "advertise" it much, even in medical school.

There is an amazing blog post about the specialty here. She talks about how it combines her love of anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology with surgery, patient-contact, excitement, and so on. Anesthesiology seems to be quite a deep field, and much more than "sit there during surgeries." One of my fellow pre-meds was yelled at for telling a visiting Dr. that she wanted in this field for the lifestyle. The Dr. was an admissions committee member and blew up at her for being so "shallow." 🙄

So it seems like a low-profile specialty, yet a ROAD specialty with a decent lifestyle and moderate competitiveness. Anyone else know more about it from any connections (family/sibling/friend) to the field?

And what's with the "mid-level threat"? Nurse Anesthetists seem to do a lot of things the MD/DOs do, but with less/little liability. Will it be a field that shrinks due to mid-level encroachment, or will there always be a lion's share of business only residency-trained MD/DOs can do? I know there was an argument in the EM forums about this, too, and it seems that, while NPs and PAs can do a lot of bread-and-butter, there's always situations and things that MD/DOs went through hell (school) for.

I would also recommend visiting the anesthesia forums (or possibly the mentor forum) and checking out a few of the stickies. Lots of good info there. I have been fortunate enough to learn a little about the field of anesthesiology first-hand. I held a few different jobs before starting medical school, three of which were directly related to anesthesia. I spent a total of 2.5 years in various anesthesia-related positions: as a clinical research assistant in cardiovascular anesthesia, as an anesthesia tech in the OR, and I also worked closely with anesthesiologists in an interventional pain clinic at a cancer center. It truly is a great field for many reasons, the nature of the work being the most important, of course. Almost anyone can learn to be an anesthesiologist, just like people can learn to be a surgeon, tax lawyer, plumber, etc. But to be a skilled anesthesia doc, just like anything, takes talent, ability, and motivation. I think the doctor's blog, though she sounded a wee bit bitter, was pretty descriptive. Essentially, an anesthesiologist's job in the OR is to pretty much "take care" of the patient throughout every stage of their surgical experience, not just while s/he is being operated on. This is no easy task. A good anesthesiologist might make it appear easy, but that is because they have reached a certain level of skill far beyond mere competency. Anesthesiologists routinely intubate, place LMAs (laryngoscope mask airways - similar to endotracheal tubes, just less invasive), place arterial lines, swan-ganz catheters, regional blocks (epidurals/spinals), and, of course, administer drugs. A big part of the job - and this is where skill and experience come in, IMHO - is to make the patient feel as comfortable as possible at every stage - before, during, and after surgery. Being an anesthesiologist is a lot like being a referee in sports: you know you did a good job when you sort of "fly under the radar" and do your thing without being noticed (i.e., without many complications). It is a bit of a thankless job, but that is somewhat tied into the nature of anesthesiology. A lot of the practice of anesthesia is about anticipation, knowing what to expect, thinking on your feet, mindfulness, conscientiousness, decisiveness, etc. Anesthesiologists are well-knowledged in pharmacology and physiology (especially respiratory and cardiac), and the fact that they work with their hands on a constant basis is a definite plus (if that is the type of specialty you desire).

I must say, the anesthesia group of 22 that I worked with were some of the happiest doctors I have ever met. There is something to be said for lifestyle in a profession. Anesthesiology is far from an "easy" job, but it does allow for a more balanced life than perhaps some other fields of medicine. In addition, there are several fellowships that an anesthesiologist can choose at any point in his or her career: critical care, pain management, cardiac, etc. So the field does allow for some diversity in practice.

As far as the scope of practice that CRNAs would like to expand into, that will likely continue, but only to a point. Anesthesiology is not immune to so-called mid-level providers "treading on their turf." It can be argued that nurse practitioners are further expanding into primary care and "threatening" primary care docs. The field of anesthesiology is evolving to some degree (just like many other fields), but is far from ever going extinct.

 

[DocYuki]

What's so mysterious about it? They intubate patients and administer drugs to make them fall asleep during operations. They work predictable hours, though not easy hours. They spend their time in the OR, rather than on the wards. Nurse anesthetists help them manage multiple cases at one time, by chaperoning the surgery during the relatively dull period in between intubation and extubation when the surgeons actually operate.

There's nothing low profile about it. It seems like everyone and his brother is trying to make a play for Anesthesiology these days.

There's lots more to it than that - as with any specialty, there's a great deal of things involved that noone can understand until they're in the shoes of an intern/resident.

 

[DocYuki]

I would also recommend visiting the anesthesia forums (or possibly the mentor forum) and checking out a few of the stickies. Lots of good info there. I have been fortunate enough to learn a little about the field of anesthesiology first-hand. I held a few different jobs before starting medical school, three of which were directly related to anesthesia. I spent a total of 2.5 years in various anesthesia-related positions: as a clinical research assistant in cardiovascular anesthesia, as an anesthesia tech in the OR, and I also worked closely with anesthesiologists in an interventional pain clinic at a cancer center. It truly is a great field for many reasons, the nature of the work being the most important, of course. Almost anyone can learn to be an anesthesiologist, just like people can learn to be a surgeon, tax lawyer, plumber, etc. But to be a skilled anesthesia doc, just like anything, takes talent, ability, and motivation. I think the doctor's blog, though she sounded a wee bit bitter, was pretty descriptive. Essentially, an anesthesiologist's job in the OR is to pretty much "take care" of the patient throughout every stage of their surgical experience, not just while s/he is being operated on. This is no easy task. A good anesthesiologist might make it appear easy, but that is because they have reached a certain level of skill far beyond mere competency. Anesthesiologists routinely intubate, place LMAs (laryngoscope mask airways - similar to endotracheal tubes, just less invasive), place arterial lines, swan-ganz catheters, regional blocks (epidurals/spinals), and, of course, administer drugs. A big part of the job - and this is where skill and experience come in, IMHO - is to make the patient feel as comfortable as possible at every stage - before, during, and after surgery. Being an anesthesiologist is a lot like being a referee in sports: you know you did a good job when you sort of "fly under the radar" and do your thing without being noticed (i.e., without many complications). It is a bit of a thankless job, but that is somewhat tied into the nature of anesthesiology. A lot of the practice of anesthesia is about anticipation, knowing what to expect, thinking on your feet, mindfulness, conscientiousness, decisiveness, etc. Anesthesiologists are well-knowledged in pharmacology and physiology (especially respiratory and cardiac), and the fact that they work with their hands on a constant basis is a definite plus (if that is the type of specialty you desire).

I must say, the anesthesia group of 22 that I worked with were some of the happiest doctors I have ever met. There is something to be said for lifestyle in a profession. Anesthesiology is far from an "easy" job, but it does allow for a more balanced life than perhaps some other fields of medicine. In addition, there are several fellowships that an anesthesiologist can choose at any point in his or her career: critical care, pain management, cardiac, etc. So the field does allow for some diversity in practice.

As far as the scope of practice that CRNAs would like to expand into, that will likely continue, but only to a point. Anesthesiology is not immune to so-called mid-level providers "treading on their turf." It can be argued that nurse practitioners are further expanding into primary care and "threatening" primary care docs. The field of anesthesiology is evolving to some degree (just like many other fields), but is far from ever going extinct.

Thanks a lot!

Great response!

 

[mjl1717]

What's so mysterious about it? They intubate patients and administer drugs to make them fall asleep during operations. They work predictable hours, though not easy hours. They spend their time in the OR, rather than on the wards. Nurse anesthetists help them manage multiple cases at one time, by chaperoning the surgery during the relatively dull period in between intubation and extubation when the surgeons actually operate.

There's nothing low profile about it. It seems like everyone and his brother is trying to make a play for Anesthesiology these days.

agree, this sounds shallow utill you are in THOSE shoes..