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CHOOSING ANESTHESIOLOGY
1) What does an anesthesiologist do?
The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) has prepared a FAQ to answer many basic questions of interest to a medical student who is considering a career in anesthesiology.
http://www.asahq.org/career/faq.htm
Thread on "why choose anesthesiology?" Covers lifestyle issues too.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=79579
USF Online Residency Application Handbook -- Specialty Descriptions
Offers good description of the field, training, lifestyle, and application process.
http://hsc.usf.edu/medstud/resguide/residencyguide.htm
Regarding "isn't it boring?" questions:
This comes up somewhat frequently, probably because until you actually practice anesthesiology, it is hard to fully appreciate what an anesthesiologist does, and what that kind of responsibility feels like. Suffice to say, it is NOT a boring field if you like acute care medicine, hands-on management of patients, life-threatening problems, short but close doctor-patient relationships, the excitement of the OR, and having the best knowledge base in pharmacology and physiology in the hospital, and the skills to apply it practically every day.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=195246
One forum member's reasoning for choosing anesthesiology:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=1457027&postcount=10
Thread covering the issue of "boredom" in anesthesiology:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=79579
Thread covering the issue of "respect" in anesthesiology:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=117251
Thread covering the old and trite Surgery VS. Anesthesiology in the OR
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=198354
Thread covering "why do you love anesthesiology?":
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=71763
"So you want to be an anesthesiologist" thread:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=71610
2) What practice settings do anesthesiologists work in?
Anesthesiologists work in a variety of practice settings. Operating room anesthesia is provided in tertiary-care academic medical centers, community hospitals, "surgi-centers", and military hospitals. This encompasses anesthesia for general, cardiac, neuro, ENT, orthopedic, ophthalmologic, pediatric, and transplant surgeries. In the obstetric suite anesthesiologists provide epidural, spinal, and general anesthesia for vaginal and cesarian deliveries. Anesthesiologists my provide, or assist CRNAs in providing sedation and airway control for psychiatric patients undergoing ECT, as well as patients in the cardiac catheterization lab, and endoscopy suites. Anesthesiologists work in pain clinics, performing pain management techniques in an office, or OR setting using fluoroscopy for needle guidance. Anesthesiologists work as critical care doctors in the MICU/SICU. So-called "office-based anesthesia" is a growing field in which anesthesiologists assist in office-based surgery by providing anesthetic care that approaches or equals the standards expected in a hospital.
Critical care and anesthesiology:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=200572
3) How long is the training period?
After medical school, the training is four years, with the option of doing a one-year fellowship in critical care, pain management, cardiac, neuro, pediatric, obstetric, regional, or transplant anesthesia.
4) What is the lifestyle of an anesthesiology resident?
USF Online Residency Application Handbook -- Specialty Descriptions
Covers resident lifestyle issue well:
http://hsc.usf.edu/medstud/resguide/residencyguide.htm
5) What is the lifestyle of a practicing anesthesiologist?
Post by Jetproppilot regarding lifestyle, scope of practice, financial issues- one of the most informative posts I've seen from a private practice anesthesiologist:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=2855860&postcount=19
Thead covering lifestyle issues specifically:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=56048
This thread covers both lifestyle and what it's like to transition from residency to private practice:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=82587
6) What opportunities exist for research in anesthesiology?
7) What are the most widely accepted predictions for the future job market in anesthesiology?
8) I heard something about competition from CRNAs. What is a CRNA, and what effect do they have on the field of anesthesiology?
CRNAs vs Anesthesiologists
An excellent post summing up this issue from Tenesma
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=1316695&postcount=23
View the entire thread here:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=112984&page=1&pp=20
Another excellent post by Tenesma on this issue:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=1760121&postcount=57
Two long, bitter arguments...
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=241881
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=243054
Ideas for physician-only anesthesia...
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=243916
"If you had to do it all over again would you go the CRNA route" thread:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=205294
"Anesthesia Economics" (more about CRNAs in anesthesia)
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=198688
Anesthesia assistants (AA) vs CRNAs
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=116025
9) What do anesthesiologists pay for malpractice insurance?
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=169220
Continued in Part 2
1) What does an anesthesiologist do?
The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) has prepared a FAQ to answer many basic questions of interest to a medical student who is considering a career in anesthesiology.
http://www.asahq.org/career/faq.htm
Thread on "why choose anesthesiology?" Covers lifestyle issues too.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=79579
USF Online Residency Application Handbook -- Specialty Descriptions
Offers good description of the field, training, lifestyle, and application process.
http://hsc.usf.edu/medstud/resguide/residencyguide.htm
Regarding "isn't it boring?" questions:
This comes up somewhat frequently, probably because until you actually practice anesthesiology, it is hard to fully appreciate what an anesthesiologist does, and what that kind of responsibility feels like. Suffice to say, it is NOT a boring field if you like acute care medicine, hands-on management of patients, life-threatening problems, short but close doctor-patient relationships, the excitement of the OR, and having the best knowledge base in pharmacology and physiology in the hospital, and the skills to apply it practically every day.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=195246
One forum member's reasoning for choosing anesthesiology:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=1457027&postcount=10
Thread covering the issue of "boredom" in anesthesiology:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=79579
Thread covering the issue of "respect" in anesthesiology:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=117251
Thread covering the old and trite Surgery VS. Anesthesiology in the OR
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=198354
Thread covering "why do you love anesthesiology?":
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=71763
"So you want to be an anesthesiologist" thread:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=71610
2) What practice settings do anesthesiologists work in?
Anesthesiologists work in a variety of practice settings. Operating room anesthesia is provided in tertiary-care academic medical centers, community hospitals, "surgi-centers", and military hospitals. This encompasses anesthesia for general, cardiac, neuro, ENT, orthopedic, ophthalmologic, pediatric, and transplant surgeries. In the obstetric suite anesthesiologists provide epidural, spinal, and general anesthesia for vaginal and cesarian deliveries. Anesthesiologists my provide, or assist CRNAs in providing sedation and airway control for psychiatric patients undergoing ECT, as well as patients in the cardiac catheterization lab, and endoscopy suites. Anesthesiologists work in pain clinics, performing pain management techniques in an office, or OR setting using fluoroscopy for needle guidance. Anesthesiologists work as critical care doctors in the MICU/SICU. So-called "office-based anesthesia" is a growing field in which anesthesiologists assist in office-based surgery by providing anesthetic care that approaches or equals the standards expected in a hospital.
Critical care and anesthesiology:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=200572
3) How long is the training period?
After medical school, the training is four years, with the option of doing a one-year fellowship in critical care, pain management, cardiac, neuro, pediatric, obstetric, regional, or transplant anesthesia.
4) What is the lifestyle of an anesthesiology resident?
USF Online Residency Application Handbook -- Specialty Descriptions
Covers resident lifestyle issue well:
http://hsc.usf.edu/medstud/resguide/residencyguide.htm
5) What is the lifestyle of a practicing anesthesiologist?
Post by Jetproppilot regarding lifestyle, scope of practice, financial issues- one of the most informative posts I've seen from a private practice anesthesiologist:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=2855860&postcount=19
Thead covering lifestyle issues specifically:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=56048
This thread covers both lifestyle and what it's like to transition from residency to private practice:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=82587
6) What opportunities exist for research in anesthesiology?
7) What are the most widely accepted predictions for the future job market in anesthesiology?
8) I heard something about competition from CRNAs. What is a CRNA, and what effect do they have on the field of anesthesiology?
CRNAs vs Anesthesiologists
An excellent post summing up this issue from Tenesma
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=1316695&postcount=23
View the entire thread here:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=112984&page=1&pp=20
Another excellent post by Tenesma on this issue:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=1760121&postcount=57
Two long, bitter arguments...
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=241881
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=243054
Ideas for physician-only anesthesia...
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=243916
"If you had to do it all over again would you go the CRNA route" thread:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=205294
"Anesthesia Economics" (more about CRNAs in anesthesia)
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=198688
Anesthesia assistants (AA) vs CRNAs
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=116025
9) What do anesthesiologists pay for malpractice insurance?
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=169220
Continued in Part 2