Cardiac Anesthesia and CCM in Private Practice

[Robert Loblaw]

Hi Folks,

I'm a fourth-year student at a large, seemingly strictly academic, university medical school and, as such, have little-to-no opportunity to see how medicine is practiced in 95% of the country. I'm not really interested in staying in this environment, and I need some insight into medicine in a private practice setting.

I'm trying to decide between IM/Cardiology and anesthesiology/cardiac anesthesiology/critical care. As such, I have a few questions regarding anesthesia subspecialities that I hoped a few of the private practice attendings could address:

1. Do cardiac anesthesiologists face the perpetual (and purported or theoretical) "threat" of CRNAs, i.e. what kind of money do these guys make, and is this number anticipated to decline in the next ten years?

2. Repeat question #1 for critical care anesthesiologists.

3. How do most CC anesthiologists practice--do they do mostly OR cases then rotate on SICU service a couple months per year? What is life like on these services--particularly night call, etc?

4. Last question, the cards anesthesia at my institution attend in the CT SICU [thank God, for the patients' sakes ]--does this also happen in the private practice setting?

Thanks in advance--feel free to answer all, none, or a few of the above questions.

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[militarymd]

I'm a ccm guy.


CRNAs will never encroach in CCM...You need a license to practice medicine.

As for for what most of us do....probably just squeeze the bag in the OR....Read about the Leapfrog initiative....things may be changing in the next few years.

You're not going to make more money, but it is a skill that you can use in negotiations with your hospital administrators.