Conflicted....need guidance/advice.

[doctor internet]

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I am currently an MSIII DO student. I've been really interested in Emergency Medicine for quite a while due to fast pace, variety of procedures, and utilization of quick thinking/diagnosis and treatment as well as "instant gratification"; though, through experience, actually being in an ED seems to seldom offer these opportunities and instead is consumed by hypochondriacs, abusive alcoholics and raging people who 'forgot' to take their Lithium that week. It is an often grating experience.

Through my OR/Critical Care experiences in my rotations, I've come to realize that Anesthesiology seems to possess most of the parts of EM that I like as well as go above and beyond. For critical patients and Level I Traumas, anesthesia consults were quick to be called for difficult intubations and emergency procedures. At the same time, the OR work seems to be gratifying as well, especially with the more complex operations. Thus, I am seriously considering Anesthesia as a specialty choice now. Reading all of this talk about CRNAs and the wavering future of this profession makes me feel hopeless about the field. As a DO student, I don't feel like I'll match top programs with transplant centers or that see other complex cases in order to possibly set myself apart from the CRNA brigade. I really don't know where to go from here.

In the vein of "what are my chances?", I'll provide my stats below. Maybe it'll allow you guys to give me better tips on what to do with my life as whiny as that sounds.

USMLE Step I: 233/99
Internal Medicine: Honors
OB/GYN: Honors
Pediatrics: Honors
Other rotations: grades pending
No research/publications.

 

[Per4mer8]

Dude, your story sounds fairly similar to mine, although I'm of the opinion that you do what you want without worrying about what could be (CRNA situation). That said, it's a real issue and we will have to actively fight it.

In regards to your concerns about securing a quality residency as a DO, you'll be fine. Do a full Anesthesia rotation to be sure you LOVE it all, including the slow or easy cases, like ER it's not all trauma and crazy procedures.... Anesthesiologists don't deal with 10 emergent viral URIs of 12hrs duration though 🙂

 

[TeamZissou]

Tuned in as well.

 

[IDBasco]

I am currently an MSIII DO student. I've been really interested in Emergency Medicine for quite a while due to fast pace, variety of procedures, and utilization of quick thinking/diagnosis and treatment as well as "instant gratification"; though, through experience, actually being in an ED seems to seldom offer these opportunities and instead is consumed by hypochondriacs, abusive alcoholics and raging people who 'forgot' to take their Lithium that week. It is an often grating experience.

I've never understood people that consider both EM and anesthesia. But then, maybe many of them don't have experience in both. I volunteered in an ED as a pre-med. Learned all I needed to there. Anesthesiology has always seemed so much better.

As a DO student, I don't feel like I'll match top programs with transplant centers or that see other complex cases in order to possibly set myself apart from the CRNA brigade. I really don't know where to go from here.

In the vein of "what are my chances?", I'll provide my stats below. Maybe it'll allow you guys to give me better tips on what to do with my life as whiny as that sounds.

USMLE Step I: 233/99
Internal Medicine: Honors
OB/GYN: Honors
Pediatrics: Honors
Other rotations: grades pending
No research/publications.

You are fine on numbers/grades- to the extent that you've provided them. Apply broadly though and to programs that have taken DOs previously. I and multiple people I know that are DO students matched at places that do plenty of transplants, etc. Obviously I don't know all their numbers, but I know enough to say this with reasonable confidence.

As for the CRNA thing...well, no way to know how that turns out. There are midlevels in the ED too.