Curious about lifestyle for anesthesia

[BlueElmo]

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Hi, I'm a third year going through rotations right now. What are the lifestyle and hours like for residents and attendings for anesthesiology? I'm interested in either general surgery or anesthesiology only, and I haven't yet done rotations on either.

I talked to my advisor, and he said lifestyle, especially for residents, is BRUTAL in general surgery. I will have to see what it's like when I start my Surgery clerkship next semester, but that really really scares me. I would like some free time, and time to do other things and lesiure activities on the side. Would anesthesia be better choice then?

 

[Bertelman]

The worst anesthesia residency will unequivocally allow you a better lifestyle than the best surgery program.

 

[michigangirl]

Would anesthesia be better choice then?

Without a doubt, as Bertelman said, lifestyle is hands down better during anesthesia residency-- so the answer is yes. But only if you like anesthesia. good luck.

 

[partydoc]

Hi, I'm a third year going through rotations right now. What are the lifestyle and hours like for residents and attendings for anesthesiology? I'm interested in either general surgery or anesthesiology only, and I haven't yet done rotations on either.

I talked to my advisor, and he said lifestyle, especially for residents, is BRUTAL in general surgery. I will have to see what it's like when I start my Surgery clerkship next semester, but that really really scares me. I would like some free time, and time to do other things and lesiure activities on the side. Would anesthesia be better choice then?

rotations can be a little deceitful as to how long the residents work. i was often let go earlier than my residents so i really have no idea how late they were there. plus, sometimes they took paperwork home with them

these are the freida numbers:
https://freida.ama-assn.org/Freida/...h.do?method=viewDetail&spcCd=440&pageNumber=2

https://freida.ama-assn.org/Freida/...h.do?method=viewDetail&spcCd=040&pageNumber=2

avg hours/wk for anes is 60, while gen surg is 75.

 

[Bertelman]

avg hours/wk for anes is 60, while gen surg is 75.

that's average reported hours. I suspect surgery is closer to 80.

 

[gasattack3]

that's average reported hours. I suspect surgery is closer to 80.

Yeah, and that's REPORTED hours. I strongly suspect some programs are still "encouraging" their residents to keep out of the 80+ mark reported.

 

[gasblaster]

that's average reported hours. I suspect surgery is closer to 80.

Haha definitely emphasize the REPORTED.

 

[partydoc]

that's average reported hours. I suspect surgery is closer to 80.

i suppose so
but the 75 could also be averaged out over various (lighter) electives as well

either way, they are in the hospital longer than anes guys

 

[pgg]

Hi, I'm a third year going through rotations right now. What are the lifestyle and hours like for residents and attendings for anesthesiology? I'm interested in either general surgery or anesthesiology only, and I haven't yet done rotations on either.

I talked to my advisor, and he said lifestyle, especially for residents, is BRUTAL in general surgery. I will have to see what it's like when I start my Surgery clerkship next semester, but that really really scares me. I would like some free time, and time to do other things and lesiure activities on the side. Would anesthesia be better choice then?

GS and anesthesia are totally different fields. There are some superficial similarities (we both do stuff' in the OR) but that's where it ends.

When we're off, we're off. We don't have patients that are ours, primarily. Excepting those who are nuts enough to do chronic pain, we don't have clinics. General surgeons, not so much.

Anesthesia isn't a "lifestyle" specialty, either during or after residency. Our days start early and end when the work is done. We work nights, weekends, and holidays. There is real risk, potential for harm, and the kind of constant vigilance you need to develop does add a level of stress to even simple cases (even though it becomes so second-nature you hardly notice it). But it's still better than surgery. 🙂

Also, resist the urge to pick a specialty based on what you think residency will be like. Residency sucks in all fields, some more than others. But it ends.

 

[gasattack3]

GS and anesthesia are totally different fields. There are some superficial similarities (we both do stuff' in the OR) but that's where it ends.

When we're off, we're off. We don't have patients that are ours, primarily. Excepting those who are nuts enough to do chronic pain, we don't have clinics. General surgeons, not so much.

Anesthesia isn't a "lifestyle" specialty, either during or after residency. Our days start early and end when the work is done. We work nights, weekends, and holidays. There is real risk, potential for harm, and the kind of constant vigilance you need to develop does add a level of stress to even simple cases (even though it becomes so second-nature you hardly notice it). But it's still better than surgery. 🙂

Also, resist the urge to pick a specialty based on what you think residency will be like. Residency sucks in all fields, some more than others. But it ends.

Agreed. At least not at most of the good PP gigs I am aware of (which I admit is only a handful). Our PP folks are top 10% earners but they work very hard for it, to be sure.

 

[urge]

I talked to my advisor, and he said lifestyle, especially for residents, is BRUTAL in general surgery. I will have to see what it's like when I start my Surgery clerkship next semester, but that really really scares me. I would like some free time, and time to do other things and lesiure activities on the side. Would anesthesia be better choice then?

Hours are now regulated to 80/wk. Cannot be that bad.

I work 60-70 as an attending.

 

[BlueElmo]

So I'm gathering anesthesia residency is more tolerable compared to GS residency. What about after residency, when you become an attending or something? Do anesthesiologists still have it a lot better or are hours comparable?

 

[pgg]

So I'm gathering anesthesia residency is more tolerable compared to GS residency. What about after residency, when you become an attending or something? Do anesthesiologists still have it a lot better or are hours comparable?

There is a very wide range of possible practice environments for an anesthesiologist to pick from, depending on how much work, call, and money are desired.

There's a certain minimum amount of abuse/headache a surgeon has to put up with, in order to practice at all.

I think that threshold is higher than an anesthesiologist's minimum. You can choose to work yourself 1/2 to death if you want. But it's easier to be a mommy-track anesthesiologist than a mommy-track surgeon.



Of course, if you don't like a specialty, it doesn't matter how good the hours are. All the minutes are going to suck.

 

[gasblaster]

So I'm gathering anesthesia residency is more tolerable compared to GS residency. What about after residency, when you become an attending or something? Do anesthesiologists still have it a lot better or are hours comparable?

Much more tolerable. During residency and post-residency.

 

[WholeLottaGame7]

Hours are now regulated to 80/wk. Cannot be that bad.

I work 60-70 as an attending.

I guarantee that the gen surg residents at my institution are there >80hrs/wk. Same for my medical school. I'm sure some places actually enforce it, but certainly not all do. And if the residents "want" to fudge their hours, what are they going to do about it?

To the OP, it sounds like you like the OR environment in general, thus surg vs anesthesia. Someone once told me that if you like the OR, go into anesthesia. If you love the OR and would rather be there than anywhere else, go into surgery.

 

[Mman]

I guarantee that the gen surg residents at my institution are there >80hrs/wk. Same for my medical school. I'm sure some places actually enforce it, but certainly not all do. And if the residents "want" to fudge their hours, what are they going to do about it?

To the OP, it sounds like you like the OR environment in general, thus surg vs anesthesia. Someone once told me that if you like the OR, go into anesthesia. If you love the OR and would rather be there than anywhere else, go into surgery.

Odd advice considering surgeons spend the majority of their workday outside the operating room and anesthesiologists spend nearly all their workday in the operating room. I mean between clinic days, consults in the ED, and rounding on the floor, they aren't in the OR that often. Busy surgeon might operate 2-3 days a week at most.

 

[WholeLottaGame7]

Odd advice considering surgeons spend the majority of their workday outside the operating room and anesthesiologists spend nearly all their workday in the operating room. I mean between clinic days, consults in the ED, and rounding on the floor, they aren't in the OR that often. Busy surgeon might operate 2-3 days a week at most.

I think the point was, to put up with the surgery lifestyle, you really have to prioritize work over everything else. I like being in the OR and all, but there are a number of other activities I would rather do, given the choice.

 

[ssmallz]

Much more tolerable. During residency and post-residency.

In residency the hours are def better, post residency, I'm not so sure. When you're in anesthesia you are a service industry. You have to bend to the will of the hospital and sometimes that means spending overnights in house, not many surgeons do that outside of trauma centers. You also don't have control over when the cases go, surgeons do. If you do a subspecialty, even some of the less competitive ones (bariatric, colorectal) I feel your lifestyle will be better than a hospital based anesthesiologist. Don't underestimate how important it is to have control over your life when you are done. As a resident no matter what specialty you're in you do as told. When you're out, you'd like it to be able to call the shots a bit

 

[MedicalStudent5]

What about em vs anes lifestyle?

 

[imfrankie]

There is no anesthesia lifestyle. There are people who work every weekend and call night they can, there are people that haven't worked a night or weekend since residency. There are people that do 60 hrs each week in the OR, there are people that do 16.