Do I need a flair for maths & chemistry?

[kellie]

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I love many things about anesthesiology, including the prospect of having a thorough understanding of physiology... however, in high school I struggled with maths and chemistry.

While I don't find them boring, and I did get good grades in the end (90+), I had to REALLY work for it and it didn't come easily to me.

Will this be a disadvantage for me if I get into anaesthetics? I.e. beyond a good work ethic and enough brains to get me through med school, do I need a FURTHER level of natural ability with numbers and the 'calculation' side of pharmacology to succeed?

Any advice appreciated

Thank you,

Kellie

ps I'm a final year med student

 

[jeesapeesa]

I love many things about anesthesiology, including the prospect of having a thorough understanding of physiology... however, in high school I struggled with maths and chemistry.

While I don't find them boring, and I did get good grades in the end (90+), I had to REALLY work for it and it didn't come easily to me.

Will this be a disadvantage for me if I get into anaesthetics? I.e. beyond a good work ethic and enough brains to get me through med school, do I need a FURTHER level of natural ability with numbers and the 'calculation' side of pharmacology to succeed?

Any advice appreciated

Thank you,

Kellie

ps I'm a final year med student

if you're a final year med student you should have gotten enough exposure to determine this yourself (clerkships, physio classes, biochem, pharmacology)? sometimes i don't understand people who bs their status. you seem like a high school student to me. did you do well on your step?

 

[kellie]

I'm from Melbourne, Australia, we don't have 'step 1' etc.

I've done well at uni so far, but the pharmacology/biochemistry etc. that we do is quite basic, in my opinion, I don't think you need to be PARTICULARLY adept to do well, and my performance has been solid so far.

Just in the same way that a tendency towards physics may help you in radiology, I'm wondering if a similar tendency towards chemistry/maths might be required to do well in anesthesiology.

I knew I would cop attitude for my question and I'm surprised how much attitude people give on these forums. Isn't it meant for STUDENT doctors?

I've done a week of anaesthetics and I didn't find it difficult, but obviously I was just learning the basics.

 

[coprolalia]

I've done a week of anaesthetics and I didn't find it difficult, but obviously I was just learning the basics.

Yeah, I thought the same thing when I was in medical school... Then I got to residency...

In med school, it's basically an observership. You don't realize all the thought process that is going on "under the surgeon's cap" of the anesthesiologist. You step up and try an intubation, you miss... ehhh... your training attending just steps in and plunks it in. No biggie.

Difference is, when you're in charge of the case, you gotta keep a million things going. You've got to do all the procedures (not always easy) yourself. You have to chart, you have to know and anticipate what's coming next, you have to be ready to give the right amount of the right drug at any point during the case. You have to do calculations in your head. This gets more and more evident as you work up the ranks and start getting the more difficult and complex cases (that require more knowledge and technical skill to do safely and efficiently).

The first few months of anesthesiology residency can be overwhelming. Making the transition from med school to residency I thought was going to be easy. I found, instead, that it was really, really hard at first - all the stuff just in the caseflow you have to remember and do efficiently. It's not uncommon for you to sit there for 45 minutes waiting for a patient to wake-up at the end of the case because, quite frankly, you just don't know what the hell you're doing yet.

So, yes, you have to have at least a good basic grasp of "maths" and physiology at first. As you move along in the program, your grasp of physiology has to become masterful, or you're just going to be another technician stabbing in the dark for answers when a problem arises. You probably weren't in the room when the poop hit the fan, or if it was hitting the fan you probably didn't fully realize what was going on. You just can't know these things as a medical student. You don't have enough experience. These are the things you don't necessarily see in medical school when, for all intents and purposes, you are doing an observership.

Remember, the great anesthesiologists always make it look easy. Sometimes it is easy. A lot of the time it's not.

-copro

 

[Planktonmd]

do I need a FURTHER level of natural ability with numbers and the 'calculation' side of pharmacology to succeed?

No you don't.
The mathematics and calculations that you might need (really need), are the kind that anyone with an IQ above 70 could do.

 

[periopdoc]

No you don't.
The mathematics and calculations that you might need (really need), are the kind that anyone with an IQ above 70 could do.

Agreed. The math part of this is the easy part. In fact the people I know who are really good at math and can easily calculate "the exact right dose" or "the exact right tidal volume and I:E ratio" are the ones who have the hardest time adapting to the dynamic stresses of the operating room. They become fixated on "the right thing" to do and do not adapt their thinking and respond to what the patient's physiology is trying to tell them.

It is more important to have a solid working command of respiratory and cardiovascular physiology. You will need to integrate data coming at you from multiple directions and realize that the exact same set of numbers (bp, pulse, SaO2, etc) rarely means the exact same thing physiologically. They are representations of the perturbations in the underlying physiology of your patient and you have to be able to interpret them in light of the patient you are treating.

I don't know how to predict that ability. Some people just seem to have it and others do not. Unfortunately, medical students as a group tend to be the most self-delusional and least honest with themselves about their own abilities. Examine yourself honestly and ask, "Am I the kind of person who can find the answer even when the numbers do not add up?" If so, you will likely do well in anesthesia.

As for chemistry, you need to know a little chem 101 for the boards. A basic understanding of chemical structure helps with the understanding of why different drugs in the same class act differently.

-pod

 

[Bertelman]

I knew I would cop attitude for my question and I'm surprised how much attitude people give on these forums. Isn't it meant for STUDENT doctors?

It is. Sadly, it's also populated by trolls and internet bullies.

If your question is sincere, persist and someone will provide the answer you need. Often the off-kilter euphemisms of foreigners are mistaken for young'uns.

 

[kellie]

Thanks everyone for your replies, they were very helpful. I can't see many 'cons' now to pursuing anaesthetics, it seems like an intellectually stimulating, emotionally rewarding career that still allows you to have a life outside of medicine. I can see myself very happy being one of you 🙂