Does anyone actually recommend anesthesia?

[SandP]

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The specialty specific thread speaks of doom and gloom. Is it really a horrible gig?

 

[Newyawk]

I know someone who recently matched, and from what he heard they're still doing very well for themselves, particularly now it appears the market is great for anesthesia.

 

[IMGASMD]

What year are you? Have you done your rotations yet? Keep an open mind, worry about choosing a field when the time comes.

Edit: just checked your history. Dude, you need to move on. After all those threads you still haven’t gotten enough yet?

Just to answer your question. Yes. I would still recommend it. Probably not to you tho. You seem to have some difficulties making decisions. You will probably do better with fields that you can have ample time to research and think.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

My n is even smaller these days than when I worked in the OR, but I have 4 friends who are anesthesiologists and they all strongly recommended it to me.

 

[Man o War]

I would recommend it for sure. This same doom and gloom talk has been going on a long time.
I find the SDN forums MUCH more negative than real life.

 

[Raney Schauer]

I find the SDN forums MUCH more negative than real life.

The usefulness of this forum is becoming increasingly narrow.

 

[Man o War]

The usefulness of this forum is becoming increasingly narrow.

I just encourage students to talk to real life attendings and give little weight to what people say online. You have no idea who any of these people are or what their motives might be.

 

[longhaul3]

Anesthesia is awesome. I'll be scrubbed on a 10 hour case and every time I look up someone's relieved the last guy. Hell at my hospital the chair will come relieve a CA-1 on a "however long you want" coffee break! Then when it all hits the fan they're the ones who usually make the save. One of those specialties I wish I had been interested in, like ophtho, that are awesome but I just couldn't see (no pun intended) myself going into.

 

[SchoolBoy30]

Anesthesia is a great specialty. There are so many opportunities to do procedures and echo like in cardiac anesthesia, or even do procedures in pain anesthesia. Of course if you want to kick it during surgeries and play sudoku that is cool too. There are just so many avenues you can take! Peds is also a good route to get your soul back after the residency process LOL

 

[Neopolymath]

My n is even smaller these days than when I worked in the OR, but I have 4 friends who are anesthesiologists and they all strongly recommended it to me.

Same experiences. Out of two large and different style groups, everyone actively recommended me to pursue the specialty besides like two miserable people in general who held that stupid, tired trope that they "would have just done business" and been rich or blah blah. The specialty is awesome for people that understand what it is and understand what it is not. Most people are probably not a match personality-wise and most people just see a 4th year lazy elective where they tube 3 people in the morning and put in a peripheral IV so they wouldn't even get the chance to understand it in general.

 

[IlDestriero]

Some of the biggest doom and gloomers on the forum are supervising with their feet up and making 600+. Others sell out their practice for a multimillion dollar pay day to fill their retirement coffers.
However all that greed has a downside.
Good fair private practice jobs are fewer than in the past and anesthesia management companies that skim 30-50% off the top are bigger than ever. All that makes things worse for everyone overall. However you are an individual, so if you’re flexible on location, don’t have a personality disorder, got good training, are easy to work with, and aren’t afraid to work fairly hard, with some luck and legwork, you can get a good job. Limit yourself to the top 20 big cities or other very desirable areas and you are going to have problems.

 

[deleted87051]

I’m in a top 20 city and wouldn’t want to be doing anything else in any other place. All the peripheral stuff aside, the job itself is incredibly interesting and engaging. You can actually have fun at work.

 

[MedicineZ0Z]

The current market today is good, just keep in mind you're almost for sure going to be supervising only (CRNAs and/or residents).

Predicting the future is tough. I'd maybe look at how many CRNAs will graduate over the next 10-20 years for a better idea.

 

[deleted87051]

The current market today is good, just keep in mind you're almost for sure going to be supervising only (CRNAs and/or residents).

Predicting the future is tough. I'd maybe look at how many CRNAs will graduate over the next 10-20 years for a better idea.

That’s possible but they were saying this almost 3 decades ago when I was choosing a specialty. I’m still doing my own cases. If my own child was interested in anesthesiology (or CRNA school or AA school for that matter), I would encourage them. It’s a good job.

 

[IMGASMD]

The current market today is good, just keep in mind you're almost for sure going to be supervising only (CRNAs and/or residents).

Predicting the future is tough. I'd maybe look at how many CRNAs will graduate over the next 10-20 years for a better idea.

Or tie it to the other thread about MN Supreme Court ruling. (It may be a stretch for some of you to tie back to this discussion.) After I’ve paid back my loans, it would be better for me and wife mental health wise to never do directing or supervising. Even with a paycut.

 

[SterlingMaloryArcher]

CRNAs and all advanced nurses for that matter are trying to reach equivalence and be able to independantly practice w/o an anesthesiologist supervisor. Over a dozen states already alllow this.

 

[IMGASMD]

CRNAs and all advanced nurses for that matter are trying to reach equivalence and be able to independantly practice w/o an anesthesiologist supervisor. Over a dozen states already alllow this.

Oh, is that what they’re trying to do? They are now requiring DNP for some CRNA schools. What a crock of ****.

Equivalency to anesthesiologists.... try medical school then residency in anesthesia. What an idea!

 

[deleted87051]

CRNAs and all advanced nurses for that matter are trying to reach equivalence and be able to independantly practice w/o an anesthesiologist supervisor. Over a dozen states already alllow this.

My state allows this. I still do my own cases and demand for our services just keeps growing.

 

[Gilakend]

My state allows this. I still do my own cases and demand for our services just keeps growing.

When you say “our services” do you mean both CRNA/AA or anesthesiologists or both?

I have a friend going the CAA route so I was just curious.

 

[sharkbyte]

Not trying to be rude at all, just geniunely curious: would someone be able to explain to me why AAs became a thing and why they are even needed?

 

[IMGASMD]

Not trying to be rude at all, just geniunely curious: would someone be able to explain to me why AAs became a thing and why they are even needed?

Short answer. Different training. Like NP vs PA.
I had a very long something typed. Until I saw this

“In essence, physicians and PAs train on the medical model and focus on the diagnosis, testing, and treatment while NPs train on the nursing model and concentrate on the impact of the diagnosis, testing, and treatment on the patient.”

What makes this discussion ever more interesting is that PA were intended to be “physician substitute” when the program first started. And they’re also pushing for independent practice rights. So in a few years maybe AA will start fighting too? When I looked into this, what also surprised me is the sheer number of crna vs aa. 36000+ VS 1500+


Long answers, you’d have to wait from people who have worked with both.

I also did a quick search within SDN. No surprise there, this has been done before. But I enjoyed searching and reading for my own education.

 

[deleted87051]

When you say “our services” do you mean both CRNA/AA or anesthesiologists or both?

I have a friend going the CAA route so I was just curious.

Anesthesiologists. I’m in an MD only practice. Unfortunately AA’s cannot practice in my state yet. Our state society is working on this issue.

 

[Man o War]

My state allows this. I still do my own cases and demand for our services just keeps growing.

Same here. In my state the only hospitals you find independent CRNAs are the critical access rural ones in the sticks where no doctor is going to go. They take a ton of call, and ship any remotely sick patients to the docs in the city who can handle it competently.
You have to keep in mind that hospitals designated “critical access” also get Medicare pass through funds to hire CRNAs, so these hospitals have an incentive to only hire them and not docs. There aren’t a ton of CAH in my state relatively speaking, therefore not many CRNA only hospitals.

 

[MedicineZ0Z]

Not trying to be rude at all, just geniunely curious: would someone be able to explain to me why AAs became a thing and why they are even needed?

Everyone wants a piece of the pie.

 

[7331poas]

My only problem with anesthesia is crna encroachment. I feel like I could only be happy if I was at a system where they do not allow crnas in the OR, which are becoming increasingly small