General Question from a Pre-med

[Bridaddy]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I have to say that so far this board has been the best source of information, including books, my advisor, and even some doctors I've asked, just wanted to offer a collective thank you to you all!

I am pretty far from having to make a decision about what to do after med school, but I'm looking into it now, just to get an idea what is available.

I've read some posts on here, and have a general idea about Anesthesiology, but I thought I'd ask some questions, just to be sure.

1. The training after med school is an internship (1 year), then 3 years of Anesthesiology training?

2. It seems like it pays pretty well, what can you expect during a residency? I read something about being a junior member/partner, how much does this pay, and is this what everyone does? If not, what other ways do people work?

3. How many hours do you work after your residency? Are you ever called to the hospital unexpectantly, and if so, often?

4. What kinds of work do you do, is it just knocking people out for surgery?


I know these are pretty basic questions, and was kinda expecting to see a FAQ with these in there, but alas.... 🙂

Maybe after these questions get answered, the moderator could make it sticky!

 

[Skrubz]

quick reply, as i'm on call and stealing time away. ~_^

1. The training after med school is an internship (1 year), then 3 years of Anesthesiology training?
yes. some programs (like those in chicago) offer a categorical program that provides the internship year. other programs (like those in california) do not and you are forced to fend for yourself.

2. It seems like it pays pretty well, what can you expect during a residency? I read something about being a junior member/partner, how much does this pay, and is this what everyone does? If not, what other ways do people work?
i believe residents generally make between mid 30k to mid 40k throughout their residency. better than hemorrhaging money throughout med school... i don't know how salaries work in the actual working world, be it private or academic.

3. How many hours do you work after your residency? Are you ever called to the hospital unexpectantly, and if so, often?
uh... the few websites i've checked say average hours are 60 per week. however, a lot of the academic attendings i know work less (though maybe being on call evens it out). in the private sector, you're still on call with the possibility of being called in for emergencies.

4. What kinds of work do you do, is it just knocking people out for surgery?
ooh... dangerous question to be asking in this forum. ~_^ anesthesiologists, in addition to working in the OR, also work in ICUs and pain clinics. i hear pain is where the money is these days, if you can stomach being in clinic. in academic settings, residents also work in the preop clinic where they see patients, assess their risk, and figure out what needs to be done to get them ready for surgery. in the OR, anesthesiologists don't just sit back and relax; they're intimately involved in keeping the patient alive while the surgeons do their thing. a resident that i'm working with says that the key to anesthesia is making the difficult task of keeping a patient stable look mundane.

hope this helps a little...

 

[Bridaddy]

4. What kinds of work do you do, is it just knocking people out for surgery?

ooh... dangerous question to be asking in this forum.

Not to be ment as an insult, just to show my complete lack of knowledge on the subject.

I got the impression from some posts, I think it was Dr Gas or something similar that he goes to work at 6:45 and usually is home at 3pm, sometimes as early as 10am.

This is so great info, please keep it coming guys, a lot of views, but only 1 post

Specifically, I'd love to hear more information on hours worked after residency, expected salary for new/experienced people, and the on-call situation (generally I don't know how it works, if anyone would be so kind, I'd really appreciate it)!