goodbye anesthesia :(

[Ronin2258]

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I accept full responsibility for all the negativity. Nobody on this Board has been more of a "Debbie Downer" than me. However, I felt an obligation to Medical Students to tell the truth as I see it. I felt my posts had to be made so the full story can be told. Think of it as "Full Disclosure." I want Med Students to know what they are getting into and the problems we face in the next 5 years.

I share a great deal of blame for creating this mess. But, together (the up and coming MD/DOs combined with those few of us in practice who still care) we can save the Medical Specialty of Anesthesiology from the Noctors.

Blade

I have to concur. Nothing but love for your stated opinions, Blade. *passes flask of Glenmorangie*

I can honestly say I had a blast during residency putting people in their place. From murses to CRNA-loving attendings, I stopped at nothing to speak out against injustice towards residents and told a good number of circulators, CRNAs, ICU nurses and attendings to f*ck-off directly to their face.

The end result: they offered me a job.

Love it. I would like to be more diplomatic. I hate yelling, but to let said people stew in their own shortcomings makes me smile and sleep well at night.

As a CA-1, I have had to relieve few CRNAs over the last few weeks. Most of them don't seem to know patients history, and are ready to get out of the room faster than lightening. Maybe there are some who care about whats happening to the patient, I have yet to see one 🙄.

They are rare. Very rare. Most of those are the ones that do know their limits and when to call MDAs. It definitely sounds like a dying breed.

It happened at my residency with a couple of CRNA's that had been there for 15+ years. We never shared rooms, but we would get them out at 3-4 pm. And when we did, there were a couple that showed some serious attitude. The unfortunate part is that in some places: Attending>Crna>Resident, cuz we are easily replaced... which is complete BS.

All I can say is that anesthesia is an AMAZING specialty. I find my self in the ortho, ent, peds, urology, cardiac, ob, trauma, block rooms... etc, etc... and I am so enormously happy I chose this field.... it's ridiculous. I find myself thinking... dang... "so happy I didn't do this or that" I'm truly psyched to get up and go to work every single day.

On call yesterday:

AVR, 2 ECT's, 1 TKA, ex-lap. Then home at around 4pm. Called back at 2:00am for post-tonsillar bleed in a 4 y/o downs kid. Slept the rest of the night. Fun medicine all day long.... none of this "let's up your beta blocker and see what happens, or clinic, or whatever.... " It's in your face, every day. Some days are tougher than others, but the gig as a whole is tons of fun.

The "bread-and-butter" patients in Anesthesiology are one of the major reasons I want in (am I the only one that thinks a day on call like this is hot?) That and the love of the operating room. The thought of doing another specialty makes me think falling on a landmine would be an easy way out.

If the OP doesn't like the day in, day out business of the specialty, it is definitely time to look elsewhere. As for me, I am keeping the fight up. The thought of dealing with the day in, day out, business of other specialties (IM, FM, Psy, etc.) just makes me want Anesthesiology more.

 

[EMS5]

Well I'm gonna risk my head here and give anesthesia a little love....

When I went through medic school, it was the gas guys in the OR that taught me how to intubate. They sat there the whole time, never took the scope out of my hands (as long as the patient was still in good shape), and would answer anything I asked. After the tube was dropped on a patient, you were allowed to go find another pre-op patient, and if everything was kosher with the doc and the pt, I could tube them.

I never had a gas doc tell me no to a tube (although at one point a dental surgeon said he didn't want students in the OR), but these were all low-risk cases, no cardiothoracic or RSI or that kinda stuff. Pound for pound, probably the most productive time I had during clinicals.

 

[jl lin]

The sooner you realize the hospital is a gigantic back-stabbing machine the better.....

I think the OP needs to go into EM, for loads of respect.....😎

Really though, all specialties love to bash on the others. However, when you are good, everyone knows it, and you'll be the "exception". OR, your partnership is the "exception".

Ever see the way a 5th year surgical resident bashes an IM resident?? Meantime, they consult nephrology for a clear case of hypovolemic hypernatremia.......

The best docs, as a general rule, are the best because they're smart and humble. So, you'll notice that they tend to be more respectful. On rounds in the CCU the other day, a new patient comes in overnight (I wasn't on call, so pt was also new to me) and the attending (who did the cath on this patient) says, "the anesthesiologist saved this patients life". "he noticed ST-elevations on his little 3-lead II strip, stopped the procedure from happening, got us involved, and we took her emergently to the cath lab"...... "If not for the anesthesiologist this patient may not have made it". No joke. And I promise you the "Anesthesiology" on my lab coat wasn't incentive for this veteran attending to attempt to stroke my PGY1 ego. He meant it.

Others have stated, OP, that if you need constant affirmation, then anestheisology really may be something you'll want to avoid.

Good luck.👍

cf

As a lowly nurse-pre-meder, please permit me to say that the above is probably some of the wisest and truest words I have EVER read on SDN.
👍👍👍

 

[IlDestriero]

Damn, where did you do residency? Wish I was there. My department is so friggin' spineless, all they want you to do is sit there and take it with no vaseline. Long as everybody else stays happy. If you stand up for yourself you are being UNPROFESSIONAL and are reprimanded. Why are so many anesthesiologists so damn spineless? WTF are we? Are we not MD's/DO's who deserve mutual respect? Not asking to be worshiped or anything, just equal respect you know. Treat me like I treat you and don't think you can walk all over me. That's all I ask. Even the friggin secretaries think they can treat you like crap and nothing happens to them. And trully they are right.

Can't wait to be an attending and get the **** out of this dump. Seriously. I sure hope to God it's only this department, but I have a feeling as a profession, we are pretty darn weak. My PD told me a long time ago, to just ignore them and laugh all the way to the bank. But it ain't all about the damn money. Sure it makes a difference, but I would rather make less and be in a place that treats me well verses the other way around. I am no one's bitch, but as a resident at this place, I have to be. Sucks. 🙄

Weak Chairman = weak department. It doesn't have to be that way.

 

[jl lin]

LOL!!!! This is rich. I ventured into medicine with an open mind...got hooked onto anesthesia and never looked back. Now I'm in fellowship about to embark into my career. Thank god for anesthesia. If I had picked any other specialty I'd be wanting to jump off a bridge right now. Even with the psychotic, delusional nurses lying to the public, trying to intentionally trick them into believing outlandish lies.....all because they are money hungry, lazy individuals who would rather hurt the public for their own personal agenda........ even despite that I love my job!!! And we will prevail...

OUUUUCH. Please. That is definitely not true for many, many nurses. Throwing the baby out with the bath water a bit there. Most nurses w/ any sense know full well the necessity of limiting midlevel practice, and all the rest that goes with that. Most nurses as well as I know that if you want to become a MD or DO, then you need to go to school and work the ropes like everyone else.

 

[WholeLottaGame7]

OUUUUCH. Please. That is definitely not true for many, many nurses. Throwing the baby out with the bath water a bit there. Most nurses w/ any sense know full well the necessity of limiting midlevel practice, and all the rest that goes with that. Most nurses as well as I know that if you want to become a MD or DO, then you need to go to school and work the ropes like everyone else.

I think most people realize the vast majority of nurses are more reasonable, but as in many cases, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Any vitriol is directed at the small subset of "militant" nurses who are trying to reap the harvest without planting the seeds.

 

[amyl]

Dudes, let it all go, with stats like that the OP wasn't ever getting into an anesthesia residency.... not even an osteopathic one.... we had nothing to worry about.

 

[jl lin]

I think most people realize the vast majority of nurses are more reasonable, but as in many cases, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Any vitriol is directed at the small subset of "militant" nurses who are trying to reap the harvest without planting the seeds.

Good to know. Nurses that lean that way, except perhaps getting doctorate for education purposes--teaching--are viewed as whacky and are NOT taken seriously. They are merely legends in their own minds.

 

[countingdays]

good to know. Nurses that lean that way, except perhaps getting doctorate for education purposes--teaching--are viewed as whacky and are not taken seriously. They are merely legends in their own minds.

wnba

 

[jl lin]

I think most people realize the vast majority of nurses are more reasonable, but as in many cases, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Any vitriol is directed at the small subset of "militant" nurses who are trying to reap the harvest without planting the seeds.

wnba

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