If you couldn't do Anesthesia...

[318038]

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What field would you pick and why?

For me personally, I would probably go the IM + Pulm/CC route. Seems to be the closest to anesthesiology in terms of basic science and procedures with a little bit more long term management.

 

[G-Man82]

I thought about that at first, before discovering anesthesiology, but, now especially, in my PGY-1 Medicine year, I don't think I could stomach continuing on as a Medicine Resident only to do 3 more years of Pulm/CCM. The idea of falling back on outpatient Pulmonology (or worse, IM, if I didn't match into a fellowship) and dealing with COPD and asthma day in and day out was a huge red flag in my original thinking. My prelim program has us do a month of ID, and as easy a month as it is, I'm getting bored talking about and placing people on vancomycin and zosyn every day. Or changing it up to ceftazidime. All this makes my imminent CA-1 year look all that much sweeter. Here's hoping that anesthesia is everything I built it up in my head to be.

So to answer your question, it's anesthesia or bust.

 

[2ndyear]

Anything where you're not tied to the hospital for your livelihood. You'll know what I mean when you're out in the real world. All hospital based physicians are in for tough times ahead in my opinion.

 

[BicsRock]

Anything where you're not tied to the hospital for your livelihood. You'll know what I mean when you're out in the real world. All hospital based physicians are in for tough times ahead in my opinion.

First time long time... Not to hijack this thread, but can you share with us why you think hospital based docs may have it hard? I've been curious about this...

 

[Ronin2258]

I thought about that at first, before discovering anesthesiology, but, now especially, in my PGY-1 Medicine year, I don't think I could stomach continuing on as a Medicine Resident only to do 3 more years of Pulm/CCM. The idea of falling back on outpatient Pulmonology (or worse, IM, if I didn't match into a fellowship) and dealing with COPD and asthma day in and day out was a huge red flag in my original thinking. My prelim program has us do a month of ID, and as easy a month as it is, I'm getting bored talking about and placing people on vancomycin and zosyn every day. Or changing it up to ceftazidime. All this makes my imminent CA-1 year look all that much sweeter. Here's hoping that anesthesia is everything I built it up in my head to be.

So to answer your question, it's anesthesia or bust.

^This.

Though for me it would be Anesthesiology, Surgery (any specialty,) or bust.

I love procedures. I don't like the idea of spending 3 years in another specialty for a *chance* of getting a procedure based fellowship.

I also started my medical career in the operating room. I have been most comfortable working there.

Them medicine ward things are kind of alien environment for me. And I found the teaching style (mostly didactic,) to be depressingly boring.

I learn more by doing, then running through my mind the physiology (kind of like a computer animation of things like Molecule A going to Receptor B, causing the cascade.) Yes, this is because I probably watched the series Cosmos one too many times.

Had I not gotten into either, it would be general practice with a goal of zeroing out loans/debts, then just kind of fall of the grid.

 

[periopdoc]

Interventional rads. Would consider interventional cards, but I could never survive the pre-requisite medicine residency.

- pod

 

[GasEmDee]

Interventional rads. Would consider interventional cards, but I could never survive the pre-requisite medicine residency.

- pod

I'd never survive the medicine residency, but I think the radiology residency would be even worse. I love anesthesia. I stumbled upon it by accident during medical school. It was never on the radar. But anesthesia is awesome....especially after residency. Nothing like the internship to make you appreciate the field.

ER would be my 2nd choice, if I was forced to pick another medical specialty...but knowing what I know now, I think it would be anesthesia or something outside of medicine.

 

[fakin' the funk]

I thought about that at first, before discovering anesthesiology, but, now especially, in my PGY-1 Medicine year, I don't think I could stomach continuing on as a Medicine Resident only to do 3 more years of Pulm/CCM. The idea of falling back on outpatient Pulmonology (or worse, IM, if I didn't match into a fellowship) and dealing with COPD and asthma day in and day out was a huge red flag in my original thinking. My prelim program has us do a month of ID, and as easy a month as it is, I'm getting bored talking about and placing people on vancomycin and zosyn every day. Or changing it up to ceftazidime. All this makes my imminent CA-1 year look all that much sweeter. Here's hoping that anesthesia is everything I built it up in my head to be.
So to answer your question, it's anesthesia or bust.

It is.

I did 6 months of general medicine wards during internship. And though I learned a lot (probably more about delivery of healthcare, considering risk/benefit, and ADVANCED FREAKING DIRECTIVES) it was a lot of BS time talking about gout therapy and "granny's so tired recently." And yet, pretty much every day during anesthesia I used something I learned during internship. So, it has value.

 

[deleted9493]

Internal Medicine or Surgery...I think that I could have been happy with being a generalist in either field. Anesthesiology offers a great balance--the best anesthesiologists that I've been around have had a sound working knowledge of both medicine and surgery.

 

[Consigliere]

McDonald's.

 

[RemyMcswain]

Pornography director or an astronaut. Which pays more?

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

^^ Porn director... likely high risk high reward lol..

 

[ZzzPlz]

I would be a field biologist and study flammulated owls

 

[berlog]

probably emergency medicine since there is some overlap