Intern year for anesthesia

[Lonestar]

This is just a little advice for all those applying to anesthesia this year. Make sure you pick a program that has a nice trasitional year. Your lives will be much better. Many programs have a general surgery month or two months (complete waste of time -- nuff said). OB-GYN month (are you kidding me). ICU months ( you do need these, how many I don't know). Here's the kicker. Get as many cush months as you can. That means electives and months such as rads, anesthesia, ENT, pulm, etc. You get the point. Don't let these programs sell you on prelim medicine years. Life just sux in medicine and thats why we are all here. Unfortunately, we have to do a minimum of 3 months of medicine in our intern year (so be ready to do some scutwork). Peace out. BTW my intern year is going just peachy!!!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[chillindrdude]

sorry, but i don't plan on coming out dumber after my intern year.

if i'm gonna spend 1 yr of my life doing something, i might as well learn something out of it

 

[Lonestar]

And if you really want to learn something, I suggest you do as many ICU months as you can in your intern year. And, No i do not plan on coming out dumber than I went in. The fact is I cannot possibly be any dummer than I was at the end of my 4th year. So there.

 

[thegasman]

sorry, but i don't plan on coming out dumber after my intern year.

if i'm gonna spend 1 yr of my life doing something, i might as well learn something out of it

Well if this is what you want stay away from prelim surgery, or programs with mostly gen surg intern months. You learn how to be a good scut monkey that's about it. I agree with lonestar that as much icu as possible is the way to go. I've got 3 months this year. Medicine is OK, but the rounds are so painful, I can only take so much.

 

[Wahoowa]

This is just a little advice for all those applying to anesthesia this year. Make sure you pick a program that has a nice trasitional year. Your lives will be much better. Many programs have a general surgery month or two months (complete waste of time -- nuff said). OB-GYN month (are you kidding me). ICU months ( you do need these, how many I don't know). Here's the kicker. Get as many cush months as you can. That means electives and months such as rads, anesthesia, ENT, pulm, etc. You get the point. Don't let these programs sell you on prelim medicine years. Life just sux in medicine and thats why we are all here. Unfortunately, we have to do a minimum of 3 months of medicine in our intern year (so be ready to do some scutwork). Peace out. BTW my intern year is going just peachy!!!

My program is a four-year program with the first year as follows: SICU, MICU, NSICU, OB/GYN, general surgery, ENT, adult ER, peds ER, neurology, medicine, and anesthesia--only five rotations have call.

 

[Arch Guillotti]

Medicine call and post call card flipping and rounds are some of the most painful experiences I have endured. Fortunately for me I am front loaded this year and will ride out the intern year on mostly electives. I agree that ICU experience is very valuable to have, though it can be painful at times as well. Personally I can't wait for some cake electives - wards are for the birds. It's good to get the experience and the hang of things but discussing the finer points of the importance of serial urine electrolytes sucks rocks. IM is also the most fertile dumping ground for other specialties that I have ever seen.

 

[snowman8]

I have to agree with ChillinDrDude. First of all, some of the most intelligent anesthesiologists that I have had the chance to work with have been well rounded in all aspects of medicine, not just anesthesia. Our years in residency are suppose to be hard and challenging to prepare us to handle any situation that falls in our laps post-residency yrs. It all starts off with a strong year during your internship. Every CA-1 that I I have talked to who went through a prelim yr in medicine, doesn't regret it and believes it made him/her a more prepared and proficient resident/anesthesiologist.
A slacker will always be a slacker! Don't start off this way your intern year.

 

[Sensei_Sevo]

A slacker will always be a slacker! Don't start off this way your intern year.

Well, I was a slacker, always will be and am proud of it. Oh yeah, I just graduated and am making over $300k/yr without breaking a sweat. Yeah.....I guess I'm a bad example....oh well!

 

[moha]

Well, I was a slacker, always will be and am proud of it. Oh yeah, I just graduated and am making over $300k/yr without breaking a sweat. Yeah.....I guess I'm a bad example....oh well!

Got to appreciate honesty....YOU ARE MY IDOL!

 

[UTSouthwestern]

One year in internal medicine can be miserable but you WILL come out better prepared for the rest of your residency than your colleagues doing cush TY's. You also come away with a better appreciation of your life as an anesthesiology resident and more decisive clinical diagnostic skills

 

[timtye78]

As UTSouthwestern puts it, getting up every morning, rounding on ESRD pts and End stage liver disease pts (Are you peeing today, are you itching, any chest pain/SOB??) Ugh---All this makes SO happy I get to leave this in less than a year, for the rest of my life, God willing! No more 3am ER "hits" for me soon....9 months to lift-off!

I think intern year is a good time to aquire basic skills needed by everyone who uses the title "Doctor" or "Physician." Most of us in anesthesiology don't really anticipate a future in continually writing admit orders for "train-wreck" ER patients for the rest of our lives, or being able to list extensive differentials/workup for rare and exotic diseases. However, it for me has been a good time so far to really hone some other basic skills, and to learn how to make decisions on my own for once.

I think everyone has a right to decide what he or she wants for himself. I don't think you should come out of intern year expecting to feel like a seasoned physician. The way I approach it is this:

My year is roughly divided into two 6 month blocks as I see it. I must take Step 3 in December, so my main focuses these first 6 months are boards, rotations, and reading at every opportunity. After boards are done, I can look forward to putting my pediatrics, psychiatry, and obgyn review books aside, so I can return to reading my anesthesiology books and focus on becoming proficient at line placement and intubations.

I agree again with Dr. Sevo...if you are able to , enjoy your intern year. Most Anesthesiology programs will most likely keep you quite busy once you are putting people to sleep. Get exercise, sleep, study whatever. Obviously, as UTSouthwestern put it, the more you know and if you do get a solid foundation, you will be glad later.