internal med training applying to anesthesiology

[Vash311]

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Hey guys, I wanted your opinion on my decision to go into anesthesia. I am a PGY 1 soon to be PGY 2 and have fallen out of intereste in what the internal medicine subspecialties have to offer. I am sick of the pure b.s. and cut throat attitude it takes to get into specialties these days and don't feel that any one field has enough to offer me to deal with it. That being said, I had alot of experience in working with an anesthesiology program that is affiliated with my hospital. I also did a few weeks rotation with residents and attendings and was amazed at the broad scope of medicine and their proficiency in doing a variety of procedures that goes along with the field. I don't know if programs shun people with previous grad training, like me, but I think I would be a good fit in having a full internal med residency training behind me before entering a program. What do you guys think...pros and cons requested please! Thanks!

 

[EtherMD]

No problem. With Board Certification in I.M. and Anesthesiology why not add Critical Care to the list as well? This way you can be the complete hospitalist in managing the medical and surgical patient. While not absolutely necessary Board Certification in I.M. is a plus. However, Critical Care Medicine is perhaps even more valuable and only requires 12 months. Think about it.

 

[Planktonmd]

Hey guys, I wanted your opinion on my decision to go into anesthesia. I am a PGY 1 soon to be PGY 2 and have fallen out of intereste in what the internal medicine subspecialties have to offer. I am sick of the pure b.s. and cut throat attitude it takes to get into specialties these days and don't feel that any one field has enough to offer me to deal with it. That being said, I had alot of experience in working with an anesthesiology program that is affiliated with my hospital. I also did a few weeks rotation with residents and attendings and was amazed at the broad scope of medicine and their proficiency in doing a variety of procedures that goes along with the field. I don't know if programs shun people with previous grad training, like me, but I think I would be a good fit in having a full internal med residency training behind me before entering a program. What do you guys think...pros and cons requested please! Thanks!

I was an internist brfore going to anesthesia and it is very helpful.
I got an out of the match position in a good place, and my background helped me better understand what I was learning, and it still helps me everyday.

 

[bubalus]

Advantages: You'll certainly know medicine very well and be able to apply that to anesthesia. You'll be double boarded, although I don't know what that will really do for you.

Disadvantages: You'll be a resident longer. Your anesthesia training will not be shortened if you've done a complete IM residency. The only thing you'll get credit for is your intern year and up to 2 months of ICU. You'll do the full 36 months of anesthesia. Another disadvantage is to the program. Because you've completed an IM residency, the program will only get 50% of your GME subsidy rather than 100%. The length of time the program gets the full subsidy is based on what field you did your first year of training in. Since you started in medicine, you're eligible for the full subsidy for 3 years. If you'd started in surgery, you'd be eligible for 5. Most programs probably won't care about that.

The question whether you finish the full residency or not is up to you. Do you like being a medicine intern/resident? I did my internship in medicine and I'm so much happier now. Something to consider is what you want to do with the rest of your life and if you think finishing medicine will be beneficial in that respect. If you wanted to start anesthesia in July, it's possible, though chances of finding a program with an opening are a little slim. I thought I read somewhere here that Utah might have a CA1 opening.

Since you're not a med student, you can go outside the match. I'd send a CV and cover letter to each program director and explain that you're looking for an anesthesia spot and why you're looking to switch. If you wanted to start anesthesia in July, get the letters out ASAP.

If I were in your shoes, I'd try to switch sooner rather than later. I don't think I would gain all that much more from the extra 2 years of medicine, especially if I were to look 10 years down the road--I would probably have forgotten most of the medicine, except what I regularly use, and that's probably less than what I learned in internship. If I wanted to do critical care, I'd complete my internship, do the anesthesia residency, and then my CCM fellowship. But I tend to be the kind of person that just wants to get done what I need to do and move on.