I think the great thing about the lifestyle of being an Anesthesiologist is you can tailor your own practice to fit what you want to do with your life. If you want to work in a day surgery unit and never take any calls or if you want to work in a big academic institution, doing reaerch most of the day, there are a wide variety of things to do in the field. I think a great resource is
www.gaswork.com for looking at Anesthesia job postings. It tells you the salary, benefits, work/call schedule, type of cases done (i.e. OB, Neuro, Cards, Critical Care, etc.). So far, I have done 2 anesthesia rotations. One, currently at a busy Level I academic institution and the other at a rural community (yet, large Level I trauma center in nowhere PA) andf I have not met one unhappy resident or faculty member with the career path they have chosen. So, here is my advice, take all the advice you get from the people on SDN at face value. Most of the people that frequent this site are medical students that know a little bit more if not the same as you know. Anesthesia is a very hands on specilaty that must be be experienced for oneself. However, "Lara", like you I consider myself not having good enough hands to be a surgeon, but i have had no problems putting in Swan-Ganz, A lines, Intubations, Spinals, etc. You will surprise yourself just how good your manual dexterity really is. I thought exactly the same thing going into my 3rd year. While having a fast reaction time is good, it is much more important to stay alert. it is amazing how quick an easy case could turn into a nightmare. Anesthesia can be a real adrenaline rush at times and at others you may need to bring a good book with you. Anyway, you may change your mind, so try to keep your options open and don't rule out any specialties until you have done a rotation in that. You Never know. "Big Frank", I am sorry about how that last post went. I was very interested in any other comments people would have on the OP and I was sorry to see the way the discussion went. Anyway, I hope this has helped anybody answering any questions. Just remember I am only an MS-IV, so only take what I say at face value and I am no expert in this matter. I just wanted to get the discussion started. Good luck to everybody in the upcoming year.
