OP- you have anesthesia followed by pain management fellowship written all over you.
Checks every single box for you.
I am sorry, but as much as everyone says pain patients are all psychiatric patients, well the opposite is not true. Personally, working with pain patients daily would make me want to scream.
OP as someone who made the switch last minute because I wanted more of a challenge as far as physiology and doing cool procedures, who now regrets it and is finally doing that CCM fellowship that got her interested in anesthesia in the first place, I tell you, DO NOT SWITCH.
I have friends who have their own outpatient practices and come and go as they please, don't work nights or weekends, supplement their income if they want doing consult services, making good money and are in demand. These people are happy. I wanted to be a shrink because the docs seemed happy and have psych issues in my family as well.
As an anesthesiologist, you will be at the beck and call of a surgeon, some of whom do not respect you and think they are better than you, who may order you around and be rude to you, topped off with the CRNA hell that is the thorn in the side of Anesthesia. Your life will be full of night and weekend call unless you get a mommy track position. That mommy track position will pay less than what you could make as a shrink currently unless you are in certain markets. And then there's administration who see you as an expense and not an asset, never mind the little fact the surgeons or the ORs cannot work without you, and of course the ever present AMCs and greedy partners trying to take your money.
The demand and pay for psych is hot right now. If you want a normal life, and good pay, psych is as close as you can get.
