I think, Dave, if you're tryin' to get the vibe of what its like to make a living in this biz,
you're not gonna get it goin' into one room and sittin' there for one-to-eight hours.
Find a well-adjusted private practice dude. I'm sure your buddy fits that.
Ask him why he picked anesthesia. What his internship was like. What he'd change to make his internship a better experience.
Ask him where he did his residency. And if he could change it, what he'd look for in a residency program that could've prepared him better for his current gig.
Ask him why he picked his current gig. Is he happy? If so, what is contributing to his happiness in his current situation?
Is he not happy? Why? What would make him happy?
Ask him how he feels being an anesthesiologist in the current market.
Is he secure? Insecure? If he is insecure, what/where could he go to be secure?
Don't miss the forest for the trees, friend.
The cases will always be there.
But, at your level, if you are considering anesthesiology as a career, delve deeper than the cases.
Thats where the Holy Grail of the-rest-of-your-life lies.
And congrats on making it to MS-2.
A much easier year than the first year, so sequester up what extra cash you have, buy a
Petrone liter, garner it with what you must, sit down with the alcohol-laden-concoction, and say to yourself:
"Damn. I made it through the first year. I'm the f ukkin man!!"
(two very large sips of said alcohol-laden-concoction)
Upon further personal study you say to yourself:
"This medicine biz is pretty cool. I'm guaranteed six figures."
NOW, my friend, comes the moment of truth.
Cuz the world is really your oyster if you've got MD behind your name.
Is your monetary-return on your educational investment an issue to you?
Not making judgement.
This is for you to decide.
But heres a little
inside trader info for ya:
YOUR SPECIALTY CHOICE AS A MED STUDENT WILL MAKE YOU MILLIONS. OR MAKE YOU LOSE MILLIONS.
Sorry to disappoint you.
I'm driven by the
C-Notes of my specialty.
And I respect those that aren't.
But you know what?
No med school counselor will talk about this s hit with you.
No-one feels the burden of your student-loan debt.....
except you.
They don't have to see
Sallie Mae as a mistress for five-to-ten years.
You do.
SOOOOOO,
I'm from the school-of-thought that, as a med student, you should maximize returns on your (very) large investment.
Here's the take home message.
It should be up there with the New Testament book of
Luke, if you are a med student:
YOU ARE IN A CATECHOLAMNE-DRIVEN PART OF YOUR LIFE NOW.
Trying to think 5-10 years ahead is nearly impossible.
Many med students make
LIFELONG decisions on what they are gonna do with the rest of their lives
based on information that you won't give a s hit about ten years from now.
NOW is about the
RUSH.
WOW. A HEART SURGEON.
WOW. A TRAUMA SURGEON.
Sorry, boys and girls.
Medicare reimbursement for the-above "iconic" specialties will make you cringe.
A heart surgeon gets about sixteen-hundred-bucks for a CABG.
And that includes 99 days of post-op care.
So the incessant calls from ICU-RNs at 3am during the post-op 48 hours?
No extra money.
Sixteen hundred bucks.
But heres the REAL message:
ANYTHING BECOMES ROUTINE AFTER ABOUT FIVE YEARS. AND YOUR LIFE'S PRIORITIES WILL CHANGE FROM WHAT THEY ARE NOW.
Heart surgery becomes routine.
Neurosurgery.
Anesthesia.
Radiology.
............
SO CAN YOU LIVE LIFE WITH THE SPECIALTY YOU CHOSE AS A TWENTY SOMETHING DUDE/DUDETTE FULL OF PISS AND VINEGAR???
Believe me, your kids will become important.
And if you are missing major kid things (baseball games, SpongeBob plays) because of your selected specialty, it'll start resentment.
If you're OK with that, its all good.
Just go into your specialty selection
EYES WIDE OPEN.
Which, without the proper perspective, which is aside from the catecholamine rush of clinicals as a med student,
next to impossible.