MS II here, thinking of anesthesiology.. :)

[Duane E]

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Hello everyone, I've been lurking these forums now for the past year or so and thought that I might start posting here in the gas forums. I just sat through a guest lecture today during lunch and his topic was on building bridges and networking in order to get your residency application moved up in the "pile". So, I hope you guys don't mind if I tagged along in here, maybe I'll get to learn some good stuff...🙂
I have been leaning towards anesthesiology for a few years now, I have a distant cousin who is one and loves it. I also volunteered in a hospital before medical school and I got to chat a bit with some patients in the OR; they always had the best thing to say about their anesthesiologist, "they make my pain go away!"
I also wanted to search for a field that was hands on (my undergrad and passion is mechanical engineering-I love figuring out how things work!), pays well, and most importantly, still allows time for family. I think I'm choosing the right field, what say ye?
Duane

 

[badgas]

Hello everyone, I've been lurking these forums now for the past year or so and thought that I might start posting here in the gas forums. I just sat through a guest lecture today during lunch and his topic was on building bridges and networking in order to get your residency application moved up in the "pile". So, I hope you guys don't mind if I tagged along in here, maybe I'll get to learn some good stuff...🙂
I have been leaning towards anesthesiology for a few years now, I have a distant cousin who is one and loves it. I also volunteered in a hospital before medical school and I got to chat a bit with some patients in the OR; they always had the best thing to say about their anesthesiologist, "they make my pain go away!"
I also wanted to search for a field that was hands on (my undergrad and passion is mechanical engineering-I love figuring out how things work!), pays well, and most importantly, still allows time for family. I think I'm choosing the right field, what say ye?
Duane

I would say figure it out when you are Duane E MS3. Chosing a field w/out doing any rotations is like car shopping before you get your drivers license. You're starting out in a good direction though.

 

[Magnus67]

I would say figure it out when you are Duane E MS3. Chosing a field w/out doing any rotations is like car shopping before you get your drivers license. You're starting out in a good direction though.

Very good advice, before my third year I thought I was destined to do GI or internal medicine and was terrified of drilling needles in people or being in the OR all day. After third year I found out the EXACT opposite was true. But you are off to a good start, I started in these forums a year ago and its a great resource to learn about gas.

 

[WorldsBestNinja]

Hi,
I just wanted to say that it's not a bad thing to know what you want to do early in med school. Good for you. But just remember that once you go on rotations, you may change your mind a million times. I did. I never thought I would be interested in gas. I always wanted to do OBGYN. Can you believe it? But now this is all I want to do. I'm sure because I considered almost every field and came to this conclusion. So don't be rigid on your options. Keep your mind open. And if you still want gas after that, you'll never look back. Good luck!

 

[fakin' the funk]

Two tips to you get in the OR to see real anesthesiology:
1. Shadow - your school probably has an anesthesia interest group to help you with this
2. Find & talk to as many residents as possible (research may get some exposure to gas residents)

Also,
3. Find & talk to the PD or dept chair at your school, they love to hear about interested students & can answer some of your questions

 

[Duane E]

Awesome advice. I realize that it may change during rotations, but at least I might find out early. BTW, I'm sure you guys know some examples but I have never heard any regrets from those who have gone into anesthesiology. My dad's cousin down the street is an OB/GYN and I asked him once if he liked doing it, he said that if he could do it again he would have picked something else. I guess he doesn't like the fact that he is responsible for the child until what? 18 years?

On a side note, there sure is a lot of good stuff in the stickies, I've spent a couple hours already and barely gone through a few of those threads. I should get back to studying for my pharm test this Monday, but I'm also trying to tune my car up by adjusting some air/fuel ratios... 🙂

 

[Laryngospasm]

but I'm also trying to tune my car up by adjusting some air/fuel ratios... 🙂

Dont burn up any pistons dude..😛

 

[Duane E]

Lol, You can see my car here, http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5434439268796680907&hl=en
It's a 2002 Mazda Protege5 with a Garrett GT30R series turbo and about 18psi.

 

[BlitzSleep]

Lol nice car Duane...yours would smoke mine...I have an '02 Lancer OZ 5spd non-turbo 🙁 wait no i dont, i totalled it in an accident a month ago 😡

 

[jennyboo]

Here's my general calendar:

Now: You can do small things to test the waters, such as joining a specialty interest group for students, arranging a day to shadow, getting a mentor, etc. This is small stuff -- all unnecessary and mainly to satisfy your own curiosity. You don't need any of these things in anesthesiology (dermatology or radiation oncology, two more highly competitive specialties where many students are unable to obtain residencies, are a different story).

3rd year, first half: Make sure that you are scheduled for rotations in any specialty you're interested in early enough to test it and see whether you like it before fourth year. Any time during third year (from July thru April) were ideal for me. If your school doesn't allow electives until fourth year, schedule them as early in fourth year as possible (i.e. June, July, August). Solicit letters of recommendation from any respectable faculty member with whom you spent a good amount of positive time.

3rd year, Jan thru Mar: Send applications for away rotations at other hospitals with residencies. Some people think that's very early, but in my case I got every elective I applied for BECAUSE I applied early. If you wait until the summer to apply for aways, most spots will already be taken.

 

[jetproppilot]

Hello everyone, I've been lurking these forums now for the past year or so and thought that I might start posting here in the gas forums. I just sat through a guest lecture today during lunch and his topic was on building bridges and networking in order to get your residency application moved up in the "pile". So, I hope you guys don't mind if I tagged along in here, maybe I'll get to learn some good stuff...🙂
I have been leaning towards anesthesiology for a few years now, I have a distant cousin who is one and loves it. I also volunteered in a hospital before medical school and I got to chat a bit with some patients in the OR; they always had the best thing to say about their anesthesiologist, "they make my pain go away!"
I also wanted to search for a field that was hands on (my undergrad and passion is mechanical engineering-I love figuring out how things work!), pays well, and most importantly, still allows time for family. I think I'm choosing the right field, what say ye?
Duane

Keep your options open, Dude.

I went to med school with firm aspirations of being an ER doc and here I am ten years into the anesthesia biz.....

Welcome to the forum.

Keep us posted about your med school experiences.

And good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[rufio173]

3rd year generally helps a lot of people to decide what they truly want to pursue, but if it doesn't, some people take a year off to do research or to find themselves, etc. Hehe So, even if you can't make up your mind, then at least you can take the time off to decide.

Peace,
John

 

[fakin' the funk]

B]3rd year, Jan thru Mar:[/B] Send applications for away rotations at other hospitals with residencies. Some people think that's very early, but in my case I got every elective I applied for BECAUSE I applied early. If you wait until the summer to apply for aways, most spots will already be taken.

Thanks for the helpful post, Jenny.

I got a question about doing away rotations. I've heard conflicting info: 1) "do one at your top choice," 2) "doing one can only hurt you if you're a strong applicant," 3) "do one, but NOT at your top choice". And I weigh that against the benefit of meeting the PD at your top choice. So, is there a rule of thumb for doing aways in anesthesiology, it being in the middle ground between uncompetitive and supercompetitive?

 

[Duane E]

Hmm, I guess sometimes my email notifications don't come through... thanks for the helpful words everyone. I've been studying all day today for a pathology test tommorrow morning. After that I begin studying for Monday's microbiology test. I hate back-to-back test.. 🙁

 

[ReefTiger]

Here's the deal. I also decided that I would seriously consider Anes. during my MSII year. It may sound silly, but I took some online questionaire to helping on specialty selection from some medical school (Virginia I think) and I had a tie for #1-Anesthesia and Dermatology. I didn't have the grades or scores for Derm (plus I would later learn I hate clinic so no loss in my opinion) so Anes was my plan.

I told myself I would give all rotations a fair chance and if at the end of third year nothing jumped out at me I'd shoot for Anes. Student anes rotations can be really difficult to gleam knowledge on what residency is like. Luckily, I have no regrets. I love this field.

As for away rotations this is my theory/technique. Do a rotation at your home institution first if possible. If not then choose an away that is not your #1. During the first month bust your ass reading and learning as much clinical stuff as you can. Ask stupid questions (well they seem stupid to you). This way you can do a second month at one of your top 3 choices with a solid foundation. Then bust your ass equally as much or more. Remember, you should treat these two months as your most important months of the entire 4th year. You will be better able to impress them by doing a month before the second rotation. If possible try to do your Anes rotations back to back and around August then September. This way you avoid the new residents getting their initial numbers of procedures, and you should have more opportunities-especially if you are interested and have some knowledge.

Main goals of the second month is gaining a letter, comparing differences/similarities (huge when trying to evaluate multiple programs during interview season), and meeting the residents so you can get a feel for the vibe and whether you'd be comfortable there.

Hope that helps.👍

 

[Duane E]

Ooh, I like those ideas!