Obstetric Anesthesiology

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Ronin786

Ronin786

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Verified Member
Physician
15+ Year Member
I've got a little inquiry about OB Anesthesiology. From browsing these boards, it seems that the majority have a large aversion to this branch of anesthesiology.

Can anybody kindly explain the reasoning behind that? Is it just that mothers can be hectic to deal with or what?

Thanks.
 
Ronin786 said:
I've got a little inquiry about OB Anesthesiology. From browsing these boards, it seems that the majority have a large aversion to this branch of anesthesiology.

Can anybody kindly explain the reasoning behind that? Is it just that mothers can be hectic to deal with or what?

Thanks.
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Yep. You're right.
And there is a "fellowship" too. That's funny. Makes all of the 99% of us look incompetent placing an epidural for a pregnant ready to deliver....
"branch of anesthesiology"????????
What does it mean?
Ronin - ob anesthesia is a black hole in any department. No money! No insurance. Volunteer work.
Another trick from some academic "smarts" to get a name in their department. Absolutely BS.
2win
 
I like OB anesthesia because my population (military) is 99% young, healthy, drug free, 18+, complete well documented prenatal care, and insurance isn't an issue. 100% are either employed or have an employed father. Usually a happy occasion for the new parents. The great majority of the high risk ones are identified early and get appropriate workups. I find it pretty enjoyable and rewarding. The only downside is the hours, babies are very inconsiderate when it comes to other peoples' schedules.

On the rare occasions when I do OB at my non-military moonlighting job, it mostly sucks. Easily 80%+ uninsured, 50%+ non-English speaking, no prenatal care, lots of teenagers, lots of unplanned pregnancies with dad (if present at all) putting on a brave face.

It's night & day.
 
We are a busy all MD group in So.Cal.
Ob call is great for financial reasons (fee-for-service)

However, it always sucks being awakened at 1am, 3am, and 5 am for an epidural ... Not to mention 'Crash sections'


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Ronin786 said:
I've got a little inquiry about OB Anesthesiology. From browsing these boards, it seems that the majority have a large aversion to this branch of anesthesiology.

Can anybody kindly explain the reasoning behind that? Is it just that mothers can be hectic to deal with or what?

Thanks.
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1. Work is often after dark
2. Urgent calls/very little warning
3. High expectations for level of service and outcome
4. High Liability when those expectations are not met.
5. The only place where I have seen more than one young healthy person die when coming to the hospital for a common, routine procedure- With no mistakes made.
 
I'm ambivalent about it.

It can be rewarding, it can be scary, but it is mostly routinary, which gets old after a while.
 
1) Working in the middle of the night sucks, being in house over night is worse

2) OB nurses - they are no help and don't see you as a physician. Their main job is to help out the OB and they try to do as little as possible to help you. "Pumps beeping can you fix it?" "Pt needs the epidural now, why are you do you need to talk to the cardiologist?" "What do you mean the pt should be monitored?" "Why do you need a translator?" "Your going to have to get your own epidural bag, we can't change them".......and forget about them being any help during the procedure, you ask for the same 2 or 3 things during every epidural and for some reason they can't seem to remember it because the next epidural you do, they forget

Overall I find the pt satisfaction nice but the lack of appreciation for what I do by OB docs and OB nurses makes it a very unpleasant place to work
 
Consigliere said:
The OB nurses, universally, are absolute c_unts.
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^^^ What he said. I absolutely 100% literally cried during my OB rotation in med school. I won't even go into detail of what the attendings and residents in OB are, but overall some of the most bitter, angry, and abusive doctors I have ever encountered. I think the nurses are merely a mild reflection of the doctors in OB though.
 
ssmallz said:
1) Working in the middle of the night sucks, being in house over night is worse

2) OB nurses - they are no help and don't see you as a physician. Their main job is to help out the OB and they try to do as little as possible to help you. "Pumps beeping can you fix it?" "Pt needs the epidural now, why are you do you need to talk to the cardiologist?" "What do you mean the pt should be monitored?" "Why do you need a translator?" "Your going to have to get your own epidural bag, we can't change them".......and forget about them being any help during the procedure, you ask for the same 2 or 3 things during every epidural and for some reason they can't seem to remember it because the next epidural you do, they forget

Overall I find the pt satisfaction nice but the lack of appreciation for what I do by OB docs and OB nurses makes it a very unpleasant place to work
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Oh, as a resident in C-sections, I get the occasional "Hey anesthesia, the blood pressure's down. You need to treat it". I almost lose it every time.
 
Ignatius J said:
Oh, as a resident in C-sections, I get the occasional "Hey anesthesia, the blood pressure's down. You need to treat it". I almost lose it every time.
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With a snarl, "Hey, you wanna put a few more sutures in?"
 
JoBreeze said:
Is this just related to the whole procedure of childbirth in general, or do you mean something specifically anesthesia related?
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Complications from childbirth: Amniotic fetal embolism, massive hemorrhage, Eclampsia/HELLP syndrome, clostridial sepsis. I have seen deaths in healthy patients in all of the above. Near deaths in several.

No anesthetic deaths or major morbidities on the OB floor yet (knock wood)
 
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