really a lifestyle specialty

[maximuum]

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I had a quick question about anesthesia's lifestyle. I know the average hours per week are about 50-60. I was wondering why this is considered a better lifestyle than other specialties, when it is approximately the same number of hours worked per week than many medicine and surgery fields. Is it the combination of good money and lack of frequent call schedules? I am interested in anesthesia, and not belittling the field. I was just curious if it would be considered a lifestyle specialty if the average salaries weren't greater than $200k per year. I am also not solely interested in it for lifestyle reasons.

 

[Atlas]

I think the big misconception is that "lifestyle" means low hours. In most "lifestyle" medical specialties (besides Derm...Derm is the exception to EVERY rule), when you're off you are "off". ER docs can easily rack up 50-60 hours a week, but when they're off, they are off. Anesthesia is similar in many ways depending on the practice. Most Gas docs go home at a reasonable hour (6 pm), but they were also in the hospital by 6 am setting up for the first surgery. This was for 5 days a week, not including call which is usually q3 or q4. Weekend were "off" unless you were covering that weekend. If that was the case, you either a.) better live close to the hospital or b.) be prepared to stay the weekend. So, from my experiences with Anesthesia, it's NOT a "lifestyle" specialty. It's a high paying one, but the money is well earned.

Enjoy the day

Atlas

 

[bigfrank]

This is an interesting topic. I was actually talking to one of our chief residents a few weeks ago and he told me that there ARE very high-paying jobs out there but that those jobs really expect you to work hard and often. He went as far as to say the the job market was tightening up a little bit, in his opinion.

There are lower paying jobs apparently out there too, but the money isn't fantastic.

Basically, I think those who are going into anesthesiology right now for the "$350K and done by 2pm" mindset are going to be sorely disappointed in 4+ years when the job market continues to tighten.

I am still considering anesthesiology, but it is falling down my list.

 

[novacek88]

I'm sure others particularly anesthesiologists would know more about this but based on my experience in rotations and from speaking with anesthesiologists, the idea that gas is a lifestyle field is largely a myth. Many MS1'sand MS2's think gas involves working a few random hours during the day and making 280K. In my experience, gas men work pretty hard.

 

[maximuum]

I'm sure others particularly anesthesiologists would know more about this but based on my experience in rotations and from speaking with anesthesiologists, the idea that gas is a lifestyle field is largely a myth. Many MS1'sand MS2's think gas involves working a few random hours during the day and making 280K. In my experience, gas men work pretty hard.

I have talked to a few anesthesiologists at my school, and they seem to think that they are overworked during the residency. However, from what I have heard, the hours tend to be the same or get worse during your career. The one thing that I have learned this year is that unless you are going into dermatology, there really isn't any lifestyle field out there. Radiologists are at the hospital by 7:00 a.m and leave at 7:00 p.m. Opthamologists are certainly having their issues with reimbursements and optometrists, and if they want to continue to make $200 k+ yearly, they have to crank out over sixty hours per week. My own personal findings this year is that you need to find out what makes you happy. I know this has been said over and over, but it is the truth. If you are in love with anatomy, do a surgical field. If you enjoy pharmacology and physiology, then pursue anesthesiology. If you like discussing pathophysiology of diseases, then do a medicine field. There are bitter people in every field of medicine, and I think they generally went into medicine for the wrong reasons.

 

[fishtolive]

I asked an anesthesiologist I work with about this recently and he told me the following...a part of being in medicine (or any job) is the right to say you are overworked and underpaid, if you don't believe me ask the next person you meet. That's just being an adult.
However, I get to do what I like to do every single day, my hours are not excessive considering my responsibilities (in fact, any small business owner will work at least 60 hours a week, despite the trade, and FP's often work more hours and have all sorts of follow up issues I don't have) and I do make a DAMN good living.

He followed this diatribe with, "Remember the emphasis on DAMN GOOD!"

just a thought

 

[Brass_Monkey]

He followed this diatribe with, "Remember the emphasis on DAMN GOOD!"

just a thought

As an attending anesthesiologist for over a year, I would also like to emphasize DAMN GOOD!!! 😍

 

[engineer]

hi. can you please tell me what you mean by damn good? how much do you make for how many hours of work? thanks alot.

 

[Hudson]

I have talked to a few anesthesiologists at my school, and they seem to think that they are overworked during the residency. However, from what I have heard, the hours tend to be the same or get worse during your career. The one thing that I have learned this year is that unless you are going into dermatology, there really isn't any lifestyle field out there. Radiologists are at the hospital by 7:00 a.m and leave at 7:00 p.m. Opthamologists are certainly having their issues with reimbursements and optometrists, and if they want to continue to make $200 k+ yearly, they have to crank out over sixty hours per week. My own personal findings this year is that you need to find out what makes you happy. I know this has been said over and over, but it is the truth. If you are in love with anatomy, do a surgical field. If you enjoy pharmacology and physiology, then pursue anesthesiology. If you like discussing pathophysiology of diseases, then do a medicine field. There are bitter people in every field of medicine, and I think they generally went into medicine for the wrong reasons.

Very Well Said.

 

[engineer]

how good is damn good?

 

[VentdependenT]

This is an interesting topic. I was actually talking to one of our chief residents a few weeks ago and he told me that there ARE very high-paying jobs out there but that those jobs really expect you to work hard and often. He went as far as to say the the job market was tightening up a little bit, in his opinion.

There are lower paying jobs apparently out there too, but the money isn't fantastic.

Basically, I think those who are going into anesthesiology right now for the "$350K and done by 2pm" mindset are going to be sorely disappointed in 4+ years when the job market continues to tighten.

I am still considering anesthesiology, but it is falling down my list.

I was considering gen surg. Man, you have to be truly dedicated to forfeiting your life to be a successful surgeon. I dont mind working hard but I have to really give it up to those guys. Getting slammed every day all day blows no matter how much you love anatomy or memorize Sabistons. I'll take anesthesiology any day. Its applied science. As far as I'm concerned nothing can beat it.

 

[cak]

I was considering gen surg. Man, you have to be truly dedicated to forfeiting your life to be a successful surgeon. I dont mind working hard but I have to really give it up to those guys. Getting slammed every day all day blows no matter how much you love anatomy or memorize Sabistons. I'll take anesthesiology any day. Its applied science. As far as I'm concerned nothing can beat it.

 

[CambieMD]

I'm sure others particularly anesthesiologists would know more about this but based on my experience in rotations and from speaking with anesthesiologists, the idea that gas is a lifestyle field is largely a myth. Many MS1'sand MS2's think gas involves working a few random hours during the day and making 280K. In my experience, gas men work pretty hard.

It seems to me that some med students equate "good life style" specialties with not working hard. All doctors work hard. I would venture to say however, that primary care physicians work harder than most specialists. The work effort of a primary care physician is more for less. I cannot remember how many times a patient comes back from a specialist with unresolved issues that the specialist told them to "bring that up with your pcp.

The anesthesiologists that have have spent time with worked very hard. Some days were very intense. None of the anesthesiologists regretted their career choice.

If someone wants to be well compensated for just standing around , they should consider a career in politics.

For what it is worth. The lack of stacks of paper work and red tape is a big drawing point for me.

CambieMD

 

[KungPOWChicken]

$500-1000/day is way too low that equates to $40-80/hr. The nice thing about anesthesia is that at the end of the day if cases go long or are delayed there's someone to take over unlike surgery cases where you may have to wait for an OR or whatever and your case could go longer and you have to stay to finish it. Anesthesia is payed by the hour vs. surgery is payed per case.

 

[GeddyLee]

Cambie is right. Everyone works hard. As a physician you just kind of accept that you're not gonna be working a 40 hour week. just doesn't happen too often (unless you work at a VA hospital). Still, a 60 hour week isn't the end of the world, that's 12 hour days for 5 days a week. I know lots of people working in finance/business who put in more hours than that, hours more like a surgeon's really. And considering that attending compensation packages in anesthesia tend to work out to one making above $500 a day (in some places $1,000 or more per day); I'd say that's all in a day's work and that 12 hours isn't so bad.

$500 a day equates to about $120,000 per year. Surely anesthesiologists make on average much more that 120K?

Also, 60 hours a week isn't really bad when you consider at least one of those days is probably a 24 hour call shift.

Does anyone know how many weeks vacation anesthesiology attendings are getting with their first jobs out of residency?? I'd heard 4-8 weeks wasn't out of the ordinary....is this correct?

 

[Brass_Monkey]

how good is damn good?

$315k/yr for about a 50 hour week on average...........I do extra call and make extra $$$. Mind you, this is in an area that some may consider "undesirable" (e.g. small community hospital). Works for me though 😎

 

[Brass_Monkey]

$500 a day equates to about $120,000 per year. Surely anesthesiologists make on average much more that 120K?

Also, 60 hours a week isn't really bad when you consider at least one of those days is probably a 24 hour call shift.

Does anyone know how many weeks vacation anesthesiology attendings are getting with their first jobs out of residency?? I'd heard 4-8 weeks wasn't out of the ordinary....is this correct?

This is correct..........I started with 5 weeks vacation year one. Year 2=6 weeks. To catch a flavor of this, check out gaswork.com