really, how tough is the residency?

[tum]

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out of curiosity, do people think a gas residency is worse, or radiology? i hear both sides complain about how people don't realize how impossible their residencies are, but i'm curious to get insight from the infamous sdn..

 

[doc05]

the 2 residencies involve different things. anesthesia includes tough months in the MICU and SICU, not to mention all that time in the OR which can get rough. Rads includes tons of outside reading, plus on-call nights where they read tons of emergency studies non-stop overnight.

 

[tum]

the 2 residencies involve different things. anesthesia includes tough months in the MICU and SICU, not to mention all that time in the OR which can get rough. Rads includes tons of outside reading, plus on-call nights where they read tons of emergency studies non-stop overnight.

ya. i wonder who ultimately puts in more hours/week. and i wonder how much outside reading people really do.

 

[Idiopathic]

ya. i wonder who ultimately puts in more hours/week. and i wonder how much outside reading people really do.

Radiology, where I am. By far more work on-call, and plenty of regular shift work to keep busy. Plus, the number of rads residents is ridiculous when you consider the amount of films they read (versus the same number of anesthesia residents for a not-that-impressive surgical load).

I would also imagine that radiology would do more reading, regardless of the program.

 

[Lonestar]

both residencies are tough. no doubt about it. Can't compare apples with oranges. Anesthesia residency is rough b/c of 3-4 OR cases, starting IVs/central lines/art lines within a few minutes. Time is very important in anesthesia (everything must be on time and schedule). Lunch is usually rushed as most residents get 30 min to eat. so its a different kind of stress but no better and no worse than radiology. Rads definitely has tough call where your mind has to be sharp throughout the night. Time is not as rushed as in anesthesia but you still have to get all the films read before the end of the day. The point is residency is residency and thats the end of it. Anesthesia residency is about working for 1/3 CRNA pay for 4 years and taking more call. good thing is many programs have post-call days off after 700 am. Average hours per week tend to be in the low 60s for most programs. Anesthesia work is physically demanding. As a private practice attending, its not as physically demanding as you will have help from nurses and pa. On top of it all, you have to do well on in-training board exams and other tests. Good luck with your choice.