Spread Something Positive - Why do you enjoy Anesthesiology?

[Anesth2Be]

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With the anxiety of Match and the difficult situation physicians are practicing in these days I figure it would be a good idea to finally start a positive thread on what we find most gratifying about Anesthesiology. Yup, might sound a little prissy but Hope for a brighter tomorrow, especially from attendings to us younger guys/girls, would ease the burden of a quarter-million in loans, the unpredictability of healthcare reform, and all the other negatives I've heard people complain about on these forums. If you don't like this thread please don't comment.

My positives...

1) The look of a patient who is happy he made it through a difficult procedure alive and healthy.

2) The random person you meet who enthusiastically shares their "anesthesiology story" with you once they find out you're an anesthesiologist.

3) Sitting patiently, 2 hours into a case, looking at a beautiful set of vitals on the monitor. The surgeon is in good spirits because things are going as planned. The OR nurses are being helpful because they aren't getting talked down to.

 

[gasaddict54]

lots of "small stuff" victories throughout the day,,,and tons of toys to get to play with, the video scopes of all kinds i still love to use, getting difficult peri blocks etc.....finally reach the day where u dont instantly start sweating as soon as u put a needle in someones back.

 

[veetz]

...weekends and holidays off unless you're the call person.

 

[Consigliere]

2 words: the money.

 

[Slamdunk]

Anyone ever consider another specialty of medicine but ultimately decided on anesthesiology? If so, can you discuss what might have attracted you more to anesthesia?

 

[Narcotized]

It gets rough, but at least when I leave the building, I can turn my pager and hospital phone off.

Dream at work with the pager, never a free moment,

And after hours with no work worries,

 

[sevoflurane]

Anyone ever consider another specialty of medicine but ultimately decided on anesthesiology? If so, can you discuss what might have attracted you more to anesthesia?

Interventional Radiology. Still, I'm happier as an anesthesiologist.

I like procedures way better than writting soap notes/H&P's.

The concept of "anesthesia" has always had a sense of magic to it.

Subspecialties are fun: cardiac, regional, peds, critical care.

Hours of chill'n in the OR with bursts of excitement make for good days.

Most anesthesiologists I knew as a medical student/resident were pretty damn cool people, down to earth, funny, liked adventure.

Can wear Pj's in the OR (big for me... don't like ties to much... especially everyday)

 

[UTKB]

minimal clinic and rounding

 

[Licoricestick]

minimal clinic and rounding

That's a big one for me.

I do ward rounds so infrequently now that the acute pain round is a nice change from the normal routine.

 

[Masseter Spasm]

I never have to think about what to wear to work. Furthermore while at work, I get to wear comfortable clothes that the hospital provides at no additional charge.

(Like sevo said: Can wear Pj's in the OR (big for me... don't like ties to much... especially everyday)

P.S. You know what they call an anesthesiologist wearing a suit don't you?

 

[Licoricestick]

I never have to think about what to wear to work. Furthermore while at work, I get to wear comfortable clothes that the hospital provides at no additional charge.

(Like sevo said: Can wear Pj's in the OR (big for me... don't like ties to much... especially everyday)

P.S. You know what they call an anesthesiologist wearing a suit don't you?

Very true. Love rocking up to work in shorts, T-shirt and sneakers whilst the surgeons are turning up in proper clothes...and worst of all, heels!

And I do love that joke.


However I think I will love anaesthesia more when I pass these stupid exams...time to get off SDN and go back to the books. Can anyone honestly tell me why I'm supposed to know about halothane, when you can't even get it in this country anymore?!?!

 

[digitlnoize]

P.S. You know what they call an anesthesiologist wearing a suit don't you?

I'll bite...sigh...

What DO they call an anesthesiologist wearing a suit?

 

[fastosprintini]

defendant....🙂)

 

[IlDestriero]

defendant....🙂)

You know it!

Things I like, in no particular order.
$$
lifestyle
hours
Instant gratification
PJs
flexibility
variation in cases, including some that make the board exam cases look easy!
teaching
job security
etc
did I mention $$? 😉

 

[Narcotized]

what we find most gratifying about Anesthesiology.

They are asleep.... and therefore silenced. 😉

 

[Narcotized]

You know what they call an anesthesiologist wearing a suit don't you?

Unemployed interviewee.

 

[omgwtfbbq?]

The ether bunny.


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...
...



..... i'm so ashamed.

 

[sevo85288]

fun. interesting. just enough separation from all the BS of medicine, insurance cos, annoying pts, etc.

 

[Frank Rizzo]

The ether bunny.


...
...
...



..... i'm so ashamed.

check out the picture of the ether bunny in the book "Anesthesia for the Uninterested"... thats why I like anesthesia

 

[md2010sgu]

Hands on, instant response, procedure oriented, NO F'ing rounds!, the great feeling of saving lives, the idea of being the sole protector of that patient because the surgeon really doesn't know what he's doing.

 

[maceo]

It gets rough, but at least when I leave the building, I can turn my pager and hospital phone off and be done with it for the rest of the day.

until the next day at 6am

 

[michman]

Can one of the attendings or senior residents please comment on what they see the future of anesthesia to be as far as the threat for lower pay, etc? I'm not overly concerned about the salary and would be happy even if the pay was somewhat less, but I have seen articles talking about the "destruction" of the specialty from healthcare reform. What do you think?

 

[2ndyear]

Can one of the attendings or senior residents please comment on what they see the future of anesthesia to be as far as the threat for lower pay, etc? I'm not overly concerned about the salary and would be happy even if the pay was somewhat less, but I have seen articles talking about the "destruction" of the specialty from healthcare reform. What do you think?

Well, medicine will look different as a whole with reform. Cardiology took a HUGE hit recently. What used to be a very attractive specialty is now a lot less so. We're not alone. It won't destroy us, but it might make it a lot less fun. All hospital based specialties face big cuts. The only people who won't feel it are those who can opt out and go cash based, and that just doesn't happen all that much in anesthesia.

 

[michman]

So it sounds like in your opinion anesthesia might not be hit too much harder than many of the other specialties? It doesn't seem like there are too many specialties that can opt out for cash based reimbursement other than maybe derm, plastics, and a few others. Any thoughts?

 

[michman]

Sorry, one more question: how about the future of anesthesia critical care? The option for critical care is one of the major things drawing me to anesthesia in the first place, I've heard that the outlook is rather good and that there will be more of a need for critical care docs in the future.

 

[Jay K]

No rounds aside from post-op checks.
No clinic.
Wearing whatever I want to work.
Short, intense relationships with patients with instant gratification and limited followup.
Level of compensation.
Leaving my work at work when I go home for the night or go on vacation.
Level of vacation time in my practice.
Relative availability of jobs (albeit at less desirable locations to majority).
Useful skill for medical missions (anybody catch the new ASA Newsletter article on regional for Haiti trips? - exactly what I'd been talking about since the news first came out with reports of amputations sans anesthesia; All you need is a stimulator, regional and neuraxial needles and vials of local, an ultrasound would be the cherry on the sundae - you could do a boatload of cases w/o a vent or monitors).

 

[cfdavid]

No rounds aside from post-op checks.
No clinic.
Wearing whatever I want to work.
Short, intense relationships with patients with instant gratification and limited followup.
Level of compensation.
Leaving my work at work when I go home for the night or go on vacation.
Level of vacation time in my practice.
Relative availability of jobs (albeit at less desirable locations to majority).
Useful skill for medical missions (anybody catch the new ASA Newsletter article on regional for Haiti trips? - exactly what I'd been talking about since the news first came out with reports of amputations sans anesthesia; All you need is a stimulator, regional and neuraxial needles and vials of local, an ultrasound would be the cherry on the sundae - you could do a boatload of cases w/o a vent or monitors).[/QUOTE]


Yep, saw it. Very cool and inspiring.

 

[Narcotized]

The only people who won't feel it are those who can opt out and go cash based, and that just doesn't happen all that much in anesthesia.

If a dying economy is crushing insurance reembursement, then it is crushing cash based elective fields even more. Talk to some plastics guys. It's brutal out there.

 

[Narcotized]

All you need is a stimulator, regional and neuraxial needles and vials of local, an ultrasound would be the cherry on the sundae - you could do a boatload of cases w/o a vent or monitors

Except of course if something goes wrong and you wish you had monitors and a ventilator.

 

[Slamdunk]

Sorry, one more question: how about the future of anesthesia critical care? The option for critical care is one of the major things drawing me to anesthesia in the first place, I've heard that the outlook is rather good and that there will be more of a need for critical care docs in the future.

bump

 

[sifidawkins]

I love being in a crappy, boring case at the end of the day while taking care of a borderline sick patient and seeing the CRNA walk in to relieve me. I get to sign out and go home right then and there and leave work behind me with my pager turned off in my locker. Multiple times this has happened and the surgery resident commented on how nice this must have been for me.

Other than that I like being a knowledgable physician (way more so than other specialties realize) who can take care of sick patients and who can competently intubate and place lines, epidurals and nerve blocks. As an internal medicine (pre-lim) intern it drove me nuts that floor nurses could put in IV's and I didn't have that skill. Plus rounds were brutally boring.

I also love when an OB pt has gone from being in horrendous pain to being unable to keep her eyes open because she is so comfortable and tired. My favorite is to ask how that contraction felt and have the pt reply "Did I just have a contraction?"

 

[Chloroform4Life]

-No rounding!!! (with rare exceptions)
-No clinic.
-Don't have to see the rock everyday that just have to act difficult and treat doctors/nurses like sh&t.
-Don't have to deal with psych/social problems (with few exceptions)
-Don't have to care about patients once I go home.
-Don't have to run around the ward getting scuts done.
-Don't have to call consults.
-Don't have to dictate.
-Don't have to write D/C summaries.
-Don't have to write extensive notes.
-Don't have to scrub in to be in the OR.
-Can wear whatever the f^&k I want.
-Have time for the ladies.
-Work with cool people most of the time.

 

[Slamdunk]

Sorry, one more question: how about the future of anesthesia critical care? The option for critical care is one of the major things drawing me to anesthesia in the first place, I've heard that the outlook is rather good and that there will be more of a need for critical care docs in the future.

bump again,

does anyone know what the rumors are surrounding the future of critical care? Thanks!!!!