Wondering if I matched into the wrong specialty

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randomguy514

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Competitive US MD student at a top 10 school who just matched into a non-procedural speciality but now wondering if I matched into the wrong specialty. I took an anesthesiology elective as an MS3 and was bored out of my mind as it was a two week stretch that primarily involved me just observing outside of intubating and getting some IVs. Recently did an ICU sub-I and was amazed at the expertise and grasp of physiology and bedside procedures the anesthesia residents and attendings had. Made me appreciate the skill set and training anesthesiologists receive much more. Of course it was too late to change but now makes me second guess my decision. I’m unsure if feeling this way is normal post-match, but also wondering if I made an uninformed decision. To be honest, I never enjoyed the OR so maybe I’m just experiencing grass is greener syndrome many people have but not sure if it’s normal to have that at this time.
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randomguy514 said:
Competitive US MD student at a top 10 school who just matched into a non-procedural speciality but now wondering if I matched into the wrong specialty. I took an anesthesiology elective as an MS3 and was bored out of my mind as it was a two week stretch that primarily involved me just observing outside of intubating and getting some IVs. Recently did an ICU sub-I and was amazed at the expertise and grasp of physiology and bedside procedures the anesthesia residents and attendings had. Made me appreciate the skill set and training anesthesiologists receive much more. Of course it was too late to change but now makes me second guess my decision. I’m unsure if feeling this way is normal post-match, but also wondering if I made an uninformed decision. To be honest, I never enjoyed the OR so maybe I’m just experiencing grass is greener syndrome many people have but not sure if it’s normal to have that at this time.
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Well anesthesia and critical care is the best specialty so you definitely missed out! Lol jk. It’s a specialty that you gotta be dedicated to. If you found something else that interested you probably a good thing. Appreciate you see the breadth of anesthesiologists and what we can do! Congratulations on matching and good luck to you.
 
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randomguy514 said:
Competitive US MD student at a top 10 school who just matched into a non-procedural speciality but now wondering if I matched into the wrong specialty. I took an anesthesiology elective as an MS3 and was bored out of my mind as it was a two week stretch that primarily involved me just observing outside of intubating and getting some IVs. Recently did an ICU sub-I and was amazed at the expertise and grasp of physiology and bedside procedures the anesthesia residents and attendings had. Made me appreciate the skill set and training anesthesiologists receive much more. Of course it was too late to change but now makes me second guess my decision. I’m unsure if feeling this way is normal post-match, but also wondering if I made an uninformed decision. To be honest, I never enjoyed the OR so maybe I’m just experiencing grass is greener syndrome many people have but not sure if it’s normal to have that at this time.
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I am biased as a resident but anesthesiologists are the most procedurally deft and agile doctors in the hospital. Surgeons operate more but we do more procedures than anyone else. I do love that part of my job. Grass is greener syndrome is possible around match. I do agree most students think anesthesia is lame and boring on a rotation and don't understand all that we do and how fun the job is which is a shame.
 
dabears505 said:
When it's 130 am and you aren't up 20 years from now, you will thank yourself for not doing anesthesia. Those procedures don't seem that appealing at this hour.
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That's true. But practice environments vary considerably, and you can always find places where you don't have to take overnight call if you don't want to.
 
Most medical student rotators see the elective healthy scheduled cases. A simple anesthetic and no special considerations. They get to play with some basic procedures like intubating or putting in an IV, which is novel for a student but not all that interesting for me as an anesthesiologist.

The meat of anesthesiology is physiology and pharmacology. How to safely anesthetize a patient who is crashing and burning and in extremis. How to intubate a challenging airway. How to balance competing physiologic goals. That requires thinking and planning and taking some risks.

We deal with some of the highest acuity cases in the hospital. We often lament that acute ICU care is a step down from anesthesia OR care where things operate at a hyperacute level.
 
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randomguy514 said:
Competitive US MD student at a top 10 school who just matched into a non-procedural speciality but now wondering if I matched into the wrong specialty. I took an anesthesiology elective as an MS3 and was bored out of my mind as it was a two week stretch that primarily involved me just observing outside of intubating and getting some IVs. Recently did an ICU sub-I and was amazed at the expertise and grasp of physiology and bedside procedures the anesthesia residents and attendings had. Made me appreciate the skill set and training anesthesiologists receive much more. Of course it was too late to change but now makes me second guess my decision. I’m unsure if feeling this way is normal post-match, but also wondering if I made an uninformed decision. To be honest, I never enjoyed the OR so maybe I’m just experiencing grass is greener syndrome many people have but not sure if it’s normal to have that at this time.
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Also OP, if you matched into internal medicine all is not lost. Internal medicine training will make you a better anesthesiologist and put you leaps and bounds ahead of your non-IM colleagues, if you decide to pursue anesthesiology after.

I also agree with Dabears tho, I advise medical students to think about what they envision their life looking like at 45-50 years of age and to choose a specialty with that as a primary decider.

So as I see it, you can’t go wrong either way! !!
 
Thank you everyone! This is all wonderful advice and puts me at ease about my specialty decision. I really appreciate trying to envision my life at 45-50. I’ll see how I feel as the months progress into intern year and reflect then. One thing I will say is medical schools need to be more thoughtful about exposure to anesthesia as some students (such as myself) don’t get to appreciate how adept at critical care anesthesiologists can be unless we rotate in the ICU or sit it on more complex cases. Cheers all
 
You do speak truth though about the role of medical schools. Anecdotally one of the best medical schools in the country used to only have 1-3 students match into anesthesia a year. They revamped the curriculum to introduce more exposure and a few years later 10-20 students started applying consistently. Some schools have more emphasis on primary care and tailor their education towards that so those schools end up with significant numbers applying to those fields, while other more ivory tower places get more exposure to cutting edge surgical specialties. Something to think about when choosing medical schools, but it’s always been said that you should look at match lists to help with deciding on schools (assuming you think you know what you want to do when you’re in college ha).
 
Agast said:
There are several anesthesiology residencies that accept residents from outside specialties after they finish their intern year. We always had a couple of people jump ship from surgical specialties.
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Does the speciality from one which jumps one seem to matter? I would assume not
 
PainInTheAnes said:
Imagine though having to worry about patients and work when you’re on vacation, which would be waaay less than the average anesthesiologist. The phone calls and angry patients never stop.

I can’t remember the last time I answered a time sensitive email that didn’t involve me making money or taking a vacation
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you take vacation?
 
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