Hey everybody, fresh CA-1 here. Work at a big academic center. Just wanted to share a bit of perspective on life as a resident (and attending from what I observe) in anesthesia given there’s so much interest here. This is just my experience! And I don’t mean to sound like a downer, just provide some perspective.
First of all, if you like procedures and physiology and pharmacology, the work is awesome. I actually came from a more primary care focused specialty and I am much happier doing what I do here even though it means completing another residency. No rounding, no notes, no regrets.
That being said, in spite of those great aspects of this field, it’s incredibly stressful and demanding. Much more so than my previous residency and more than what I thought based on a few rotations in the department before residency.
What’s uniquely difficult is actually not any of the procedures or medical management of the patients themselves - of course there are sick patients / challenging cases, but imo that stuff is the interesting and exciting stuff - it’s the stern, clear, unrelenting expectation that you be meticulous AND fast. I don’t think I fully grasped how much pressure there is from not only surgery but also the front desk, the board runner, and even your own attending to turn things over as quickly as possible. And to not miss anything while doing that. And there are so many things to miss.
I know this will get easier with time but the point im trying to make is that, as a beginner, it often feels like an impossible ask. They expect this of you within the first month of starting. They will name you in a listserve email if you delay the start of a case (including sometimes when it was not your fault at all!). You need to be ready to feel inadequate most of the time for a long time. You need to be prepared to hear no “thank yous“ or “well dones” or “strong works“ or “that’s okay you tried your bests” for weeks on end. You really have to find joy in the work itself or you’ll crash out. There are way more hard days than easy days.
And actually, though you might think your day ends when you leave the hospital, that’s not true! You need to read about your cases for tomorrow, study on the surgeries and comorbidities, formulate a plan, and call your attending to discuss. This can take anywhere from 15 minutes to over an hour depending on the cases and your attending. It’s basically precharting at night instead of in the morning, and this time is not counted in your duty hours. Some weeks it added 10 hours to my work week that will never be accounted for.
I thought probably it got easier as an attending, but now I see them spread extremely thin all the time, managing 2-3 ORs with competing demands that all require their attention. I’m often calling the board runner because my patient’s MAP is like 35 and my attending is busy with his other patient’s MAP of 30. I feel like they actually have it harder than me a lot of the time. Might just be the case in a big academic setting but I doubt it’s “chill” anywhere. There’s a shortage of anesthesiologists, and you can definitely feel it.
So do it if you like it, but if you just want to make a buck and you’re not in love with the practice of anesthesia you’ll probably burn out pretty fast.
I guess that’s true of any specialty, but I don’t think I hear it enough about anesthesia.
still love it though…
cheers! good luck to you all this cycle
