Why Anesthesia?

Hello, and Welcome to my Blog,

I'm E a PGY-1 anesthesiology resident. I thought I'd tell you a bit more about how I took my decision in choosing anesthesia as my specialty. I’ll be quite honest It took me until my last few months of medical school to finally make up my mind and choose a residency program.

I will guide you through the 5 main reasons why I took this path:

1.     Lifestyle

It might sound shallow as a newly graduating MD to say: Well, I chose Lifestyle first. But I'm not ashamed to say, after my 7 years of hard and consistent studying in medical school and being someone who has a multitude of interests, I thought 10 years from now I would probably thank myself had I chosen a specialty that won't constrict my time as much as others and allows me to focus on the many areas I enjoy besides medicine. In anesthesia, I was attracted to how organized one's life can be: Come early, do your cases, go home and be at peace from non-remitting phone calls and complaints (unless you're on call, of course). I was keen on the concept of hard and efficient work when on duty and actual break and relaxation when off duty which happens to be a luxury in some specialties.

2.     A mix of Surgery and Internal Medicine

I was this medical student that was quite tormented. I enjoyed the internal medicine rotations as much as I enjoyed the surgical ones. In surgical specialties, I felt I deviated away from the systemic management of a patient whereas in Internal Medicine the latter was our focus most of the time and it lacked the interventional aspect which I was quite fond of. In anesthesia, I found this ideal balance of OR life, Interventions, and systemic management of a patient. It was the cocktail with the right amount of each.

3.     Life-saving Medicine

It definitely feels good to know your specialty and training will allow you to be one of the strongest specialists in a hospital. Ready and knowledgeable to deal with acute and urgent scenarios. I actually contemplated other specialties with similar characteristics at some point, but they lacked this part which truly is essential to me as a physician. I wouldn’t feel satisfied knowing that my training doesn’t allow me to be hands on and confident in managing the really difficult cases, the life-saving events.

4.     Procedures

The most enjoyable part. Procedures: IV lines, central lines, intubations, spinals, epidurals, nerve blocks. I took an elective in my last year of medical school, which allowed me to focus more on becoming more adept in procedures and it was the best decision I made. I really take pleasure in performing them, following each step and troubleshooting. I believe this point brings out the surgical side of me that I believe I tend to shine in. I’m someone that enjoys being hands-on and I find myself to be quite dexterous. I believe it stems from my hobbies of playing instruments and painting since childhood.

5.     Pain relief

I might consider a subspecialty in chronic pain, but even if I end up deviating, there is no denying that one of the greatest feelings a physician can feel is alleviating the pain of their patient. Make them stress-free, pain-free, and able to go through treatment successfully. In anesthesia, you are trained to make sure your patient is pain-free which I believe is essential in the overall wellbeing of patients.

This concludes my 5 main reasons which were the basis of my specialty decision. I hope they bring in some level of insight for I know how troublesome one’s life can be before choosing a path that will dictate your life forever.

Best of Luck,

E