Anesthesiologists (doctor): are they happy?

Question

i started my recidency in anesthesiology..but i have doubts about it..first of all i come home very tired and just fall asleep watching tv..and my real anciety about it is that the patient doesn't know you, you are like a guest star in the movie and the number one actor, patient's real doctor is surgeon..it is a bit bothering because i carry their life and they don't even know my name..

Answer 1

I am an anesthesiologist, and wouldn't trade my job for anybody's. Congratulations on making a smart choice!

Residency sucks, no matter what specialty you choose. It is the price you pay for becoming a trained doctor. We all did it.

Anesthesiology is great. You really do make a difference in people's lives. You can be their comfort in times of stress. And you NEVER have to find them a nursing home, tell them they have cancer, or that their baby is dead. We get out of a lot of the crappy things that go with medicine.

You alleviate pain. You reassure them that they'll do just fine with the surgery. You will make hundreds of friends on the obstetrics ward - laboring women with functional epidurals are among the most grateful people in the world.

When patients ask if you are the one who is going to put them to sleep, tell them, "yes, and keep you alive and wake you up again. Anybody can put you to sleep, but the other two things are a bit trickier!" Be excellent at what you do, be friendly, be caring... patients will start asking your name if you do these things.

Your life *will* get better. I am the mother of 3 kids (2 were residency babies - kept me out of the ortho rooms while I was pregnant!) and now I DO have time to run them to dance class, help with homework and go to their school band concerts.

Your career can be anything you want it to be once residency ends. I haven't been on call since 2001.

Hang in there. Life will get better!

Answer 2

After my surgery, my anesthesiologist came by my room to say "Hi". So you can reach out a bit if you want.

But most people won't appreciate what you have done for them - is that important to you? Why? The surgeon knows that your work is important to the overall outcome. You know it. Is it important to you that the patient understand that? If that's really important to you, you probably would have chosen dermatology instead!

I'd suggest tossing the TV in the trash. You probably have better things to do with your time that watching TV - not to mention sleeping!

Answer 3

The profession you have chosen is a very high stress producing one. At first you will feel very exhausted. The same thing happens to the surgeons, flight controllers and others. where the life of human beings depend on their decisions. That is the reason why thei working hours of commercial pilots are limited. If you are tired in your work you can loose concentration and can make wrong decisions. If you are a responsible person the stress will be greater. It is important that you have all your capabilities at hand when you are doing your work. As you have to keep a complete certified record of everything that happens in the operation room you will feel still feel more pressure on you. As you obtain more experience, you will feel more confident in your work, everything will be like a routine, work will flow naturally and you will feel better.

Answer 4

It seems to me, you would be just as needed as a surgeon would be.. What would be to stop you from visiting your patients after surgery, to make sure they're doing well?.. As someone who went through surgery with a very bad experience, I would say we need more doctors who really care.. Do you care?... or are you just in it for the glory?... P.s.. my experience I spoke of was in not being able to breath (paralyzed) as I was going under... It seemed like forever, and then as I was blacking out I finally felt air being forced into my lungs.

Answer 5

first of all, you deserve a lot of credit for your career choice, and please give it to yourself. it is extremely noble to choose a profession in the medical field.

i work in a prestigious teaching hospital, i'm a nurse. i feel the same way you do a lot of the time. i go home very very tired (i work nights). i have doubts about whether what i'm doing even matters, because after all, the surgeon is the star. well let me tell you something, that i have to keep telling myself, and that many of my friends i work with tell each other too. we ALL matter, every single one of us that contributes to the patients' care. even down to the housekeeping staff who clean and santize the rooms (it prevents the spread of nosocomial infections, thereby ensuring patient safety and health, extremely important!!)

you do carry their life in your hands, your job is one of the most important and respected of all, trust me. when the anesthesiologists come on to the ICU where i work to prep a patient or get them into surgery quick, we are all in awe of what they do and how good they are at it. we nurses really like you guys because what you do is so very important. even if the patient doesn't know your name, we know who you are and we respect you and value your contribution to helping a person who is ill and needs you.

what you do matters and you are important. thank you for choosing this career, i couldn't do it. find your happiness in knowing that you are a vital part of a team of professionals who save lives.

good luck to you!! keep strong, you can do it : )

Answer 6

Well all anethesiologists introduce themselves to patients before surgery to get a history and assessment. So, you shouldnt feel bad since you are the highest paid of all doctors. Are you going to have CRNA's when you join your own practice??