Future medical career?

[mohammed47]

i have been looking into many medical fields and i seem to like anesthesiology. the pay is good which isnt why i like this job. i would like to be involed with surgeries and helping patients but the thought of having scalpes and all the other tools inside of someone sends shivers down my spine. i have no problem doing research on a patient and seeing what i need to do to make sure they are safe. i would like to know any pros and cons to this job. Also i have been told it is very easy to get a malpractice lawsuit ???
any answers are greatly appreciated!

[napayshni65]

True on the malpractice insurance. And it is a high risk job for law suits.
You are responsible to watch the anesthetic, the patient, their vital signs, and if they have a bad outcome to the surgery, you get the blame.
You would lead the code if the patient's heart stopped.
You would be inserting IVs, intubating patients, hooking up O2 to it in the OR. You would administer anesthesia through the IV, and possibly through the spinal column.
You would visit the patient before anesthesia, see their chart,evaluate them to see if they should have anesthesia. You would teach them about what to expect, and talk to them about their allergies and medical condition.

You would be dealing with arrogant surgeons, and tired nurses.

And you have to be good at what you do. No margin for error.

You usually can't always see what the surgeon is doing, they sometimes drape the surgery.

Get busy, you need math and science courses, including a dissection anatomy and physiology course.

consider podiatry. It is less risk, and your patients ar grateful.

[gervaso81]

I think it is great career because lots of people are in unhealthy due to lots of reason. People need more medical treadling so you should keep this job.

[bergh39]

I think it is great career because lots of people are in unhealthy due to lots of reason. People need more medical treadling so you should keep this job.

The first thing you need to understand is that anesthesiology is a really limited career. What I mean by that is, everyone thinks it's sounds like a great job and it's a nice dream to have, but once the average person finds out the number of years of education, the level of dedication it requires, etc., most will give up that dream in pursuit of something a little more practical and obtainable. We're talking 4 years of an undergrad degree, 4 years medical school, 3-4 years residency, plus fellowship / specialty training for anesthesia. You have to be a stand-out academic all-star to even be considered for med school. You'll sacrifice most of your free time for studying.

IF you actually make it through med school, residency, and fellowship, then yes, malpractice insurance is expensive, and anesthesia is a high-stress job which holds a ton of responsibility - as much, if not more, than the actual surgeon. It's your job to keep the patient alive while the surgeon operates. Not always an easy task. But if you can handle high stress, high time committment for the education process, the reward is that it's probably one of the highest salary careers in the medical world. But money ain't everything, that's for sure!

[corcoran42]

First, it's time to start typing and speaking like an adult. You need to get in this practice now so you can make it through your undergrad courses, your med school applications, and your MCAT. Your grammar is poor and your spelling is terrible; work on fixing yourself so you can be competitive.

If you can't handle being in an actual surgical suite, there aren't any MD programs that will suit you. ALL MD, DO, DPM go through cadaver labs and do student rotations. These rotations will always involve at lest watching some sort of invasive procedure.

As an anesthesiologist, you may have to do cut-downs (A-line), which does involve scalpels as it's how you expose the vein. If you are busy shivering while the patient is crashing, you'll end up with a dead or vegetative patient and a huge lawsuit.

You'll also do your first year of residency basically as a general surgeon - that means cutting.

The cost of malpractice insurance varies greatly. I am friends with a ton of anesthesiologists who are part of a group - the group pays for their malpractice insurance. While the cost of it is coming out of the Dr's pay, the group has the power to negotiate a better rate than a private doctor might have.

You shouldn't have any shame about wanting to go into a field that pays well. The PC answer is "I want to help people", but you can "help people" being a food server at a local homeless shelter. You do extensive schooling and assume a high risk - you earn your money.

Education is
4 years undergrad
4 years med school
4 years residency (1 year surgical training, 3 years Anesthesia)
1-3 years fellowship (optional)


I recommend that you get your English skills together to get onto a college level, first and foremost. While you are doing that, start volunteering at clinics/hospitals and look at getting a CNA or Phlebotomy education/certification. Then you can get some direct patient care work for your applications and resume. Round out your high school & college experience with extracurricular activities from all walks of life. That means not just Biology Club and Future Doctors of America club, but Spanish Club, Model United Nations, and even music or English clubs.