If you already know which specialty to pursue before you even begin medical school, consider yourself lucky. Because for some aspiring medical students, choosing a medical specialty is a decision they couldn’t make until after some time in their clinical experience. And for the undecided few, they may still change their mind a few times before finally finding their ideal specialty.
To simplify the process, it would help to narrow down your options. First, decide whether you prefer a surgical or non-surgical specialty. From there, you can choose which ones you feel you’re most passionate about. It would also help to create a personal roadmap to serve as your guide. Consider your interests, preferred level of patient contact, work-life balance potential, and typical income.
For medical students who excel in basic sciences and pharmacology, and are particularly results-driven, observant, and detail-minded, pursuing a career in anesthesiology may be ideal.
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Anesthesiologists: ‘The Silent Force Behind the Scene’
An anesthesiologist is a perioperative physician who, along with the surgeons, anesthesiologist assistant, and operating room nurses, is an indispensable member of a surgical team in an Operating Room (OR). With advanced fellowship training, they may also subspecialize in critical care and work in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Although they’re mostly only known for putting the patient to sleep before a surgical operation, this is only a small fraction of their job, not to mention the process itself is far more complicated than it looks.
Anesthesiology involves analyzing complex medical histories of patients, estimating risks, calculating medication doses, and anticipating possible drug reactions. It requires extensive training in pharmacology, clinical physiology, pain control, and advanced life support. Anesthesiologists may also conduct research to help improve practices and protocols in their clinical setting.
Why Choose Anesthesiology?
Here are compelling reasons to pursue a career in anesthesiology:
- Make a Difference in Patients’ Lives
Anesthesiologists play a crucial role in ensuring the comfort and safety of patients in all stages of surgical procedures. Understandably, most patients get anxious when they’re required to go unconscious under general anesthesia. For some patients, this can stop them from getting the surgical procedure they need and resort to delaying it until it becomes a life-threatening emergency.
As an anesthesiologist, you can be instrumental in easing patients’ anxiety so they can willingly prepare for the procedure. By educating them and breaking down the anesthetic process in a way they can easily understand, you can enlighten them and make them feel more confident about the safety of the procedure.
- Handle Variety of Cases
Anesthesiologists train to develop a comprehensive knowledge of medical sciences. This enables them to understand how different medications affect the body, particularly how anesthesia affects patients of different age groups, gender, and medical conditions, as well as how to handle potential complications.
This also means that practitioners in anesthesiology encounter diverse cases, ranging from routine procedures to complex surgeries, so each workday is not the same. The variety in this medical specialty keeps the job interesting as it requires anesthesiologists to adjust their approach to meet the needs of unique medical cases.
- Develop Quick Problem-Solving Skills
Operating rooms are often fast-paced and can present unexpected challenges. Training as an anesthesiologist will prepare you for an intellectually demanding role so you can be skilled at managing sudden changes in patients’ conditions or unforeseen complications.
For example, if a patient’s blood pressure drops suddenly during surgery, you need to evaluate the situation and provide suitable medications immediately. You may also have to make necessary adjustments to the administered anesthesia to stabilize the patient’s vital signs.
- Work and Learn With a Team
Effective communication and teamwork are crucial for a successful surgical procedure without complications. This is why anesthesiologists must work closely with surgeons, nurses, and other medical specialists.
Working with a team of different specialties is an opportunity to learn outside your chosen specialty. As you work with other medical professionals, you can expand your perspective and be more creative while improving your communication and interpersonal skills.
- The Opportunity to Use Advanced Medical Technology
As with the rest of the healthcare industry, the techniques and equipment used in anesthesiology are constantly changing and advancing. Since anesthesiologists use computerized systems for drug administration and patient monitoring, they’re often among the first to try new developments in healthcare technology.
- Better Flexibility and Job Security
Although surgeons may occasionally work long hours, anesthesiologists have more flexibility when it comes to work schedules compared to other medical specialties. This will allow you to achieve a better balance between your professional and personal life. Maintaining a good work-life balance in any profession is essential to overall health and wellness. But this is even more important for healthcare professionals as they are more vulnerable to the effects of stress and burnout.
In terms of job security, there is a constant demand for anesthesiologists as healthcare services, particularly surgical procedures, will always be needed regardless of the state of the economy. This means that finding a job as soon as you finish medical school is almost always guaranteed.
Final Thoughts
A career in anesthesiology offers a fulfilling combination of continuous learning and skills development, exposure to advanced healthcare technology, and better job security with flexibility and higher income potential. If your dream is to become a healthcare professional with a more balanced life and less patient contact but with immediate impact, a career in anesthesiology could be your path to turn it into reality.
