I love this op-ed from MedPage Today. Written by Amy Pearson, MD, she goes over the daily activities that anesthesiologists confront every day and the misconceptions that the general public, and frankly many doctors, have about our specialty.
Dr. Pearson explains some of the myths about being an anesthesiologists such as:
Anesthesiologists sit around all day. She points out that she and her colleagues burn about 3000 calories per day working their usual daily routine in the hospital. In fact, many times we hardly have any opportunity to even go to the bathroom.
Anesthesiologists answer to "anesthesia." It's true anesthesiologists hate to be called by that term. We're people with names just like every other member of the operating team. We graduated from medical school and anesthesiology residency. We deserve the same respect given to the person operating on the other side of the ether screen.
Anesthesiology is mostly boring work with occasional scary moments. We have years of training to make sure we are taking the best care possible of our patients. We make it look easy because we spent thousands of hours in residency learning this craft. That doesn't mean it is easy.
Anesthesiologists get blamed for everything.
In truth, despite its many shortcomings, anesthesiology is one of the best jobs in America.
As an anesthesia resident I learned the drape between us and the surgery site is called the "the blood brain barrier" and an anesthesiologist is a half awake doctor taking care of a half asleep patient! Personally I found it a great practice merging science with the art of medicine, especially with branching in to Pain Management.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is the best job in America now that I am retired. Over-educated, over-trained, disrespected, dismissed, and no control over one's schedule. You can keep deluding yourself all that you want.
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