Anesthesiology Questions? (And a few others)

ASMAJ
Mon, 14 Feb 2011 00:52:44 +0000

I was wanting to know, is being an Anesthesiologist worth it? I have heard of Malpractice insurance, huge tests every year, getting sued, and many other bad things. I am open to other careers where I have the opportunities this one does, and can make that amount to be able to support what I would like to do. I plan to save half my yearly salary towards retirement because our Social Security checks won’t be coming when I’m older!



Every specialty has yearly exams during residency (OITE in ortho, ITE in anest, ABSITE in surgery, etc). Anesthesia is not the money maker it use to be. If your looking to income only, radiology, dermatology, dermpath, ortho are fields you should be looking at AND that depends on if you can actually match into those fields. Saving half you income will be an idealistic goal. Unless you get a scholarship or your family is wealthy and paying for your tuition, you will have educational debt to pay off. I think the current average debt is ~$150,000. Most of my friends will have between $180-200,000. Other than debt, you will have personal expenses, maybe you own family, malpractice cost, etc.

Medicine is something you really have to think about before you decide to do it. Depending on who you ask, they might feel that they are underpaid and overworked. Patients expectations are high and the only ones that understand the personal scarifies you undertake with becoming a physician are other physicians.



There’s a lot of pressure within the profession from CRNAs.



Additionally to what nocalguy stated, with the encroachment of CRNA’s its becoming a semi-requirement to do a fellowship in anesthesia to separate themselves from them, esp fellowship in pain, cardiac, peds. CRNA’s are also elevating their degree to Doctor of Nursing Practice within the next few years, so that’s probably going to be some confusion if they start calling themselves doctor within the clinical setting.