Hi, my name is Moloy, and I am an IMG from India. In this blog I would like to share my experience as an anaesthesiologist for over a decade now, and why one should choose this field of medicine as a career path.
Road untravelled:
Although its not entirely true, that present day Anaesthesiology is a path or career that is less chosen, it might have been so when we were medical students. One of the main causes I feel is that it’s still a subject which gets included into the curriculum of medical schools in late final years and proper exposure happens only during the Internship period for about 2 weeks, which I think is a very little time for a medical student at this stage of his career to understand the depths of this field and decide to specialise in it.
Although this topic has been on my mind for quiet some time now, I thought of writing it down from a little experience I had about a week ago, when I happened to come across a medical student in his anaesthesia rotation in the theatre , and as usual I always ask, have you decided which subject are you going to specialise in? “Paediatrics” he said...!!
I have got the same reply many times before and I am sure many others might have got the same. This is partly because as I mentioned, students get little experience in anaesthesiology during their UG curriculum, so it’s a huge responsibility on our part to help students get a grasp of this beautiful and challenging career in those couple of weeks when they do their anaesthetic rotation.
A. B. C. D
As children start learning these alphabets from primary schools, the core of Anaesthesiology resides in these alphabets. Its always Airway---Breathing—Circulation. Understanding and mastering these skills is a basic competency which all medical graduates should develop before they finish their medical training and internship period. I was fortunate enough to have been taught some of these very basic things during my internship in anaesthesiology, which sparked in me, a great interest to learn more, pursue as a career and if I look back, now it is no less than a passion for me, as I enjoy it every day and all the challenges that comes along with it.
Let’s say, we come across any patient who is unwell, fainted/collapsed not only in the hospital settings but anywhere, might be the shopping mall, airport, playground, you don’t know anything about the patient, no body to give you a history to make a diagnosis, what do you do? Ultimately it comes down to A. B. C.
So, if it’s such an important life saving skill. Why not start to learn a bit early?
Beyond the Operating room:
Anaesthesiologist has been mostly pictured as someone mostly in operating rooms and puts patients to sleep. But this is far from being true. Our role extends far beyond the operating room. Let me put it in another way. Textbooks in medicine mention that “Pain is the most common reason for a patient visiting a doctor” so we as anaesthesiologist are experts in pain management be it surgical, non-surgical, or the mother giving birth we are there to help. The ICU, a place where the sickest of patients are admitted, and the range of diseases and complications can be endless, but anaesthesiologist are at the core of decision making and in the multidisciplinary management of these complicated patients.
Imagine little kids coming for surgical procedure, the fear and anxiety of both parents and the kids, and anaesthesiology teaches us ways in which we help the family along with keeping their near and dear ones safe as they go under the knife. The list is endless, but the idea is that being an anaesthesiologist teaches a lot both in professional and personal life. We need to make split second decisions, always have a plan B, plan C, work as a team and as we keep doing this regularly, it starts to reflect in our life as well. We develop a way in handling life’s challenges.
Days of havoc & Nights of fury
Anaesthesiology is also not for the faint hearted. Anything can go wrong at any moment, and “eternal vigilance” is something which needs to be ingrained. Whether it’s a routine day shift or an on-call night shift, being on tip toes, thinking 2 steps ahead, anticipating the worse and planning when others are not thinking are some of the unique characteristics which teaching and training in anaesthesia help develop.
Being a resident and trainee for quiet sometime now, I can assure that, nights are always busy, and this is also the time when multiple human factors come into play, with reduced staff, less help, burn out and fatigue and against all odds we not only survive but also thrive, keep patients safe and develop an attitude of teamwork.
Conclusion:
Experiences are the best teachers, and being associated with this field has taught me a lot. It is beyond doubt, one of the best disciplines in the field of medicine. It is challenging, satisfying and ever expanding to new horizons. With continuous development in medical science and newer surgical techniques and interventions, there will always be the need of an anaesthetist by the patient to “take care, when they are not aware”
Best wishes
Moloy Rajkhowa
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