Anesthesiologists are highly trained physicians with at least four years of training in the medical specialty of anesthesiology following four years of college and four years of medical school. And with new anesthetic drugs and techniques constantly being introduced, that training never really stops.
What Drew You to Anesthesiology?
Anesthesiology is just really amazing. I first thought that I wanted to do internal medicine. And then I found anesthesia, where you can do things, and then see the fruits of your labor. People are awake, they’re asleep. They’re in pain, then they’re not in pain. You can’t ask for a more immediate impact on patient care than that. I was in my fourth year and had to change my progress to get into anesthesia, but I did.
How Long Have You Been in Practice?
I’ve been doing this now for 30 years — 22 in the state of Virginia. I’m cardiac fellowship trained, so I also do anesthesiology for open heart.
Why Did You Join VSA?
To tell people about anesthesiologists’ involvement in their care. Because if I’ve done my job well, they don’t even know. Because most of the action happened while they were asleep and in my care. I also wanted legislators to know. We are the voice of anesthesiologists in this state. And we are integral. The surgeons need us, the patients need us. And we take care of that patient from the beginning to the end of their perioperative period.
What Led You to Anesthesiology?
I found a new path and interest in surgery. It was something I’d never really seen before in medical school, behind the curtain. I saw anesthesia as an option because it’s still very procedural-oriented, but it also encompasses all of medicine. It’s not just focused on one system, you focus on all the systems. So you’re well-rounded in that sense.
Mid-Career, You Got a Critical Care Fellowship — Why?
I really enjoyed getting to learn the disease processes, especially with complex patients. It kept me interested and challenged, and I wanted to learn more. The more you know, the more you want to know. So that spawned my interest in critical care medicine. Getting that additional training really helped solidify that interest, that knowledge, that thirst for wanting to continue that care in the post-operative period.
Do You Have any Advice for a Medical Student Curious About Anesthesiology?
Keep an open mind, because it’s a journey. Every part of what you learn is a new opportunity for you to improve your knowledge, but also expand your horizon in medicine. There’s no set path, and you can change paths. Getting a critical care fellowship later in life made me that much better of an anesthesiologist in the operating room. You’re a lifelong learner. Don’t have fear that you’re going to make the wrong decision, and that you’re not going to be able to change later in life.
What’s the Future of Anesthesiology?
Where we end up expanding our presence in the hospital. We have to add value to the hospitals. So we need to expand our presence in preoperative clinics, optimizing patients. We know them best, we know the inherent risks of anesthesia better than any primary care physician that you’d be able to send them to. So we need to be the ones putting ourselves in that clinic. Furthermore, we also need to be the ones caring for these patients after the anesthesia. Whether that’s in the recovery room, step-down unit, or even the ICU. We do a lot of critical care training as it is, but we can do more. We can prove to be more valuable to the surgical care team at the hospital levels and surgeons by being the person who continues on that anesthetic care in the ICU, and being that intensivist for that patient in their recovery.
Whether you’re just starting out in practice and seeking information about debt reduction, a seasoned physician
anesthesiologist pursuing a leadership position at your institution or a retired practitioner with a desire to stay
abreast of developments in the specialty.
https://www.asahq.org/in-the-spotlight/suicide-prevention-resources. Anesthesia providers face a number of challenges, stressors and pressures in their daily lives. Tragically, we continue to lose colleagues to death by suicide.
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