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Even after deciding to pursue a career in medicine, the reality is, many of us still have no idea what we want to be when we grow up. If you no longer feel a pull towards the specialty that initially interested you, you’re certainly not alone; only one in four medical students ultimately match into the specialty that they initially planned to prior to starting medical school (1). This just goes to show that many of us make the commitment to become doctors without knowing what that will actually look like as practicing physicians. As much as the field that we choose to pursue profoundly shapes our careers in the long-term, the direction we take within that field is equally as impactful in shaping our day to day lives. In this way, anesthesiology is no different from other fields, and the role of an anesthesiologist extends far beyond the clinical practice of medicine. With this article, I want to explore opportunities available to anesthesiologists in academia, private practice, and industry to shed a light on ways we can fulfill both our personal and career goals.
The responsibilities of anesthesiologists at academic institutions can vary widely but will typically include education, research, and administrative tasks in addition to their clinical duties. One of the primary responsibilities in academia is teaching and mentoring the next generation of anesthesiologists, which involves instructing medical students and residents in both didactic settings and hands-on clinical environments. As an academic anesthesiologist you are a teacher just as much as you are a clinician. You’ll work side by side with residents and students to oversee and guide their learning. In addition to teaching, you may also engage in research. Nearly a quarter of all academically affiliated physicians are involved in some form of research, with clinical research being the most common (2). This aspect of academia can be appealing to those of us with a desire to help with the broadening of medical knowledge and advancement of patient care. Administrative roles may also be a potential component of your career as an academic anesthesiologist. Positions such as residency program director and department chair provide academic anesthesiologists with the opportunity to oversee educational programs and manage departmental operations, respectively. These roles can be an avenue for you to drive improvements in medical education, patient care, and resource allocation for your department. Academia may be a great choice for people interested in training and shaping the next generation of anesthesiologists.
Today, most practicing anesthesiologists work for private practice groups in the US (3). These can range from small groups of solely anesthesiologists or large multispecialty groups working under one organization. The primary focus of private practice is efficiency and productivity; it’s a business after all. This means that most of your time will be focused on the clinical duties of anesthesia, but that’s not to say that there aren’t additional responsibilities to be found should you choose to pursue a career in private practice. There is often opportunity to take on more business focused roles such as owning a practice or becoming a managing partner, where you would be charged with assisting in building a team of providers and administrative staff to further develop the business. Running a profitable practice and performing these roles successfully requires strong leadership and a desire to grow your managerial skillset. In private practice you may also engage in various activities to support the growth of the business, such as networking with other healthcare providers and building relationships with hospitals and surgical centers, both of which are important for securing contracts and referrals. Additionally, if you work in private practice you may participate in community outreach and marketing efforts to attract new patients and enhance the practice's reputation. This side of anesthesiology lends well to those of us with a desire to incorporate the business side of medicine into our careers.
Anesthesiologists possess a skillset that is valued not only in clinical practice but also in various roles outside of the hospital setting. By leveraging your future expertise as anesthesiologist, you can find many rewarding opportunities in consulting and medical industry. The knowledge gained in patient care and advanced medical technology throughout your training will make you a valuable addition to companies developing products or processes to improve the field. Because anesthesiologists interface with a wide variety of providers in the hospital, you’ll have the opportunity to create a necessary bridge between clinical practice, technology, R&D, and quality improvement that can be an asset to companies on the cutting edge of advancing perioperative and surgical care. This aspect of the job can also give you ample time to recognize gaps in care and/or improvements that could be made in clinical practices as you take part in surgical and medical interventions alongside physicians in various specialties. Furthermore, the possibility for flexibility in schedules can help facilitate the entrepreneurial endeavors of those of us with a knack for collaboration and innovation. The field of anesthesiology provides an excellent space for fostering ingenuity in medicine through medical industry, and this side of the job can be done from both the academic and private setting.< /p>
A career in anesthesia is more than just providing perioperative care. With so many options to expand our career beyond the clinical practice of medicine, your only job now is to find out how and where you want to contribute. With the vast number of opportunities available in this specialty, it’s important to dedicate time while in medical school to explore the field and all it has to offer. If you’re unsure where to start, shadowing residents and attendings is an excellent option. While shadowing, you’ll be able to engage in conversations about their roles outside the OR, discover how they shaped their careers to align with their interests and find potential mentors to guide you along the way. The best way to learn how to integrate our passions into our future careers is to talk to those who have done it. By identifying our interests and career goals early, we’ll have a head start on shaping a fulfilling career within the field of anesthesiology.
AAMC Careers in Medicine
https://careersinmedicine.aamc.org/
The Anesthesia Consultant
https://theanesthesiaconsultant.com/
Anesthesia Deconstructed: Science. Policy. Realities.
with Mike MacKinnon and Joe Rodriguez
Max Feinstein
@MaxFeinsteinMD on YouTube
Date of last update: September 9, 2024
