Remembering Your 'Why' Throughout Third Year and Beyond

by Samir Yellapragada

Third year is hard. Many students, myself included, find themselves facing long hours, unpredictable schedules, difficult preceptors, and stressful clinical environments—all while balancing shelf studying, research projects, and residency applications. In a year filled with countless highs and its fair share of lows, it’s easy to lose sight of why we entered this beautiful profession.

I found myself in this exact situation partway through third year, feeling overwhelmed by the many demands of the year—a feeling exacerbated by my uncertainty about how what I was learning would be relevant to my future career in anesthesiology. This sense of disconnection soon extended beyond anesthesiology to medicine as a whole. For a brief time, I felt disconnected from my "why."

Sitting with these feelings, I decided to re-read my AMCAS essay about why I wanted to become a doctor. It served as a valuable reminder during a difficult point in the year and helped me recenter myself. I realized that much of my frustration stemmed from fixating on whether a particular rotation was directly relevant to my future specialty—a fundamentally flawed perspective. Every rotation contains valuable learning opportunities that enhance our skills as clinicians and future anesthesiologists; it’s our responsibility to find them.

While this was certainly easier on some rotations than others, shifting my mindset strengthened my passion for both medicine and anesthesiology tenfold. Beyond this mindset shift, several other strategies have helped me stay connected to the initial spark that ignited my curiosity about anesthesiology:

1. Attending Departmental Talks Whenever Possible
At my institution, I stayed informed about upcoming anesthesiology department events by periodically checking the department’s website under the “News” or “Upcoming Events” section. Another helpful strategy was signing up for the department’s mailing list by reaching out to the departmental coordinator. Attending these talks exposed me to the latest advancements in the field, further fueling my excitement about where anesthesiology is headed.

2. Staying Involved in Research (When Time Permitted)
Balancing research during third year can be difficult, but I found that staying involved in data collection, chart reviews, or quality improvement (QI) projects during my lighter rotations allowed me to maintain relationships with mentors who had played a crucial role in sparking my interest in anesthesiology. Even in a limited capacity, continuing my work with them kept me engaged with the specialty and helped sustain those valuable connections.

3. Participating in the ASA Conference and Engaging with the ASA Medical Student Component
Attending the annual American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Conference was a great way to revitalize my passion for anesthesiology. Roaming the exhibit hall, testing new technologies, and learning about cutting-edge advancements in the field—alongside thousands of like-minded trainees—was an energizing experience. I highly recommend attending this conference, especially the Medical Student Track, to network and build connections with peers from across the country.

4. Connecting with Fourth-Year Students Completing Sub-Internships and Away Rotations
Reaching out to fourth-year students during third year gave me a clearer understanding of the residency application process and helped me stay on track with important deadlines, such as the ERAS application opening date and rank list submission deadlines. I found it especially insightful to ask what they wished they had done differently in their application journeys. Learning from their experiences has made me aware of common pitfalls and has allowed me to refine my own approach.

5. Asking Anesthesia-Related Questions on Every Rotation

Though easier on some rotations than others, I have made an effort to approach each specialty from an anesthesiologist’s perspective. This not only deepened my understanding of that field but also reinforced my connection to anesthesiology. Some examples of questions I asked included:

● OB-GYN: “How does pregnancy affect anesthetic drug metabolism?”
● Pediatrics: “How do we calculate pediatric fluid resuscitation before surgery?”
● Neurology: “What are the implications of neuromuscular disorders (like myasthenia gravis) on anesthesia?”
● Psychiatry: “What are the challenges of pain control in patients on chronic opioids?”
● Family Medicine: “What is the role of smoking cessation and weight loss before surgery?”

These conversations not only helped me learn more about the specific specialty I was rotating in but also allowed me to engage more deeply with anesthesiology and perioperative medicine. 

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but these strategies have helped me stay connected to anesthesiology while also appreciating and learning from the myriad of other medical specialties during each rotation. Third year is undoubtedly challenging, but it is also a valuable rite of passage—one that forces every future physician to reflect deeply on their reasons for choosing a particular specialty. I am grateful for everything I have learned from my rotations, and now, more than ever, I feel truly connected to my "why."