Career paths after anaesthesia training

[Scholastica]

Hi TimmyMax,

You mentioned in your anaesthesia thread many times that there are many career paths available for anaesthesia trainees besides putting patients to sleep in OR.

I can think of two other things anaesthetists are involved with: running the ICUs (but this depends on the institution, right?) and becoming pain specialists. What else can anaesthesia residents do after they're done with their 5-yr training?

Thanks!! :)

[kosmo14]

Hey there, as far as I am aware here are the main paths a person can take with thier anesthesia training:

1) OR anesthesia and the many subspecialties within that: peds anes, obs anes, thoracic anes, cardiovasc. anes, neuro anes...

2) Pain medicine

3) ICU medicine

4) PICU medicine (there are fellowships out there that you can do that you get to do both pediatric anesthesia and pediatric intensive care)

5) Administrative- our last post graduate dean was an anesthesiologist

6) Research

Plus combos of all of the above.

Hope this helps, I am currently PGY2 in anesthesia so i may not know all of the possibilities.

Feel free to post any other questions about anesthesia here and between Timmy and I we should be able to come up with an answer.

I couldn't imagine doing anything else in medicine, I love anesthesia, for the first time in my life i look forward to going to work.

[kosmo14]

Forgot to add: typically if you do your fellowship in critical care (1-2 years after anesthesia) you can run any ICU in canada.

[Scholastica]

Hi Kosmos,

I know some intensivitsts who got there through 3 yrs of internal med + 3 yrs of a combo supspecialty (ex. nephro + ICU care). Do you know responsibilities might differ if one becomes an intensivist through anaesthesiology?

Also, do many canadian med schools offer PICU medicine fellowship that comebines peds anaesthesia & intensive care? If there aren't many spots, should I write USMILE just in case???

:)