Anesthesiology Residency (and Residency in general)- Advice for a newbie

[Lynnea]

Hi, all-
I introduced myself yesterday, and I am a 27yo currently with my boyfriend of over a year who is MS1. He is very interested in Anesthesiology and I was wondering if any of you wonderful people could tell me anything about this residency program? I understand no residency is easy, but are there any out there that allow for a good lifestyle? I've heard some say Anesthesia has a good lifestyle during residency and after, but have also heard a few say the complete opposite. Just looking for your input and advice, and hopefully read a few words of encouragement, as this has been a difficult transition for us and I have been a stressed and worried wreck for the last few months because of it! If at all possible, we want to be able to focus on our relationship during this journey as well, and be able to get married and start a family at some point along the way. Lately it just seems that all of my hopes and dreams will be impossible while he is in school!
I appreciate any and all help! It truly means a lot knowing you all are out there!

[SoonerTexan]

Hello! We have quite a few anesthesia spouses who I'm sure will speak up. [MENTION=1488]ladymoreta[/MENTION], @scrubjay?

I will say that anesthesia residency does involve a prelim year, just like my DH's specialty. I know [MENTION=1488]ladymoreta[/MENTION] had a good experience, but in general they can be sucky because they are usually 1 year of general surgery or internal medicine. The hours sucked for us. And he was doing something he hated for 1 year, so that didn't help. But it's only 1 year!

[scrub-jay]

Anesthesiology Residency (and Residency in general)- Advice for a newbie

Anesthesia residency is not easily classified. Intern year is rough for the reasons ST explained, but hours in anesthesia is very dependent on program. Our program has higher hours than others, but my DH is happy with the experience he's getting which makes our overall experience better. Anesthesia is decidedly NOT surgical though, surgical residency hours are generally worse. I wouldn't recommend choosing any residency because the residency is lifestyle friendly, make the choice based on what he wants to do everyday for the rest of his life.

[MrsK]

[v-girl]

Welcome!


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[ladymoreta]

Hi! I've been out of touch this weekend (in-laws visiting). Yes, anesthesiology residency experience is highly program-specific. Unlike radiology, most programs have the preliminary year built into the residency. That probably sounds like gibberish now, but it basically means you shouldn't have to move after intern year. You do PGY1-PGY4 (intern year + 3 years of anesthesiology) in the same place vs possibly moving again after intern year. DH's program had a nice intern year where they were at a separate hospital from the other residents. This gave them the freedom to arrange their schedules among themselves. They were even allowed to trade or sell a few call nights. (For example, one resident had a baby towards the end of intern year, so she paid the other residents to take her call the last week or two when she wasn't feeling well.) His program also followed the 80 hour rule, so his hours weren't ever too crazy. Anesthesia starts very early in the morning and often goes overnight, so a lot of those hours happened while I was sleeping.

I am happy to answer any more specific questions you have. I've been really happy overall with our experience, and I can't imagine him being anywhere near as happy in any other career. He'll get a chance to rotate through a lot of the other specialties in 3rd and 4th years of medical school, so it should give him a good idea if this is the specialty for him. Warning - those were kind of difficult years for DH because he really didn't like a lot of the other specialties. It's really frustrating having to go all-in and pretend like you love a specialty that's not at all a good fit.

[Lynnea]

Hi! I've been out of touch this weekend (in-laws visiting). Yes, anesthesiology residency experience is highly program-specific. Unlike radiology, most programs have the preliminary year built into the residency. That probably sounds like gibberish now, but it basically means you shouldn't have to move after intern year. You do PGY1-PGY4 (intern year + 3 years of anesthesiology) in the same place vs possibly moving again after intern year. DH's program had a nice intern year where they were at a separate hospital from the other residents. This gave them the freedom to arrange their schedules among themselves. They were even allowed to trade or sell a few call nights. (For example, one resident had a baby towards the end of intern year, so she paid the other residents to take her call the last week or two when she wasn't feeling well.) His program also followed the 60 hour rule, so his hours weren't ever too crazy. Anesthesia starts very early in the morning and often goes overnight, so a lot of those hours happened while I was sleeping.

I am happy to answer any more specific questions you have. I've been really happy overall with our experience, and I can't imagine him being anywhere near as happy in any other career. He'll get a chance to rotate through a lot of the other specialties in 3rd and 4th years of medical school, so it should give him a good idea if this is the specialty for him. Warning - those were kind of difficult years for DH because he really didn't like a lot of the other specialties. It's really frustrating having to go all-in and pretend like you love a specialty that's not at all a good fit.

Wow, so much to think about! Is the 60-hr rule mean no more than 60hrs of work allowed in one week? Were his shifts typically 24+hr shifts or were they broken down a little? Did you feel like you ever had time with him during these times? During the rotations for 3-4 year, did you guys have to move? I've heard of some people that did "away rotations" so I'm just not sure what that entails or if they stick to one hospital for all of the rotations. What were the hours like during rotations in 3-4year? To be honest I'm completely overwhelmed with everything and the thought of what's in store makes me a little nauseous! I hope we can make it through this and I hope I can find friends and meet-up groups. It's hard after moving away from family and friends to a home where you spend most of your time alone. I've felt completely lost like what the heck am I doing here? I just want it to get better but I know I'm preaching to the choir! And we have only just begun!

[scrub-jay]

Take a deep breath and focus on right here, right now. Rotations and hours are definitely program dependent. I know my DH is definitely over 60hrs/week in anesthesia. There is an 80 hour rule through ACGME, but it is complex and may change by the time your BF reaches residency. He may or may not match into anesthesia, he may or may not match into his top program, anesthesia is still a competitive specialty. You cannot lose sleep over this yet, his job is to study hard so he can do well on Step 1 & Step 2, and honor in his rotations. These things will help open doors to competitive specialties. Honestly, I don't think you're asking about anesthesia, I think you're asking about the path he's on. Yes, he will have time for you, it will likely not be as much as he has had in the past, but you can be a priority in his life. However, you will forever share time with medicine. This is true for med school, for residency, and for attendinghood (we're not there yet, but it seems pretty universal among attending families I know). Hang in there, it's a long ride, but it's possible to grow together throughout the journey.

[ladymoreta]

I know my DH is definitely over 60hrs/week in anesthesia. There is an 80 hour rule through ACGME, but it is complex and may change by the time your BF reaches residency.

Oh yeah, it was 80 for my DH, too! I know it's just been 3 years, but I feel like it was forever ago, and I'm already forgetting stuff. Anyway, my point was that they followed the rule, so his time at work did have a limit. It was a lot, but not as much as other specialties you might be reading about that don't count everything the residents do towards the 80 hour limit. I'll write more in a little bit, but I just wanted to correct that (and I'll correct it above).

[scrub-jay]

[MENTION=1488]ladymoreta[/MENTION] I was getting a little jealous! Haha! Our program is also very very good about following the duty hour rules, but that doesn't mean all anesthesia residencies are (unfortunately you just never know until you're in it).

[MAPPLEBUM]

Wow, so much to think about! Is the 60-hr rule mean no more than 60hrs of work allowed in one week? Were his shifts typically 24+hr shifts or were they broken down a little? Did you feel like you ever had time with him during these times? During the rotations for 3-4 year, did you guys have to move? I've heard of some people that did "away rotations" so I'm just not sure what that entails or if they stick to one hospital for all of the rotations. What were the hours like during rotations in 3-4year? To be honest I'm completely overwhelmed with everything and the thought of what's in store makes me a little nauseous! I hope we can make it through this and I hope I can find friends and meet-up groups. It's hard after moving away from family and friends to a home where you spend most of your time alone. I've felt completely lost like what the heck am I doing here? I just want it to get better but I know I'm preaching to the choir! And we have only just begun!

I'm getting to a point where I'm not even differentiating between my husband, because he's a DOCTOR and my other couple friends. One of my good friends just moved to Chicago for work, the agreement was that her boyfriend, an architect, would follow. When it came down to it, though, he wants a job. So he's staying here and paying half her rent until he find a job there. I would be shitting bricks. One of my cousins has been in the Air Force since he was 18. His wife and children go several months out of the year without seeing him. Could (or would) I handle that? Not long term. So my husband working long hours a few days a week? I think I can handle that.

I kind of feel like the dumb friend when it comes to medicine because I don't keep up as well as a lot of med spouses but there's a difference between electives and away rotations. Your husband can take an anesthesia elective at his home institution and will probably also apply for a month long away rotation somewhere else. What I think you're talking about are D.O. programs, they often move from place to place because there's so many away rotations.

Hours years 3 and 4 in med school vary between person, programs, and rotations. Honestly I don't remember mine getting home very late ever. I remember being frustrated he'd stay later to do extra work, which I consider brown nosing but...that's what they have to do and I know that now. The second half of med school he could often come home for lunch. He'd get back around dinner time, we'd go to the gym, or either get a drink or go home and make dinner. Which means, while I don't remember exactly when he got home we were able to do all of that and be in bed by 9:30-10:30. That routine was very consistent. He had one week of working nights which was weird because we lived in a studio. Like I said, it varies for every person and institution, but it seems like perhaps you should really start paying attention to the stress you're feeling versus the actual hours he's putting in. If you're really stressed and worried you might not even be present enough to see that you're spending most evenings together. Likewise, if HE'S really stressed (which he probably is) it does make it more difficult to enjoy that time together. But you can chip away at it and together find a flow. Right now is crucial because he's feeling the pressure to prove that he can succeed. Like I said in another thread. That level of stress comes in waves, and eventually stops having so much power over the both of you. Just try to enjoy your time together and trust that it will get better.

[Lynnea]

I'm getting to a point where I'm not even differentiating between my husband, because he's a DOCTOR and my other couple friends. One of my good friends just moved to Chicago for work, the agreement was that her boyfriend, an architect, would follow. When it came down to it, though, he wants a job. So he's staying here and paying half her rent until he find a job there. I would be shitting bricks. One of my cousins has been in the Air Force since he was 18. His wife and children go several months out of the year without seeing him. Could (or would) I handle that? Not long term. So my husband working long hours a few days a week? I think I can handle that.

I kind of feel like the dumb friend when it comes to medicine because I don't keep up as well as a lot of med spouses but there's a difference between electives and away rotations. Your husband can take an anesthesia elective at his home institution and will probably also apply for a month long away rotation somewhere else. What I think you're talking about are D.O. programs, they often move from place to place because there's so many away rotations.

Hours years 3 and 4 in med school vary between person, programs, and rotations. Honestly I don't remember mine getting home very late ever. I remember being frustrated he'd stay later to do extra work, which I consider brown nosing but...that's what they have to do and I know that now. The second half of med school he could often come home for lunch. He'd get back around dinner time, we'd go to the gym, or either get a drink or go home and make dinner. Which means, while I don't remember exactly when he got home we were able to do all of that and be in bed by 9:30-10:30. That routine was very consistent. He had one week of working nights which was weird because we lived in a studio. Like I said, it varies for every person and institution, but it seems like perhaps you should really start paying attention to the stress you're feeling versus the actual hours he's putting in. If you're really stressed and worried you might not even be present enough to see that you're spending most evenings together. Likewise, if HE'S really stressed (which he probably is) it does make it more difficult to enjoy that time together. But you can chip away at it and together find a flow. Right now is crucial because he's feeling the pressure to prove that he can succeed. Like I said in another thread. That level of stress comes in waves, and eventually stops having so much power over the both of you. Just try to enjoy your time together and trust that it will get better.

Thank you for that, these are the things I need to hear! I was also thinking about those in the military and the spouses who's significant others are away for months and sometimes years at a time. I know I could not handle that. You're right thinking about that vs. working long hours during the week definitely does put it in perspective. I definitely feel like I have my good days and bad days. I do think I'm coming to some good days as we start to get a routine established and I get my own routine established for when he's not around. I do like knowing that people are around for the bad days (and the good as I enjoy talking to people about things other than medical school!) Thank you for helping me stay on track

[adoe.adeer]

Yes [MENTION=1488]ladymoreta[/MENTION] has it down - (Hi! its former Ms.Conception aka Dani G from FB) - here the residency program is longer (i'm Canadian) - 5yrs, plus subspecialty fellowship training afterward for 1-3 years depending on the choice. There isn't much of "do residency and then practice" here unless it's rural work and most people we know want to teach. so.... we've had pgy8 years in total. He's attending now. As for now... he still works probably 60hrs a week but 60hrs vs 100hrs i'll take.

Residency / Fellowship was not easy for us. I don't think my husband ever ever ever worked less than 100hrs a week - 1:3 call, clinical and more call duties, research, grand rounds, exam prep... 4 weeks of holiday per year were spent either working pick up shifts to bring in more money because we had 3 children at home, plus a high cost of living, and the same was for his fellowship years - however my husband also chose incredibly demanding fellowships that had zero give.

Here duty hour rules are out the window. In his fellowship year - in house, awake call in critical care was no less than 32hrs straight - not sleeping and for months at a time it was 1:2's with no more than 4 days off per month. Total. 4 days. And post-call days could be considered "days off". It was hell. I'm shocked that our marriage survived.

HOWEVER - the american system is better - that's my understanding - from [MENTION=1488]ladymoreta[/MENTION]'s experience and a few friends who have gone to the US to do their training.

[Lynnea]

Yes @ladymoreta has it down - (Hi! its former Ms.Conception aka Dani G from FB) - here the residency program is longer (i'm Canadian) - 5yrs, plus subspecialty fellowship training afterward for 1-3 years depending on the choice. There isn't much of "do residency and then practice" here unless it's rural work and most people we know want to teach. so.... we've had pgy8 years in total. He's attending now. As for now... he still works probably 60hrs a week but 60hrs vs 100hrs i'll take.

Residency / Fellowship was not easy for us. I don't think my husband ever ever ever worked less than 100hrs a week - 1:3 call, clinical and more call duties, research, grand rounds, exam prep... 4 weeks of holiday per year were spent either working pick up shifts to bring in more money because we had 3 children at home, plus a high cost of living, and the same was for his fellowship years - however my husband also chose incredibly demanding fellowships that had zero give.

Here duty hour rules are out the window. In his fellowship year - in house, awake call in critical care was no less than 32hrs straight - not sleeping and for months at a time it was 1:2's with no more than 4 days off per month. Total. 4 days. And post-call days could be considered "days off". It was hell. I'm shocked that our marriage survived.

HOWEVER - the american system is better - that's my understanding - from @ladymoreta's experience and a few friends who have gone to the US to do their training.

It sounds like you guys have been through hell and back, but have somehow made it through!!! Congrats! I feel like there should be a HUGE celebration for the medical spouse once their SO completes medical school and training. Heck, maybe there should be a party held for us after each transition is completed..each year of medical school, residency, fellowship, attending hood, etc. It really does take one hell of a team to get through this, at least from what I can gather from everyone! I hope we can be one of those couples that comes out of it together in the end. Do you have any advice, based on your own personal experience, on how you made it through all those years? Was there anything specific you did or anything that helped you and your SO during the good times and not so good times?
You must be very proud of your marriage and what it has been through! I admire you both for sticking with it. Makes those of us who are feeling overwhelmed realize that it really can work!

[Windsurfer]

My DW started a surgery residency but switched after the first year into an anaesthesia residency. She made the decision based in large part on long-term quality of life, and years later has no regrets. When she goes home, and is not on call, they all become someone else's patient. Residency can be stressful, but it doesn't last forever; for us that's now but a faded memory.