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March 2001
Volume 65 |
Number 3
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WHAT’S NEW IN …
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| Academic
Anesthesia Practice |
Roy G. Soto, M.D.
University of South Florida School of Medicine
Congratulations for making it past the title of this article!
If the current academic job market is any indication, not many
residents are giving much consideration to an academic career.
Indeed, in my graduating class, I was the only resident to take
a job at a teaching center.
Although income is the obvious reason for many choosing private
practice, other reasons include a desire to work alone and an
urge to get away from the bureaucracy of a large academic institution.
Having recently interviewed in both the private and academic sectors,
there is no denying that there is a significant disparity in income
between the two, but in my opinion, it is not enough to overcome
the other advantages of working in a teaching environment.
When I interviewed for medical school, I was told you'll be
asked why you want to go into medicine whatever you do, don't
say it's for the money! The inevitable question during the interview
process was very easy for me to answer. I always assumed I would
make a comfortable income, but the reasons for my pursuit of medicine
then, as now, are not fiscal. My answer then was that I wanted
to help comfort patients, have a rewarding job where I felt I
was actually making a difference in people's lives and be involved
in a constantly changing field allowing for a lifetime of learning
and personal development.
Academic practice allows me to have a comfortable lifestyle,
treat grateful patients (often patients who cannot afford private
medical insurance) and be involved in the continuing evolution
of our specialty. A frequent complaint about medical education
is that there is a lack of good teachers available. By contributing
to the training of those who will be following me, I am giving
back to the medical establishment, which is a unique and powerful
reward. Watching a resident adopt my own particular style during
intubation, epidural or central line placement, or even preoperative
interviewing, is remarkably satisfying, and I get a strong sense
of passing along those invaluable tips and tricks taught to me
during my own residency.
Perhaps I should be more cynical. Perhaps my Pollyanna attitude
is a bit tough to swallow for some; but I was faced with the choice
of supervising nurses for the next 20 years (or more) and/or removing
myself from the teaching/learning environment where I have flourished
for the past umpteen years. When a private practitioner once visited
my training program and boasted, You’ll do 14 knee arthroscopies
on healthy 20-year-olds each Friday, I was not thinking of dollar
signs: I was thinking of repetition, boredom and possible stagnation.
By being involved in research and being surrounded by those
pushing the boundaries of anesthesiology, I continue to be challenged,
and hopefully, I will not become complacent or bored in my career.
As a part of the academic world, I can stay true to the goals
I set for myself in the dark and distant past (1986!), when my
only goal was to get into medical school and prepare for a satisfying
and challenging career.
Do not tell my chairman, but I think my income is just fine!
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Roy
G. Soto, M.D., is an Instructor at the University of South
Florida School of Medicine, Tampa, Florida |
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Erratum
In the December 2000 NEWSLETTER, it was mistakenly reported
that Gary D. Gonsalves, M.D., was a resident at Good Samaritan
Regional Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona. He is in his PGY-1
as an internal medicine-preliminary program resident at Good Samaritan.
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