n March 30 each year, Doctors Day is celebrated in commemoration of the administration of ether anesthesia by Crawford W. Long, M.D., on March 30, 1842. Interestingly, several other doctors at the time laid claim to being the “first” to administer anesthesia and revolutionize the practice of medicine, including William T.G. Morton at the Ether Dome in Massachusetts. I recently visited the Ether Dome and wondered how the practice of anesthesia would have been communicated to the world differently had the participants possessed the technology we have today. I suspect an astute doctor in the room would have captured the event on a cellular phone camera and uploaded it to YouTube all while checking e-mail and texting the resident. Maybe the pioneering anesthesiologist would have benefited from a good publicist. It seems silly to think about, but I believe it is a timely issue in light of the recently released movie “Awake.” With the power of an enticing 90-second Hollywood movie trailer, isn’t the public reaction generated by the issue of anesthesia awareness amazing?

Communication Is Key
Over the past few months, I have been on the anesthesia residency interview trail. I am often asked what I foresee as the biggest challenge facing the field of anesthesiology in the next 10 years. Anesthesiologists must maintain a sense of unity as anesthesia becomes more diversified and subspecialized in fields such as pain, critical care and perioperative medicine. The only way this can be accomplished is through effective communication, which ultimately shapes how anesthesia is perceived by prospective members as well as the general public. Furthermore, anesthesiologists must reach out to all doctors to tackle issues that will arise in the future.

Communication is a vital component of the doctor-patient relationship; however, at no time in history has there been more diverse ways for the patient to obtain medical information, both helpful and potentially dangerous. Fourth-year medical students attempting to find the “perfect” residency program are also in search of important information and are navigating through various forms of communication. At the top are the anesthesia programs themselves, presenting a wealth of information through handouts and presentations about the program’s breadth of cases, board performance and graduation placement. The next form of communication is via the program’s residents. They provide logistical information, including where to live, the call schedule, and overall satisfaction with the program and location. Interactions between residents and applicants must be taken in context as they are often dependent on individual personalities and may not be representative of the more general experience at a program. Lastly, there is applicant-to-applicant word of mouth. This form of communication can potentially be the most misleading. In such a competitive environment as the National Resident Matching Program, it is risky to believe hearsay about programs from other applicants. Still worse are Internet message boards. While they may serve as important sources of information, the anonymity of such sites allows opinions without the support of credible references.

As I near the end of the interview process, I appreciate how much time, effort and money have been expended by the programs. It is a testament to the possibilities of effective communication within anesthesia when information is presented from reliable sources. It has also made me aware of the potential pitfalls of bogus information and unfounded opinions. While organizing all the information and deciding on the rank list can be a daunting task, it is reassuring to know that there are numerous strong anesthesia programs and many content residents at those programs. It personally gives me faith in the Match, but sometimes I feel like one of the first patients to breathe ether for a surgical procedure, hoping things will work out for the best in the end.

Unifying Our Message
The residency interview process is also the beginning of specialization. Occasionally, an anesthesia tour group will see a group from another specialty, and they are no longer “fellow medical students” but “applicants to orthopedics,” for example. It is a subtle distinction, but it signals the specialization of medicine, which ultimately fragments doctors into different camps. In anesthesiology, the ASA NEWSLETTER is an important forum to discuss issues, voice concerns, and disseminate information to members of the field in a clear and timely fashion. It is, however, extremely important that anesthesiologists communicate with fellow doctors in all fields to address pertinent issues.

The theme of unity is why Doctors Day is a wonderful and important day to observe. All doctors, regardless of specialty, have one common goal: to serve patients. In the end, good communication allows all doctors to effectively recruit prospective members, practice better, solve common problems, and broadcast to the world a unified message much more clearly and truer than any movie trailer.

Special thanks to third-year medical student Marie E. Stevens for help with editing this article.

Timothy D. Quinn is a fourth-year medical student, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, D.C.