Conversations

One of the great things about interviewing for residency is the conversations with other applicants and interviewers. Talking to others allows me to gauge a nationwide opinion on medicine in general and anesthesia in particular. Most of my classmates applying into anesthesia are like me, looking to do fellowships, excited about research, interested in academic positions. But talking to those from other schools on the applicant trail introduces me to a wide array of other career goals, equally important and valid. Some are interested in private practice high efficiency anesthesia, others are interested in outpatient pain clinics, yet others are interested in regional techniques for local anesthetic blocks. Some applicants emphasize their leadership skills because of the increasing role of oversight of certified registered nurse anesthetists; others focus on their interest for one-on-one patient contact in high acuity surgeries. The other wonderful thing is getting a sense of where people think medicine and anesthesia are heading. Talking to peers, residents, and faculty from other institutions, geographical areas, and backgrounds is intensely enlightening. How do Kaiser doctors feel about the uninsured? How do county doctors think health care reform will change what they see? How do applicants feel about the programs at their home schools? Where do people think anesthesia will be in 10 years? Interviews, though exhausting, provide great opportunities for fascinating intellectually stimulating conversations.