Anesthesia and ENT advice
Hey guys, I’m currently an anesthesiology resident, but lately I’ve been spending a lot of time in ENT surgeries and it’s honestly making me rethink my specialty choice a bit.
The more exposure I get, the more I realize how interesting ENT actually is. The combination of surgery, clinic, procedures, continuity of care, and being the primary physician for your patients is something I’m starting to value a lot more than I expected.
With anesthesia, while I genuinely respect the specialty and understand how important it is, I sometimes struggle with the feeling that you are there to support the surgeon and their operation rather than fully owning the patient yourself. Sometimes it feels like you are facilitating what the surgeon wants while the surgeon is still seen as the main physician and decision maker.
I do not mean this in a disrespectful way toward anesthesia at all. I know anesthesiologists are experts in physiology, airways, resuscitation, critical care, etc. I’m just trying to figure out whether this is temporary because of residency and exposure, or whether it means I’m actually more suited for a surgical specialty long term.
Did anyone else here seriously consider both ENT and anesthesia? Any regrets from either side?