THE THREE A’s OF ANESTHESIA JOBS

THE ANESTHESIA CONSULTANT
THE ANESTHESIA CONSULTANT
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There’s an old saying in the medical profession: “To be an excellent doctor, you must have three things: availability, affability, and ability (in that order).”  In some specialties a doctor’s technical ability may be the least important of the three attributes, but this is not true in anesthesiology. If you want to gain a top-notch anesthesiology job, the order of the three A’s is instead: ability, affability and availability.

Here’s why the three A’s are in a different order for anesthesiology:

ABILITY: For an anesthesiologist seeking a high-paying job in a competitive region of the country, the most important asset is ability. On a curriculum vitae, ability is evidenced by whether you have passed board certification by the American Board of Anesthesiology.  Ability can also be evidenced the quality of the anesthesia residency/fellowship training program you’ve completed, as well as the medical school you’ve graduated from. It’s difficult to evaluate ability in an oral job interview, although some hiring groups have attempted oral exam interviews. The most reliable means of determining if a candidate has outstanding ability is to hire him/her for a period of time to see how they perform. Most often this is done by hiring a candidate as a non-partner, with no long-term security assured. Over the course of one or two years of working in the practice, the leaders of the group will learn whether an individual has acceptable or exceptional skills to handle the workload.

AFFABILITY: This is of secondary importance after ability—no one want to work with a jerk. No one wants a partner who repeatedly creates conflict in the workplace, who initiates conflict with a surgeon in the operating room, a nurse in the post anesthesia care unit, or an administrator. An excellent office doctor such as a family practitioner, an internist, or a pediatrician, must be personable and friendly to assure pleasant interactions with patients. No patient wants to continue a relationship with a crabby or ill-tempered primary care office doctor over many years. But how about a surgical specialist, such as a general surgeon, a cardiac-thoracic surgeon, an orthopedic surgeon, or an anesthesiologist? Do you think patients want a friendly anesthesiologist who is all thumbs in the operating room? No, they want a skilled practitioner. The patient will be asleep during most of the time the anesthesiologist is working on them, so the MD’s personality is not an issue. How does a group determine whether a potential anesthesia hire is an affable, friendly, easy-to-get-along-with individual? Again a brief interview is unlikely to be ferret out this information. The most reliable means of determining if a candidate has an affable persona is to hire him/her for a period of time to see how they act while on duty. Again this is done by hiring a candidate as a non-partner, with no long-term security assured. Over the course of one or two years of working in the practice, the leaders of the group will learn whether the individual has the required interpersonal skills they seek for their group.

AVAILABILITY: At present, anesthesiologists are undersupplied in the American workforce, and there are multiple job openings. Most anesthesia vacancies are in less desirable locations with a poorer payor mix. Many openings are for locum tenens or short-term coverage. If there is a hospital or a town you desire to work in, contact employers and find out if there are any job openings. Top anesthesia groups rarely advertise that they have openings, rather they seek out available new hires via their alumni networks. Your mission is to make connections and to be available should any of these plum jobs become open.

What is a “better job” in anesthesiology? The answers: higher pay, less middle of the night or weekend emergency cases, less uninsured patients, a location near outstanding schools, a prime climate for your family’s lifestyle, and an updated hospital staffed with outstanding surgeons and nursing staff. To gain a better anesthesia job, get the three A’s of ability/affability/availability aligned per the suggestions above. In summary:

  • If you’re about to graduate from an anesthesia residency or anesthesia fellowship, study hard and pass your anesthesia boards. Board-certification will be a powerful key to unlock the best anesthesia jobs.
  • If you’re currently employed as an anesthesiologist and want to move on to a better job, work hard to maintain and advance your skills. Seek out contacts who already have better jobs. Show interest in these better jobs as you hear about openings. Because of the current undersupply of anesthesiologists, it’s now a favorable marketplace with multiple job openings.
  • Once you’ve been hired, make every effort to be a respected citizen in the culture of your new hospital. The Golden Rule applies—treat others as you’d want to be treated. Don’t be an a—hole under any circumstances. Follow the three A’s of ability, affability and availability, and more likely than not, you’ll find yourself with a job you love in anesthesiology.

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The most popular posts for laypeople on The Anesthesia Consultant include: How Long Will It Take To Wake Up From General Anesthesia? Why Did Take Me So Long To Wake From General Anesthesia? Will I Have a Breathing Tube During Anesthesia?What Are the Common Anesthesia Medications? How Safe is Anesthesia in the 21st Century? Will I Be Nauseated After General Anesthesia? What Are the Anesthesia Risks For Children?

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