Anaesthetics

It used to be said that ‘anaesthesia is a good career for a woman.’ It still is. It is also a good career for a man. Its greatest advantage is its integration with an enormous number of other medical disciplines. Anaesthetists are indispensable in such diverse areas as paediatric cardiology, invasive radiology, obstetrics, patient evacuation and transfer and, of course, the core discipline of operative surgery.

The sub-specialty of intensive care has developed enormously in the last few years and now offers its own associated CCST. Anaesthetists often lead the resuscitation team in hospital and some are involved in helicopter rescue services.

It can be flexible and the less demanding sub-disciplines marry well with part time careers. The trend towards day case surgery presents organisational challenges often best solved by the preoperative preparation being carried out in a pre-operative outpatient assessment clinic. The idea that an anaesthetist’s work is all operating room based is no more accurate than that of a barrister spending has entire professional life in the courtroom.