Anaesthesia - The view from medical school

My experience of anaesthesia as a specialty started long before I was a medical student. I had a few procedures under general anaesthesia as a child, and when I was old enough to remember those experiences, it was the reassuring contact with the anaesthetist that sticks in my mind (not forgetting the strawberry-smelling mask!) Such experiences of effective communication collectively formed the foundations upon which my interest in anaesthesia has developed and matured during my time in medical school.

I have always been interested in why and how things work, so naturally I find physiology and pharmacology intriguing.

During medical school I have had many opportunities to observe anaesthetists in theatre and intensive care looking after a patient’s physiology with such astute precision. Clinical problems are commonly approached by referring back to the first principles of physiology and pharmacology, and I received a lot of teaching in this way during my anaesthetics placements. An example which comes to mind is hypotension: the causes and rationale for management strategies can be explained by the equation of blood pressure physiology. It initially sounded complex but understanding the rationale behind treatment approaches is incredibly useful.

I feel that the education I have received during my anaesthetics placements will help me as a foundation doctor next year when faced with common clinical problems, such as a patient on the ward with low blood pressure. 

During my five years of medical school, many educational opportunities have shaped my understanding of anaesthesia as a specialty. Each clinical experience has been a piece of the jigsaw: still to be completed, but the overall picture is clear.

Importantly, these experiences have been in a variety of clinical settings, not just in theatre, and have included spending time with different team members who work closely with anaesthetists.

An example is pre-assessment clinics in which I developed an appreciation for the wider roles of the anaesthetist and specialist nurses in optimising a patient’s health before surgery, with the overarching aim of improving outcomes after surgery.

I have also had the opportunity to follow perioperative patient journeys: following a patient before, during and after surgery. I have found this particularly interesting as I have been able to appreciate all the different skills of anaesthetist: technical and non-technical (communication, education, situational awareness). As a student, it is extremely rewarding to be on this journey with a patient as you can positively contribute in many ways, whether that be by helping to reassure the patient or in practical ways such as airway or cannulation skills, for example.

The skills I have learned on my anaesthetics placements, both technical and non-technical, are helping me feel more prepared for working as a foundation doctor. 

Overall, I have had rich learning opportunities in my anaesthetic placements, and my experiences have given me valuable insights into the diverse roles and skills of an anaesthetist. 

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