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02/02/2023

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What Makes Anesthesiologists Unique

By Vibhuti Chopra, MD, Assistant Facility Medical Director, Anesthesiology, NewYork-Presbyterian Queens

In 2021, Dr. Vibhuti Chopra shared what inspired her to become an anesthesiologist. Now, she’s sharing more about the unique aspects of anesthesiology to celebrate the contributions anesthesiologists make in the practice of medicine.

Choosing a Career in Anesthesia

I was inspired by my family and community to become an anesthesiologist. In terms of inspiration for my career, it starts from the very beginning. I was born into a family of very successful women leaders. Women who said, “I will put both my family and my career first.” At an early age, I saw my mother work very hard and climb as high as she could while still being very involved and connected.

What Makes Anesthesiologists Unique

As my career has evolved in anesthesia at TeamHealth, I have come to appreciate the unique and positive characteristics of my career field.

  • Anesthesiology is a unique specialty in that we have a brief preoperative interview to get to know a patient’s history and develop trust as they hand themselves over to us during one of the most vulnerable times in their lives. Anesthesiologists serve as patients’ advocates when they cannot speak for themselves.
  • We don’t have the ability to create long relationships over several preoperative visits; thus, patient experience is incredibly important in what we do.
  • Anesthesiology is also unique in that we have so much flexibility in our careers. We can select hospital-based, ambulatory surgery centers or even office-based work. We can work part time, full time and in any community. These options provide anesthesiologists the flexibility to take care of patients with varying acuity in differing practice styles to support their work-life balance.
  • Anesthesiologists don’t just provide intraoperative care, we now serve as perioperative physicians. We are involved in preoperative management with patient optimization and point-of-care ultrasound, intraoperative management and post-operative care as PACU physicians and critical care physicians.

Celebrating Physician Anesthesiologist Week 2023

Our field is only growing, and I’m eager to see how we further our role in the perioperative home and strengthen patient experience. I would encourage anyone entering the medical field to consider a role in anesthesiology. Click here to learn more about anesthesiology at TeamHealth and to view open positions.