Anesthesiology Residency Letter:

As I approach my fourth year of medical school, I have the privilege of seeking entry into a residency program to begin on September 1st, 2009. In light of my passion for the field of anesthesiology, I am looking forward to applying my skills and enthusiasm in the field.

I believe I have a personality particularly well-suited to the nature of anesthesiology, which is of particular importance to the treatment realities of the profession. I am a caring and easy going individual and I channel these qualities into a bedside manner that will bring my patients ease during a stressful time. I believe that this type of emotional well-being can have a significant impact on treatment outcomes.

Naturally, I am also compelled by the medical implications of this line of work, which incorporates so many other disciplines. A practitioner of anesthetics must be versed in the implications of internal medicine to adequately provide treatment; must possess a full understanding of the way certain conditions will react to anesthesia, and; will take a direct part in surgical procedures. The opportunity to apply my skills and knowledge in all of these areas is both exciting and moving.

An old adage states that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This captures well my feelings about anesthesiology, which is an overlooked sub-specialty in the medical profession. When one spends time working within the field, they come to recognize the often emotionally complex nature of the job. In many ways, the anesthesiologist must be prepared to act as the guardian angel of the patient, providing nothing less than the final say in whether a patient is ready for surgery.

Perhaps it is so that most people enter into the medical profession in order to help others. Truly, anesthesia is a field where I believe I have the greatest opportunity to do so. I look forward to being the one to tell a patient inbound for surgery that everything will be okay.

The job of an anesthesiologist is nuanced and requires a versatile professional; one who is prepared for all of the possibilities. In this way, anesthesiology is something of an art form. It is dense, complex and frequently unpredictable. But it is also incredibly moving. I look forward to being a part of this inspiring field.