Although there are many medical professions that I am interested in, anesthesiology has particularly caught my eye. To achieve my goal of becoming an anesthesiologist, I must go through a good education pathway first. I am currently at DeBakey high school, which is a health professions school and after I graduate I hope to go to a good college and then medical school. I would hope to obtain a doctoral degree because becoming an anesthesiologist requires the highest level of education, a doctoral or professional degree. Ninety-seven perfect of anesthesiologists have a doctoral degree. Before applying for a job, I would send an inquiry letter that asks about the job, the skills needed, the pay, and the hours needed to work. When applying for the job itself, I would prepare a resume listing my education, previous work experience, and all medical related awards I have won. Afterwards, I would submit an application for the job, including a cover letter that describes my credentials, the job I am seeking and my education. At the interview, I would dress professionally, including a suit and tie, having shaved beforehand. I would also arrive ten minutes early and speak loud and clearly. I would present attributes such as responsibility, diligence, and honesty, things that an interviewer looks for in an interviewee. After the interview, I would submit a follow up letter thanking the interviewer for his or her time.
In order to maintain employment, they must have certain skills as well as ethical moral. An anesthesiologist works in tandem with surgeons in the operating and emergency room to administer an anesthetic to the patient. In addition to administering the anesthetic, anesthesiologists monitor many of the patient’s vital signs during the surgery, including blood pressure, body temperature, heartbeat, amount of oxygen in the blood and level of consciousness. Anesthesiologists must react quickly to the conditions of the patients and either provide extra dosage if the patient can still feel pain or possibly a countereffect of the dosage if the patient is losing consciousness too fast. Anesthesiologists need to have proficient skills in math, speaking, science, writing and reading comprehension. Since anesthesiologists spend most of their time preparing the dosage and monitoring the patients, they must be good at monitoring, staying focused and alert through long periods of time. The emergency room is a very intense, stressful place and anesthesiologists must be able to remain calm throughout the whole surgery, which often lasts for more than six hours. Knowledge of biology and chemistry is vital in anesthesiology because anesthesiologists are required to understand how to synthesize the proper amount of dosage that will interact with the different body systems of the variety of people in the world. For example, dosages will vary with factors such as the amount of iron in the blood or the body fat a person has. Many ethical behaviors are necessary as an anesthesiologist; for example, anesthesiologists must consider whether or not they should seek informed consent from any patient who has had a dose of a certain drug. Other examples include the level of anesthesia they must consider administering depending on the cheapness of the drug if the hospital has a strict budget. Furthermore, they must decide between trusting their medical background or the patient’s will if the patient insists on retaining his or her do-not-resuscitate status.
The anatomy and physiology that I have learned in class can greatly help in this career. For example, understanding the circulatory system can help decide where to inject the dosage. Furthermore, the ability to read vital signs is extremely important in anesthesiology in order to figure out whether or not the patient is stable during the surgery and how they must adjust the dosage. If the pulse or respiration falls too low, then the anesthesiologist must know how to add or dilute dosage to prevent the patient from dying. Being able to calculate BMI and amount of blood in the patient can determine the concentration of dosage needed. In everyday life, anatomy and physiology can be used to prevent diseases. It teaches me how to walk, sit, and stand with correct pressure to prevent possible spine curvature.
Overall, there are many skills and ethical behaviors needed to become an anesthesiologist. My current pathway is preparing me for this by teaching me the anatomy and physiology that can greatly help in this career pathway.
