To learn more about anesthesiology, medical students are encouraged to participate in The Ohio State University College of Medicine’s Anesthesiology Interest Group (AIG). The goals of AIG are to increase interest in anesthesiology by creating opportunities for medical students to become involved in anesthesia research and education and by helping members pursue an anesthesia residency. AIG meets in Meiling Hall, with various lectures and events held throughout the year, including workshops on airway management, ultrasound in critical care medicine, IV access with and without ultrasound guidance, advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), etc.

In addition to gaining hands-on experience through a variety of workshops, students also have the unique opportunity to network with Department of Anesthesiology faculty, who are invited for informal question-and-answer sessions about the specialty and residencies. Leadership positions are filled in late spring quarter and are available for medical students at all levels who are interested in anesthesiology.

Jonathan Lipps, MD
Assistant Clerkship Director

Shadowing of anesthesiology faculty can be arranged for interested students based on their schedule and interests. This is an ongoing, flexible opportunity for Med 1 and 2 students to explore anesthesiology prior to clinical rotations. Any interested student is encouraged to contact the shadowing coordinator or faculty advisor.

Tips for the shadowing experience

• Bring your Med ID badge and wear scrubs
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions or help out

Student feedback

Shadowing does help! If a student is interested in anesthesiology, many would recommend shadowing because one day actually may be enough to get a feel for what anesthesiologists do. By shadowing for a short amount of time, a student will be able to better assess whether he or she would want to select anesthesiology as a third year elective.

For more information, contact:

Sarah Robertson
Sarah.Robertson@osumc.edu

A word from an OSU College of Medicine graduate

"Anesthesiology residencies seem to be separated into the elite few programs (MGH, UCSF, UCLA, Mayo, etc.) and the rest. Regardless of program name, you'll get the right amount of training to become a successful anesthesiologist. If you are interested in fellowships after residency, research is very important to pursue. Exposure to the sub-specialty and strong recommendation letters also seem to help a great deal. If you want to pursue academics after residency, you should apply to state institutions and avoid the smaller community hospital programs (this does not always hold true, but it is what residents told me during many interviews).

Anesthesiology is not the most competitive field, but it has become a lot more competitive in recent years. The number of interviews/ranks needed to match varies from seven to 10 depending on source, and most applicants apply to 15-20 programs. If you're worried about board scores or your resume, you could apply to more and evaluate after seeing how many interviews you get. Also keep in mind that programs are split between advanced and categorical. More and more programs are becoming categorical, but you should apply to a few preliminary/transitional programs just to cover the advanced positions.

During interviews, it would be helpful to keep a notebook and write down the pros and cons for each program. Regardless of the impression that the school made, you forget about a lot of things when you're formulating your rank list. As far as expenses, it's near impossible to schedule everything perfectly, but a lot of programs work hard to accommodate you. As interview invites come in, you can always call program coordinators and ask to reschedule (try to limit this, but they understand). Hotels are sometimes covered by the school (about 50% of mine), so contact the program soon after interview invites to register for accommodations, directions, etc. Try not to schedule interviews too close together because you can definitely become burnt out. Also, try to schedule your higher priority schools first when you have more energy and are excited to interview. If you don't get interviews from schools that you are interested in, it doesn't hurt to contact the program coordinator/director and reiterate your interest in the program. Many interviewees seem to have gotten interviews after calling/e-mailing (don't do this too early in the interview season)."

American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA)

• Medical student membership in the ASA is only $10 annually
• The largest international meeting of anesthesiologists that takes place in a different U.S. city each fall
• Medical students from OSU have presented their research at the ASA annual meeting in the past
• The MSD meeting occurs the Saturday of the ASA annual meeting each year. Medical students from every school in the U.S. are encouraged to attend

The Ohio Society of Anesthesiologists, Inc. (OSA)

• Medical student membership in OSA is free for medical student members of ASA. (Contact: osa@osainc.org)
• Medical students in Ohio are encouraged to attend this meeting, which alternates locations between Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus each fall
• Registration is free for medical students, whether or not they are members of OSA

Midwest Anesthesia Residents Conference (MARC)

A large conference consisting predominantly of research and clinical case presentations that takes place in a midwestern city early each spring.