Year in Program: 4
During medical school I realized that anesthesia combined all of my favourite aspects of medicine, from the clinical application of physiology and pharmacology to the management of critically unwell patients. I like that anesthesia is an intellectually stimulating specialty dealing with acute medicine, while at the same time involving hands-on procedures. There is a lot of diversity within the specialty. We work with patients of all ages for all types of surgeries and in other settings such as the chronic pain clinic and intensive care unit (ICU). Last but not least, it’s rewarding to be able to help patients through their most stressful times.
This year I’m looking forward to my subspecialty anesthesia rotations in areas such as thoracic and neurosurgery, regional anesthesia, pediatrics and chronic pain.
For me, personal wellness involves getting outside into the mountains where I enjoy the solitude and experiencing natural landscapes. Over the last few months I’ve been enjoying trail running, scrambling (climbing rocky terrain without rope), and getting into mountain biking. Keeping in touch with friends and family has been key, whether that be through physically-distanced activities or over video calls.
Scrambling in the Rockies with my partner and family this summer has been really fun while allowing physical distancing. As COVID-19 will be an ongoing issue, it will be important to continue precautions like physical distancing into our fall and winter activities. I look forward to ski touring, which by nature is a small group activity that can be physically distanced while still being safe.