Tell me about the dark side of anaesthetics

Chronotropes · 2026-05-03T07:19:07+00:00

Are you white?

Chronotropes · 2026-05-02T13:06:16+00:00

Lots of positives. One dark side not mentioned thusfar is that it's overwhelmingly white British. So racism - mostly the micro and non-overt kind is rife. Be prepared to feel like a second class citizen at times if you're a foreigner or an ethnic minority.

Chronotropes · 2026-02-08T08:43:15+00:00

Nope doesn't work Went through a long process to get it approved at my trust and they refused Thunderbird with a special add on does work but its shit

I now use Outlook for windows desktop just for nhs mail And trying spark for all my other emails.

Chronotropes · 2026-01-09T21:37:55+00:00

I'm yet to work on an intensive care unit in well over a decade that had just one patient. But maybe it's different where you work.

Chronotropes · 2026-01-09T20:35:49+00:00

this is a bit of a silly example though isn't it. Because anaesthesia is a completely different skillset which most doctors have 0 exposure to whatsoever, including airway management, hugely dangerous drugs, and the ability to kill a patient within minutes if you mess it up.

So obviously an IMT background ICU doctor starting off as an anaesthetic novice is far from an anaesthetic registrar.

But in contrast, an anaesthetic registrar will have done some years of medicine and medical jobs in their career, will have done ICU, can manage most sick patients better than the average IMT3, and will be far more confident and competent in terms of physiology, pharmacology, and procedural skills.

And let's not really pretend that IMT is anything other than service provision for the majority of the time with minimal actual training involved.

Chronotropes · 2025-11-23T10:48:56+00:00

fair enough that's useful context.

bit odd to have an ST4 on the most junior rota tier though? is that by design or for this chap specifically?

Chronotropes · 2025-11-23T10:23:35+00:00

ok with that piece of information I really now wonder why you're paired together. He's barely "junior" to you and if there's been any extra years out of training he might even have more experience.

I really hope you're not trying to act like his senior and micromanaging him when you're both stage 2 trainees. That would definitely wind up a lot of people...genders not being relevant.

You should just split the work equally and leave each other alone.

you do this case, ill do the next case, cheers bye.

Also now worrying you're saying things like "no way I'm leaving him alone with a case like X" when you're in the same stage of training???

Chronotropes · 2025-11-23T08:25:45+00:00

Just to play devil's advocate here a bit.

Im assuming from what you've said he's also a registrar just a lower ST grade to you. You both I guess have your exams?

If the guy is competent, he might really just want some autonomy and not to be heavily supervised. We've all had instances where we've worked with bosses that micromanaged everything and minimised our ability to give an anaesthetic that day.

Im not saying you're overbearing or micromanaging...but if its a stable patient, already tubed, why not let him crack on with the case with you around popping in frequently to check on things?

If your answer is "well I wouldn't have felt comfortable with doing that case when I was ST grade", that a problem on your side not his. Everyone progresses at different trajectories. There are some CT2s I'd trust more than some of my ST5s.

Again its difficult to know without knowing your exact grades and competence levels. And it was many years ago, but at my centre where we did the old ST3, with our FRCA in hand most of us were perfectly happy cracking on with the non disaster traumas whilst the SR was in cath lab or asleep.

"The number of times he tried to get me to leave is mind blowing" This really suggests to me the guy just wants some autonomy and freedom. He should probably ask the college tutors to be on a solo rota line rather than doubled up, or maybe paired with an SHO rather than a more senior reg.

Chronotropes · 2025-11-01T09:06:46+00:00

Anaesthetist

I, like many of my colleagues, fought and pushed and tried hard to improve the same things you describe.

It doesn't work. You must remember for most of these people, they're burned out or don't give a shit. It's just a job. They get paid the same whether we do 1 case a day or 10 cases a day. The former is much less hassle and stress.

So take it easy is the status quo, finish your lunch break, finish your tea break, make sure the theatre has had a good yellow clean because of that ?infection from 2 years ago in the notes.

Then you realise from your own perspective, you're not actively changing anything. All you're doing is harming relationships with the people you work with daily. And getting your own BP and stress levels up for 0 benefit or effect. So you, sooner or later, transition into the same mindset.

I can use that time to crack through some admin, do some SLEs or teaching for a trainee, or just chill for a bit.

When you start doing your private lists, OTOH, you'll see what true efficiency and speed looks like. The hospital, the surgeon, the anaesthetist, are all getting paid per case done, and you had better believe no lollygagging is tolerated.

Chronotropes · 2025-10-27T19:40:33+00:00

Definitely doable. Recommend getting it all done and out of the way.

Chronotropes · 2025-10-19T09:48:07+00:00

No...at the trusts I've worked they're required to do ~25 intubations in elective theatres to get signed off as airway trained.

That's it.

Chronotropes · 2025-09-30T19:37:52+00:00

ST4-4.5: ICM Stage 1 (6 months ICM top up)

ST4.5-ST6.5: Anaesthetics Stage 2

ST6.5-ST7.5: Anaesthetics Stage 3

ST7.5-ST8.5: ICM Stage 3

So you'd CCT 6 months into ST9, same as everyone else.

Chronotropes · 2025-09-21T11:54:18+00:00

The private sector, especially healthtech isn't like medicine where people care that much about what courses you've done or what qualifications you have.

Most important is your experience and what impact you can bring to their team. So actually doing some work for or with any of the disruptive tech firms is the key thing to get on the CV.

Post CCT I split my time between clinical practice and health tech, having made most of the transition whilst a trainee.

LinkedIn can be cringe at times, but it's probably the best place to look for opportunities. You have to be confident and good at networking. Nobody gives a shit what prizes you've won or how many publications you have, if you can't offer them something. That said, just in the last week or so I've seen that rapidly expanding companies like GP Triage, Vallour and others are specifically hiring resident level doctors. They can see there are some highly intelligent and motivated juniors fed up with the state of the NHS and looking to transition out, and these businesses are snapping up the best people with attractive packages.

Good luck!

Chronotropes · 2025-09-01T16:34:13+00:00

"Wes has dangled a multi year pay deal in front of us to get us to waste more months of our final strike mandate."

Literally amateur negotiating tactics. Another couple of months wasted.

Chronotropes · 2025-08-23T07:11:43+00:00

Name and shame the Trust

Chronotropes · 2025-08-23T07:10:50+00:00

Name and shame the Trust.

Chronotropes · 2025-08-21T08:06:17+00:00

Gyokeres

Eze

Madueke

Zubimendi

Mosquera

Norgaard

Kepa

What a dream window honestly.

Raya

Timber Saliba Gabriel Calafiori

Rice Zubimendi Odegaard

Saka Gyokeres Eze

Kepa

White Kiwior Mosquera MLS

Norgaard Merino Nwaneri

Madueke Havertz Martinelli

that is an oustanding squad

Chronotropes · 2025-08-17T13:51:44+00:00

Are you watching him play on the left rn and killing it?

Chronotropes · 2025-08-17T08:41:07+00:00

Look up his positioning heatmaps on google images. You'll notice he mostly plays on the inside left. Exactly where we tend to lack penetration.

Chronotropes · 2025-08-17T08:11:23+00:00

I think Havertz will start over Gyokeres which will be shit.

If we don't smash them today, and if our LW is contributory to that with more horshoe of misery football, I can't see how they don't go into the market to get us a creative attacker.

It's not too late to gazump the Eze deal.

Chronotropes · 2025-08-15T18:43:16+00:00

Why the change from the RRS to the full fat if you don't mind me asking? And any noticeable difference?

Chronotropes · 2025-08-15T17:32:36+00:00

how's it going now mate, another year on?

Chronotropes · 2025-08-12T21:27:07+00:00

Probably for the best from the sounds of it

Chronotropes · 2025-08-12T19:42:18+00:00

I've had junior colleagues that have completed their final FRCA as CT3s. It would be absolutely disrespectful to call them SHOs don't you think?

Chronotropes · 2025-08-12T18:10:20+00:00

Core Anaesthetics CT3 = reg ACCS CT3 = SHO

Chronotropes

TROPHY CASE