[widgeon13]

He was most likely a lawyer, not a doctor.

Quote de 911pcars

A friend once told me he thinks medical students often choose a specialty based on their people skills and/or their empathy with patients. Thus, many go into family practice while other choose anesthesiology. For the latter, perhaps there's a correlation between the level of interaction they can manage with surgical patients and how deeply they're sedated. Propofol anyone?



Sherwood

I can see how someone might think this way. However, for those that wonder about such things, please consider that many anesthetics are not general anesthetics...which is to say that the patient may be fully awake and without pain for their procedure...which leaves the patient and their anesthetist to interact while they have surgery...and that this is the anesthetic they chose when presented with their options.



Further, consider that anesthesia folks have approximately 10 minutes (sometimes less) prior to patients' surgery to hammer out a plan that involves a complete stranger (or their neighbor in a small town) injecting medications in sufficient dosages to render them (or their children, spouses, parents...) senseless, completely defenseless and to more than competently manage whatever situation that may result. All while avoiding induction of unnecessary anxiety, delaying the surgery schedule or as a patient and family are experiencing a medical emergency.



Propofol is great stuff but a poor substitute for discretion...you could ask MJ and many others if they were still around.



Perhaps your friend would like to chime in here and tell us all about his mad people and medical skills.