First job

The previous link sums it up. But just to add, I fought hard with this decision. I had to choose between a job with a GUCCI schedule, more pay BUT no peds, no OB, no trauma, no call versus another job with occassional weekends/holidays/nights with all of the above and then some! I (painfully) decided to work harder for the first 2-3 years before taking it easy, atleast I will have built the confidence and gained crazy experience. Hope its the right decision, but Im pretty sure it is.

Sorry, it's late and I'm too lazy to read through that long thread. I'm sure it has good info. Here's my dos centavos. Level 1 trauma and hearts is not for everyone right away. In due time and when you're ready. But definitely do not go straight into a easy job doing macs all day either. Don't waste your education. Your 1st few years should be spent building a solid foundation. Do as much as you can and learn as much as you can. This means getting into a good practice of MD's and experience CRNA's. Not a practice with 2 lazy MD's and 5 new grads. You won't learn much that way. Ask a lot of questions. Always have a reason for what you're doing. Be humble, volunteer for cases that will challenge you. Make it known that you want to learn. This is for your sake and the sake of all your patients. Don't be too hard on yourself, the rest will come in due time including the easy jobs and the big $. Good luck.

but in the back of my mind I don't see the purpose of doing something "just because," and not because it makes you happy. If some of you advice to get a more intense job for experience, then how long does a newbie need to get experience for? Thanks

the short answer: as long as it takes. it takes some longer than others. or until you can manage a difficult airway with help from 1 or 2 RN's in the room. Until you can recognize and avoid potential pitfalls. Until you know that you can handle most things. Here's why. Even MACs and healthy patients can go south fast. Always be prepare to do a General Anesthetic when doing MACs and Regional Anesth. Don't take an easy job and get lulled into complacency. As a new Grad, you haven't gotten/developed the skillz yet to just be doing easy stuff all the time. If you start ez, you'll never develop the skillz necessary to be a good/great anesthetist. Only after you've achieve skillz can you take it ez. Even then, if you do ez stuff too long, you'll start to lose that which you aren't using. This is good advice. Take note of it. good luck.