Addressing the anesthesiologist shortage
CMAJ 2000;163(2):160
There is said to be a severe shortage of anesthesiologists in Canada. Wondering if this might be related to a lack of exposure to the subject at the undergraduate level, I queried the 16 Canadian medical schools about the amount of teaching in anesthesia they offer.
I received 13 replies, 1 of which bore no relation to my query but advised me on how to apply for an MSc in biomedical studies. Of the other 12 schools, 5 offered 2 weeks of teaching in anesthesia that included intensive care and ancillaries, 3 had a 1-week course, 1 gave students the option of studying ears, nose and throat or anesthesia (but not both subjects), 1 provided an optional 4 weeks of teaching that included other subjects, and the other 3 schools gave 1 week of teaching. Not 1 of the schools provides its students with training that compares with the dedicated month of teaching in anesthesia I received half a century ago.
Aside from the issue of exposure to anesthesia at the undergraduate level, it seems to me that the shortage could be reduced immediately if anesthesiologists no longer ran intensive care and other units but instead acted only as consultants to such units.
F.B. Singleton
Anesthesiologist (ret'd)
Kingston, Ont.
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