Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 9/14/2007

Question
Dear Dr. Levy,
I know you might have already answered these kind of questions but it would
be really great for me to know more about Anesthesiology. I'm currently living
in Canada and am now in grade 10. Before I wanted to be a pediatrician but I
think I would enjoy being an anesthesiologist.

I am also thinking about going to a university in Europe, preferably the UK. I
talked to my counselor at my school and he said that if I want to be in
medicine and go to the UK, that I have to start planning stuff out soon. He
also said that if I got accepted to a school in the UK I would go straight to
medical school, meaning no undergrad....Is this true? I don't really expect you
to answer this question but I was just wondering if you knew...

Now to the real question....How long does it take to become an
anesthesiologist and though it might be longer to become one, is material
harder to understand comparing to what I would learn if I wanted to
become... for example -->a pediatrician.

Thanks for your time...
AJ

Answer
The UK combines undergraduate with medical school (as do most European schools) and do it in anywhere from 6 to 9 years. After that, you need 4 yrs of anesthesiology training. I can't tell you what is more difficult because each specialty has its challenges. It all depends on what you like to do.

Ronald Levy, MD
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston