If one of your ambitions is to join ASA (American Society of Anesthesiologists), then you definitely need to check out these top 12 anesthesiology residency programs in 2018 before doing anything else.
Anesthesiology is a branch of medicine that is usually slightly neglected by the general public. Only when an incident happens does the spotlight turn to an anesthesiologist. It all comes from ignorance. If you asked a random passer-by to explain what an anesthesiologist is and what anesthesiologists do, we seriously doubt if he/she would have any other idea except mumbling something like: “He puts the people to sleep.” Surgeons get all the glory, but it is actually the anesthesiologist that’s keeping you alive during the whole process. Even if it’s a minor one, such as removing an appendix, you are at the mercy of an anesthesiologist and his management of your oxygen level and anesthetics or sedatives. His job is to monitor you closely and watches out for any changes in your state. Therefore, next time you have to undergo an operation, you should be shaking hands with the anesthesiologist, too.
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How long does it take to become an anesthesiologist? Similarly to other medical specialties, first you must complete a four-year bachelor’s degree, and then continue another four years to get a degree in medicine (M.D.) or osteopathy (D.O.). After that, there are four more years of an anesthesiologist residency waiting for you. You may go for one more year of study or fellowship if you’re very much interested in critical care medicine, pain medicine, research or education. The question arises: is all that worth it? Indeed it is. In February 2018 the average anesthesiologist (annual) salary is over $400,000. The lowest you could be earning is $286,000. We wish we could tell you an anesthesiologist resident salary is somewhere near that figure, but it’s much lower. Usually, it’s big enough to cover your anesthesiologist schooling cost.
We’ll go back to that later. Now let’s see how this branch of medicine compares to other top residency programs in the USA. For those looking for orthopedic residency program rankings, it seems Hospital for Special Surgery at Cornell Medical Center is the best option. We have already written about best emergency medicine residency programs in our article about top 10 emergency medicine residency programs in America. As for surgery and best neurosurgery residency programs, you’ll find them at two of the universities offering top anesthesiology residency programs in 2018.
We have already done the top 10 anesthesiology residency programs in America for the previous year, and now it’s time for new challenges in 2018. Our primary source was Start Class with their list of schools that could be compared to several criteria: in-state tuition, median MCAT score, median incoming GPA and the overall (Smart) criteria. However, we believe the best indicator of an excellent program is the highest average MCAT score, which basically shows students’ effort to enroll the program. Surely no one would bother that much for a mediocre residency program, would they? Therefore, it is undeniable you’ll get the best possible knowledge there. Still, the difference in the score was only a point or two for the very best. To find the top anesthesiology residency programs in 2018, we decided to compare the tuition fee and a resident’s salary for the first year of study. We deem the best option is the one which gives you great knowledge while your salary could help with paying off the tuition fee. To sum up, the schools were eventually ranked from the lowest to the biggest surplus once we subtracted the fee from the salary. The information on the salary for the first year students was taken from medical school websites.
There’s a long way ahead of you until you’ll be earning one of the highest salaries in the country but remember. Everybody started from one of top 12 anesthesiology residency programs in 2018.
12. Perelman School of Medicine
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Tuition: $52,478
PGY 1 salary: $56,451
With 653 students, this is one of the largest medical schools. Its student body is 19% bigger than the average. You’ll be trained at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.
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And now, let’s see what else we have on our list of anesthesiology residency programs in 2018.
