Violet Wang

Ms. Gardner

English 10h, 5th period

27 March 2018

Reflection

Though I never specifically planned a future career, being a pharmacist had always been in the

corner of mind. So whenever adults would ask me about my unplanned future, I'd answer “I want to be a

pharmacist”, just to end the conversation. It's harrowing to imagine myself in the future and to plan the

ideal next few years, but creating a resume has helped highlight my goals.

I have always been certain that I want to go into the medical field, but this field is a wide umbrella

that encompasses a plethora of career possibilities. I was never specifically fascinated in one thing, but

pharmacology seemed interesting enough. And, sure enough pharmacist was the top job I matched with

for I-search. It seemed like a good fit with good pay and stable work conditions. However, as I researched

further, it became clear that artificial intelligence, being more efficient and accurate, is quickly replacing

pharmacists around the world. With this bleak job outlook, I decided to investigate some other jobs and

stumbled upon the field on anesthesiology, which combines pharmacology with physiology. In a play of

surgery, anesthesiologist are the backstage crew, making sure the performance runs smoothly, while

surgeons are the star performers. Anesthesiologists prep patients, administer anesthesia, and monitor

patients’ vital signs during surgery. The idea of administering medications and seeing its immediate

effects as well as do procedures greatly interests me. Additionally, The Bureau of Labor Statistics

estimates the job outlook to increase 21% just by 2024. Such a specialized field can't be replaced by

robots in the foreseeable future, has a great pay, and captures my interests.

To learn from someone who has actually built a successful career, I contacted Rachel Hadler, an

anesthesiologist-intensivist at The Hospital Of The University Of Pennsylvania. I wanted to hear about

her personal challenges and experience as an anesthesiologist. Over email, she explained how she didn't

become interested in the field of anesthesiology till very late into medical school, but was initially
attracted by the excitement of the operating room and opportunity to apply pharmacology in real life.

Hadler says she loves her career because it is full of “challenges and learning opportunities”. She also

explained the downsides that “ include that you have less time to bond and build relationships with

patients, and rarely get to see them postoperatively”. Additionally, I learned that the precision of

anesthesiology results in high malpractice insurance, as anesthesiologists are often sued when surgeries

go wrong. And, a combination of emergency calls, critically ill patients, and risky surgeries results in a

highly stressful, environment. Hadler told me that she handles 12-15 terminally ill patients in the

emergency room at any given time. Could I really handle being responsible for so many people’s lives?

Would I be able thrive in such a stressful environment? Hadler’s story helped reveal challenges I may

also face if I go into anesthesiology. She also helped me understand that intrinsic interest and passion

drives happiness in a career, regardless of material things like big paychecks. Though I am definitely

interested in anesthesiology, the drawbacks of such a consuming career are definitely in my mind as I

don't know if I can handle such stress or devote so much time to work, especially considering that

someone's life would be in danger if I didn't attend to emergency calls. This responsibility scares me right

now, but I hope I can embrace it in the future and find true passion in this occupation.

Overall, the I-search assignment helped outline the steps to my future . It acted as a wake up call that

I need to start focusing more on my life after high school and work as hard as I can now if I want to reach

my goals later. After all, this journey is all connected. I don't know if my path will lead to being an

anesthesiologist, but my research has certainly placed this career in my vision. I realized that I may not be

willing to sacrifice what is needed to succeed in such a demanding job, but also that passion and genuine

interest drives happiness in a career. Only time will tell my future as I constantly learn more about myself

in regards to my ideals, true interests, and what I want to do with my life.

 1933 Matzen Ranch Circle

Violet Wang Lancaster, PA 17602

(415) 244-5576
____________________________________________________________________________ violetwang@gmail.com
Anesthesiologist
Objective SKILLS

Applying for the general anesthesiologist position for Envision Physician - Skilled in preparing
Services at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Pennsylvania. patients for emergency
surgeries
- Can accurately monitor
patient's blood pressure,
heart rhythm,
Summary
temperature, level of
consciousness, and
Violet Wang is a licensed and board certified anesthesiologist. She has been trained
amount of oxygen in the
extensively in anesthesia with years of hands-on experience. Violet specializes in
blood
general anesthesiology and has worked with patients of all ages throughout
- Can administer
Pennsylvania.
anesthetic or sedation
during medical
procedures, using local,
intravenous, spinal, or
Experience caudal methods
- Accustomed to working
WeatherBy Healthcare, Pennsylvania - General Anesthesiologist position under high stress
environments
November 2032 - December 2034

Worked with an average of 7 adult patients per day

References
The Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care at the University of Pennsylvania,
Pennsylvania - fellowship
Anita Bergh - Manager at the
September 2031 - November 2032
Department of Anesthesia and
Advanced regional anesthesia training
Critical Care at the University of
Pennsylvania
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia , Pennsylvania - internship
August 2027 - November 2028
Anita.Bergh@uphs.upenn.edu
Anesthesiologist assistant , involved in surgery preparation of patient

EDUCATION Rachel Hadler, MD. - Professor

of Anesthesiology at Perelman
The Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care at the University of Pennsylvania , School of Medicine
Pennsylvania - Anesthesiologist certification (residency)
August 2028 - August 2031 rachel.hadler@uphs.upenn.ed
u
Perelman School of Medicine, Pennsylvania - Medical degree
August 2024 - June 2028

Katie Barott - Assistant

University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania - Bachelor’s degree Professor of Biology at University
August 2020 - June 2024 of Pennsylvania

kbarott@upenn.edu