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 Name: William A. Shakespeare, M.D.
Program:Anesthesiology, PGY2 (CA-2), Mayo Clinic in Rochester
Hometown: Provo, Utah
Medical School: University of Utah (Salt Lake City)
What attracted you to medicine and anesthesiology?
"I had a moment of decision in my undergraduate life when I considered whether to follow my (inevitable) undergraduate training in English literature with an advanced degree in the humanities or become an anomaly in my family and choose a career in medicine. The momentum I had felt in some volunteer activity in my early college years led me to believe that medicine offers a mental challenge that is similar to literary analysis, as well as a scientific rigor and a hands-on service element that is very gratifying."
What attracted you to Mayo Clinic for residency training?
"Rochester was an incidental stop on my larger interview trail. It took me by surprise. The sense of tradition, the incredible order, and especially the hospitality and personable nature of the program leadership led me to call my wife from the Kahler Grand Hotel after my interview and tell her of my epiphany -- Rochester was “thee place” for us."
What makes the Mayo Clinic Anesthesiology Residency unique?
"My path held unanticipated segues. I applied, interviewed, and came to Rochester as a resident in Mayo's fine Emergency Medicine Program. In December of my intern year, I rotated through anesthesia to hone my airway experience. This was my first exposure to anesthesia, and by the third week of the rotation, a career crisis had emerged. I was in a field I liked, and now had encountered a field I was truly passionate about."
"I think it is a great statement to the anesthesia faculty’s dedication to teaching that even when I was an off-service intern, they were patient in teaching me airway management skills. They used their deliberate and capable teaching skills to help me understand induction drugs, single-lung ventilation, paralytics, and resuscitation in the OR. Their robust knowledge of physiology and pharmacology became a real draw to me. When I was an outsider, they were wonderful to work with. After transitioning into the program, an increased familiarity has only underscored my original impression of the anesthesia faculty as sage, approachable and sharp."
Anything surprise you about Mayo's program?
"I have been surprised by what a benefit the hybrid anesthesiologist/nurse anesthetist practice is to my education. The anesthetists are very much our friends and allies -- many have years of experience and much to teach, and they regularly free up residents so that we can start a line, perform a peripheral nerve block, attend a conference, or take a break before a call shift. The system is very cooperative."
What is living in Rochester like for you?
"I have a family with elementary school-aged children. My wife and I are new to the Midwest and have been very pleased with the sense of community, the neighborhood friendships, and the quality of the schools here. We have family fly in to visit and they love the ease, utility and affordability of the Rochester airport."
"We have found ample entertainment to fill the out-of-hospital life: hiking and swimming at Chester Woods; eagle watching by the Mississippi; theatre festivals in nearby Winona; local zoos; an excellent public library; corn mazes; public parks with swimming pools; and hockey rinks -- it is a very diverse and livable city."
What does your future look like right now?
"I am early in my second year of training and already have sensed that employers court Mayo anesthesia grads, both locally and in other competitive spots from coast to coast. The volume of surgical patients is so solid that we experience a high number of very sick patients undergoing complex procedures. This immersion in advanced surgical management combined with the number of associated procedures -- lines, regional blocks, etc. -- make me feel very comfortable that I will finish the program very qualified and employable in any format of practice."
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