A Day in the Life: The Unseen Stress of an Anaesthesiologist
A parent-teacher meeting, a scheduled surgery, an emergency C-section, and a patient in cardiac arrest. For an anaesthesiologist, this isn't a hypothetical crisis—it's all in a day's work.
Our latest blog post reviews a powerful short film from ISA Nagpur that pulls back the curtain on the high-stress, unpredictable, and multi-faceted reality of these critical specialists. It's a gripping 60-second look at the constant juggle between planned cases, life-or-death emergencies, and personal sacrifice.
They are the unseen heroes in the operating room, handling new stress every single day. The video concludes with a vital message: "Know Your Anaesthesiologist."
We often see the surgeon as the hero of the operating theatre, but what about the specialist who makes the surgery possible, painless, and safe? The latest short film from the ISA Nagpur City Branch, titled “A Day in the Life of an Anaesthesiologist,” shines a powerful light on this critical, high-stress role.
The video opens with a scene anyone can relate to: our anaesthesiologist trying to plan his day. He needs to quickly attend his child’s Parent-Teacher Meeting at school before heading to the hospital for a scheduled 11 AM surgery.
But in the world of anaesthesia, plans are fragile.
The Emergency Call His day is instantly derailed by an urgent phone call: “Fetal distress! Please come quickly!” He has no choice but to cancel his personal plans and rush to the hospital for the emergency Caesarean section.
The Frustration He arrives promptly, only to find the patient isn’t even ready. The colleague who called him was simply “doing rounds in the ward.” This moment perfectly captures a common frustration: being pulled away for an “emergency” that isn’t prepared, adding unnecessary stress and disrupting the schedule for other waiting patients.
The Domino Effect Because of this delay, he is now late for his original 11 AM surgery. He rushes to the other operating theatre, where the surgeon is understandably annoyed, only to explain that he was “stuck in an emergency C-section.”
From Stress to Stress The day’s challenges don’t end there. After a demanding case, he’s faced with the awkwardness of being underpaid, with the expectation that he “adjust” the fee because the patient is poor. Before he can even process this, his phone rings again. A patient is in cardiac arrest. He doesn’t hesitate—he’s off and running to the ICU to perform CPR.
The Message This gripping 60-second film masterfully shows the reality for an anaesthesiologist. It’s a constant, high-stakes juggle between planned cases, life-or-death emergencies, administrative frustrations, and personal sacrifice.
The video concludes with a vital message from ISA Nagpur: “Know Your Anaesthesiologist.” They are the highly-skilled physicians who handle new forms of stress every single day, performing multiple critical roles to ensure you are always in safe hands.
