Ryan Mountjoy
Chair of Anesthesia at MaineHealth | Lincoln Hospital
Portland, ME
Favorite block:
❤️
Favorite block isn’t even a contest, it’s the popliteal sciatic. There’s something elegant, dare I say metaphysical, about seeing two eyeballs staring back at you, previously tucked away and minding their own sweet sweet nerve business within the sheath of Vloka. Are they upset with their new liquid invaders? Intrigued? Regardless, seeing the common peroneal and tibial nerves floating within a soothing bath of local anesthetic has been known to bring a tear, even two, to mine eyes. A box of Kleenex is standard issue within our block bays, not for wiping up ultrasound gel, but to peacefully mop the tears of joy we experience blocking nerves on a daily basis.
What’s one thing you wish someone had told you at the beginning of your career?
💡
I wish someone had told me at the beginning of my career to pick the specialty where attendings seem to be having the most fun. I was instructed instead to pick the one where the science interested me the most, but as I reflect on the last 10 years in practice, my best memories are of joking around with our acute pain and regional service team and members of the regional anesthesia community at large. They have become a second family to me, they are my closest friends, and it really excites me to go to work each and every day.
What is a non-medical hobby you’re passionate about?
🏒
Outside of the operating rooms, one thing that really stokes my fire is being a part of my kids’ sports teams. I was a division 1 athlete in college, but that took on more of a “job” mentality. Getting to see sports through my 8 and 10 year old daughters’ eyes is a true blessing and super fun to see the joy in sports. While I can’t encourage my girls to check too often during their hockey games, (and since one is a goalie that would be super weird but also awesome), I love to see the passion in their eyes as well as the broader explosion of girls sports that wasn’t as prevalent just a generation ago.
What would be your walk-up song as you enter the lecture hall?
🎵
I think we’d play a mashup of the Imperial March song from Star Wars to get everyone focused, but just before it got too intense, it’d switch right over to the chorus of “Don’t Stop Believin’ so we knew it was about to be a good time. Basically any Journey song is good with me.
What’s one thing attendees should come and talk to you about at the Summit?
🤝
One thing about me in particular that fellows may want to know is about my breadth of practice type experiences. I have trained and worked in the Ivory Tower model, an urban community program, a hybrid academic-private practice, and critical access rural hospitals. I have worked in medical supervision, direction, and solo anesthesiologist models. There are pros and cons to every job type, so don’t hesitate to ask about my experience about any or all of the practice models out there!