Q&A:
John J. Koncelik, D.O. (’82)
Anesthesiology
Why
did you choose anesthesiology?
I
started out in emergency medicine in Dayton. I was an
emergency care physician for three years, during which
time I saw a lot of child abuse, domestic abuse—very
emotional stuff. I realized that I still wanted acute
care medicine, but with a better lifestyle, without
dealing with the intense emotions of the ER, so
anesthesiology worked for me.
What’s
your favorite aspect of the field?
I really enjoy talking to
patients. In my field I have to gain the trust and
confidence of a patient very quickly before delivering a
positive medical experience and taking them to the next
phase of treatment. It’s very gratifying interaction.
What’s
the most challenging?
You do have to be on call.
Anesthesiologists guard the operating room doors 24
hours a day. It’s a wide-stretching field that
encompasses obstetrics, trauma,
cardiovascular—everything. There’s a real demand for
anesthesiologists, so the time commitment can be pretty
big.
Did
you have any mentors that stood out at OU-HCOM?
Doctors Tony Chila and Dan Marazon.
Since I had just gotten out of college—I was one of only
eight students fresh out of college in my class—I was
kind of a wild root, and they helped me stay focused and
driven.
Is
campus much different than you remember?
You
know, I probably never really noticed campus so much
before. I knew that campus was beautiful, but as medical
students, we tended to stick to a smaller triangle of
campus life.
Why
did you choose osteopathic medicine?
I was looking at allopathic
schools, and this college was brand new. I didn’t know
much about osteopathic medicine, but one of my best
friends’ fathers was associate dean at OU-HCOM. I started
talking with him, and I decided that osteopathic
medicine seemed less rigid—a more complete and sensitive
version of medicine versus the strict, didactic
allopathic school. I wanted to really explore the field,
to see and touch and experience all different angles and
perspectives.
