1073. A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Pain Management Physician?

“I like being part of a team. I work alongside great physicians and nurses and others, and it’s fun to do that. It’s highly rewarding to care for others–to see somebody who is struggling with a painful condition and help them to make that more manageable. I enjoy working with my hands. I enjoy problem-solving. I enjoy the marathon of building a practice. I’m starting a pain fellowship here at MUSC, which we’ve not had for a couple of decades. Just being a part of something new and always growing and improving on every level–professionally and personally–makes me grateful every day that I wake up.”

Dr. Michael “Gabe” Hillegass is a board-certified interventional pain management physician and anesthesiologist. He is medical director of the Chronic Pain Clinic and an associate professor within the College of Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston, SC. Dr. Hillegass completed his anesthesiology residency at MUSC, where he was a chief resident, before moving on to Harvard Medical School’s Brigham & Women’s Hospital for his pain medicine fellowship training. He subsequently served four years on active duty with the navy at the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Virginia. He has won research and teaching awards and has published research articles in peer-reviewed medical journals as well as numerous chapters in pain medicine textbooks. He is dedicated to educating his patients and their loved ones as well as rotating medical students and residents on safe and effective comprehensive pain management strategies.