bafootchi said:
Why are American Medical graduates reluctant to choose FP? I think it is because they think that the specialty is too broad. The FP tries to be all things with training in Peds, Obstetrics and even Surgery. And when a student chooses to do FP they are also cutting themself off from so many fellowships as well.
On the other hand a super subspecialist will often not be able to live in a more rural area because they do not have the patient base to support their specialty.
In a way family practice gives you the ultimate in geographic flexibility because you can practice rurally or in urban areas. Subspecialists are limited to urban areas.
I'll throw my 2 cents in, even though nobody asked. Why I didn't choose family medicine:
1. Too broad, too shallow.
Personally--and I intend no offense--I probably wouldn't take myself to a family doctor if an internist was available, I wouldn't take my children to a family doctor if a pediatrician was available, and I wouldn't take my pregnant wife to a family doctor if an ob/gyn was available. Unless this was one crazy-good family doctor.
2. I want to live in at least a semi-urban area, where family doctors pretty much do jack.
3. I would never say that family docs don't make a good living, but I'd prefer it if my total debt was not substantially larger than my starting salary.
4. Crazy people. I think this is less of an issue in rural areas, but my experiences in family medicine have been marked by extreme exposure to crazy people. And not fun-crazy like florid schizophrenics off their meds or raging bi-polar cases, but drab, dissatisfied middle-aged women with a questionable physiologic basis for their complaints. I swear to christ these people made up at least 25% of the patient population at the two clinics I worked at. Everybody in medicine sees some of these folks... gastroenterologists get the IBS, rheum gets the fibro, plastic surgeons get body dysmorphic disorder, but the family docs see
all of them. Sometimes in a single day. I can't handle it.
5. Clinic. Clinic basically sucks (IMO). I need substantial inpatient responsibility.
6. Zero prestige. Hey, I'm not gonna bullsh1t you. It's a minor factor.