IM vs FM?

[Dawg_MD]

I am finishing my second year at SGU and recently decided that I want to go into Family Practice. I am married and we are looking at starting a family in the next few years and I really want a job where I can see my kids grow up. I know it may not be as "illustrious" as some other fields such as Cardiothoracic Surgery, etc., but it also has a lot of patient contact which I want. What is the advantage of doing IM vs. Family Medicine if you want to work in a fairly large practice (5 or more MD's) and you want to see patients from preteen years up to the elderly?

Thanks for the help.

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[PimplePopperMD]

IM would not train you to feel comfortable with preteen patients.

Family medicine will train you to care for pediatric patients, OB/GYN, and adult patients.

The advantage to IM is more inpatient training. However, if you are interested in a clinic practice with the patient population you presented, family is your choice.

good luck!

 

[mpp]

Don't forget the Meds/Peds thing if you want an alternative to Family Medicine but will have more of an in-patient twist to it.

 

[DR]

You must think about whether or not you think you might decide to specialize one day or not. Family medicine does not allow you to specialize, unless you want to do sports medicine. If you feel that seeing patients under twenty years old is essential to your being happy in practice, then IM is not for you. Although not all IM practices are loaded with elderly, they certainly will not contain preteens. If the idea of being in a nice office somewhere seeing adults, and their kids, and maybe their relatives, the classic "family" picture, then go for it. Try to find a family practitioner to talk with, and maybe see if you can jump on one of those national AAFP meetings, where enthusiastic medical students are always welcome. Good contacts are made, and it shows interest later on in your CV. Good luck, and remember...you have time!!

 

[notstudying]

If you want to do IM but also want to see teens you can do an adolescent medicine fellowship after an IM residency (for that matter you can do it after an FP residency as well). I think for either IM or FP it is a 2 year fellowship.