What’s a week of GI-attending call like?

[Det00009]

I’m an MS1 who’s interested in GI. I noticed that most of the job positions online require a 1:4 or 1:6 call. From my understanding, when an attending is on call for the week they will go to the hospital if needed / be up all hours of the night to answer questions, then go to work the next morning (like fellows do). I know it can vary a lot, but what’s a typical week of call like? Is it very stressful?

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[IM2GI]

This is an unanswerable question with too many variables to give a universal answer. It is also not particularly relevant at your stage of training. If you go into GI, and when you are looking for jobs in 9 years, you should ask detailed questions about what call is like at the specific center you are looking at.

 

[ChessMaster3000]

I’m an MS1 who’s interested in GI. I noticed that most of the job positions online require a 1:4 or 1:6 call. From my understanding, when an attending is on call for the week they will go to the hospital if needed / be up all hours of the night to answer questions, then go to work the next morning (like fellows do). I know it can vary a lot, but what’s a typical week of call like? Is it very stressful?

Study for med school. Shadow a gI doc.

 

[timpview]

Just remember they’re either too sick to scope or stable and can be scoped in the am.

Most to not all GI services are consult only. So it won’t be hard to find an easy call set up, though frequency might be higher than ideal and local ER/Hospitslist culture can dictate things. With that said many places have APPs as first call too.

So in general could be getter but definitely not like some specialties (cards).

 

[thecalccobra]

Just remember they’re either too sick to scope or stable and can be scoped in the am.

Most to not all GI services are consult only. So it won’t be hard to find an easy call set up, though frequency might be higher than ideal and local ER/Hospitslist culture can dictate things. With that said many places have APPs as first call too.

So in general could be getter but definitely not like some specialties (cards).

Cards call isn’t that bad for noninvasive. Rarely if ever have to go in after hours.

 

[cards67]

Can confirm, my gen cards call is much easier than my GI friend's call. Highly job dependent though.

 

[ChessMaster3000]

My GI call is tough. Depends where you work The whole mantra of "too sick to scope or stable enough to scope in the morning" is only partially true. Food bolus - gotta come in. Foreign body - gotta come in. Hematemesis - usually gotta come in.

 

[Lccjblu]

It really depends on your practices environment. I work at a community hospital that does advanced HF (IABP and LVADs), so there are more bleeders than the run of the mill community hospital. We have 10+ GIs in our group so call only happens 1-2 times per month. Getting called in doesn;t happen all that often. Our ED is in general well versed in handling things on their own and know to prep or hold pt NPO if they are bleeding; they usually only call if patient is ICU material and/or unstable. when on consults, we don’t cover any clinic or outpatient scopes. The call schedule in this setting is quite manageable and QOL is good.

Other set ups, particularly private practice, you are likely full outpatient even when on call so you are staying after hours to scope inpatients and there tends to be more heterogeneity in ED Providers, resulting in more calls.

 

[Elixir6]

I don't agree with the statements that it's too early to be thinking about what specialties you might like and the work/life balance. But I wouldn't be hyper focused on that now either. You need good grades to go into the residency and then subsequent fellowship of your choice later.

As for call, it will depend on where you work certainly, but at most places GI is consultation only, and there are only a handful of true emergencies that require you to come into the hospital in the middle of the night, so it's typically very infrequent. If you are at private practice, you may get ED calls, and can just give advice on the phone and see the patient in the morning. If you are at an academic or privademics center the fellows take those calls, but instead you get calls from the transfer center. You just go back to sleep afterwards and it's certainly no worse than having a young child. You may frequently get no calls.