A Day in the Life of an ENT?

[DrWJohnson]

Let me say that I am proud to see that this forum finally has an ENT subforum.

I never really considered medicine until I became a patient of an ENT (Dr. Anita Jackson-Kelley). During my senior year in high school I was diagnosed with a conductive hearing loss. At any rate after several surgeries, I really became interested in ENT and even shadowed her a day at our local hospital, which is in a really rural community. I was just wondering if any one could comment on their day to day schedule of as a ent resident or attending. Thanks in advance.

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[TheThroat]

Let me say that I am proud to see that this forum finally has an ENT subforum.

I never really considered medicine until I became a patient of an ENT (Dr. Anita Jackson-Kelley). During my senior year in high school I was diagnosed with a conductive hearing loss. At any rate after several surgeries, I really became interested in ENT and even shadowed her a day at our local hospital, which is in a really rural community. I was just wondering if any one could comment on their day to day schedule of as a ent resident or attending. Thanks in advance.

Resident: day begins with rounds bw/ 6-7 am. Do clinic or OR all day, PM rounds and go home around 5-7, depending on many factors.

Staff: no rounds usually, clinic around 3-3.5 days a week, OR 1.5 to 2 days a week. The details will vary greatly depending on whether you are in academics or private practice re: the type and difficulty of the cases, patients that you see, etc.

 

[dara678]

i would absolutely love to go into ent (it's my dream job) but i have been told by many ppl (family and friends in med school) to forgo it for an easier lifestyle. I have shadowed an ENT doc in academic practice, but I know that I will most likely be in private practice and I have no idea what that is like. My question is, what kind of life does the average private ENT doc have? Is it 8-5 Monday through Friday or is it a lot tougher?

 

[CTashby]

do not let anyone talk you out of what you say is your dream job. If it really is what you want to do, then you have to do it. You are in medical school because you wouldn't be satisfied being anything other than a physician. You can always do something easy. accomplishing something easy, however, generally isn't as gratifying as accomplishing something difficult.

I'm sorry i didn't answer your question, but I don't yet know the answer.

 

[dara678]

CTashby,

you are absolutely right. i came in to medical school knowing that i would be able to do something in the future that could greatly impact ppl's lives. and i know i want to do something i love, not just something that will provide an income. but at the same time i feel conflicted on many different sides; about the pressure to have and raise and be there for a family, as well as the sheer competitiveness of the field itself. hence my question.

but thank you very much for a sincere comment .

 

[TheThroat]

i would absolutely love to go into ent (it's my dream job) but i have been told by many ppl (family and friends in med school) to forgo it for an easier lifestyle. I have shadowed an ENT doc in academic practice, but I know that I will most likely be in private practice and I have no idea what that is like. My question is, what kind of life does the average private ENT doc have? Is it 8-5 Monday through Friday or is it a lot tougher?

IMO, it all depends on whether you like the OR. If you love it, do it. Oto and ophtho are relatively lifestyle friendly surgical subspecialties.

If you don't love the OR, do something else.

The truth of the matter is that ANY job can lead lead to a tough lifestyle. It depends on you more than anything else. Now if you want to see your kids off to school everyday, don't go into a surgical subspecialty. But I know people who make their families a major priority (and it shows) who do surgery.

As far as the average private oto, I would say that on OR days, they are probably getting to work between 6:30 and 7 am and getting home by 5-6. On clinic days, it might be 8 am to 5-6 pm. But you make your schedule. If you don't want to work till 5-6 pm, DON'T do it. You just won't make as much money. That's the beauty of private practice medicine. You make the rules, unless you choose to work for someone else.

Of course, you also have to take call, which is another matter altogether.

 

[dara678]

IMO, it all depends on whether you like the OR. If you love it, do it. Oto and ophtho are relatively lifestyle friendly surgical subspecialties.

If you don't love the OR, do something else.

The truth of the matter is that ANY job can lead lead to a tough lifestyle. It depends on you more than anything else. Now if you want to see your kids off to school everyday, don't go into a surgical subspecialty. But I know people who make their families a major priority (and it shows) who do surgery.

As far as the average private oto, I would say that on OR days, they are probably getting to work between 6:30 and 7 am and getting home by 5-6. On clinic days, it might be 8 am to 5-6 pm. But you make your schedule. If you don't want to work till 5-6 pm, DON'T do it. You just won't make as much money. That's the beauty of private practice medicine. You make the rules, unless you choose to work for someone else.

Of course, you also have to take call, which is another matter altogether.

thanks for the reply thethroat!

i'm thinking that call a couple times a month isn't too bad right?

and i see nothing wrong with working till 5-6 everyday ... i thought that's what most people did .... my SO works till from 7 to 9-10 everyday and he's not even in medicine!

 

[klsohn]

Great board, wish it were around when we we were looking at offers, etc.

My SO is an ENT in private practice, 4 years out or so.

I'm a financial analyst, so I try to be as informed as I can about some of the ins and outs of the practice (except the coding, can't get my mind around that - luckily we have the best coder in the business).

To answer the question about lifestyle in private practice. His office hours are 9-5 essentially - on most days, he's out the door at 8:00 and home by 6:00. He's had one or two extremely late nights (head and neck cases). He doesn't do a lot of head and neck cases since we're near two university hospitals. His partner also sees patients between 9-5, but he does the bulk of the administrative tasks so he stays at the office later. Call is every other week, essentially.

Hope this helps shed some light.

Edit: Forgot about OR days - depends on the time of the case...generally those days he leaves the house at 6:00 for a 7:30 case.

thanks for the reply thethroat!

i'm thinking that call a couple times a month isn't too bad right?

and i see nothing wrong with working till 5-6 everyday ... i thought that's what most people did .... my SO works till from 7 to 9-10 everyday and he's not even in medicine!

 

[Nutmeg1621]

Gosh that is nothing to me. I was told that being a single mother would make a job in ENT impossible. Working 6/7/8am-5/6pm is nothing to me. As long as I can make it home before my daughter goes to bed, and I am able to spend some time with her. I don't mind occasional long nights and I don't mind being on call every other week or so. Everyone makes it sounds like a 5am-10pm job with call from 10pm to 5am . I don't know maybe I am naive, but I think I can do it and be at my job and be a good mother.

I know that residency is harder but I'll suck it up if there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Thanks for all of the replies.