advise needed from the wise and knowledgable

[IOE]

hi peepz,

I have a problem....see I got into med school thinking surgery is what i want to do..actually not thinking but it was a done deal for me tht no matter what i am going down the surgery route....now almost finishing second year this has changed ALOT...the idea of spending most of whts left of my life in the hospital kind of turned me off...that plus I realllllly think i'd enjoy cardiology or neurology much more than surgery...problem is i know everything there is to know about landing a surgery spot...but almost nothing about the IM and the fellowships that follow it...can someone please be kind enough to fill me in with some details...like the level of competition?....what extras should i do comes next yr when i start rotations? after finishing the IM residency, how difficult is it to get a fellowship? does it matter where u do ur residency?...the kind of lifestyle?....ya know...basically fill me in with the must-know info.

lots of thnx

peace

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[bof]

try the sticky (FAQ) on top.

hi peepz,

I have a problem....see I got into med school thinking surgery is what i want to do..actually not thinking but it was a done deal for me tht no matter what i am going down the surgery route....now almost finishing second year this has changed ALOT...the idea of spending most of whts left of my life in the hospital kind of turned me off...that plus I realllllly think i'd enjoy cardiology or neurology much more than surgery...problem is i know everything there is to know about landing a surgery spot...but almost nothing about the IM and the fellowships that follow it...can someone please be kind enough to fill me in with some details...like the level of competition?....what extras should i do comes next yr when i start rotations? after finishing the IM residency, how difficult is it to get a fellowship? does it matter where u do ur residency?...the kind of lifestyle?....ya know...basically fill me in with the must-know info.

lots of thnx

peace

 

[14022]

i am not wise nor knowledgeable but it doesnt take these traits to tell you that the key phrase of your post is "finishing second year"...your perception of specialties is going to change so much next year...it is exciting to see how things you thought you hated are actually cool and other things suck in real life...

i recommend talking to people at your school in the fields you are interested...it gives you a contact in that field and reveals your interest in the field....

generally, IM and neuro are among the lower level of competitive although the top programs in each field are competitive

things that make you competitive for these make you competitive for all fields...Dean's letter/letters of rec, USMLE scores, clinical grades are things that will help you the most...other things that help a lot but probably will not hurt you if you dont have them are things like pre-clinical grades, research, extra-curricular activities

fellowships go to residents that are well-regarded at their residency program...those that do well at better residency programs usually get the better fellowships especially if they get letters of rec from well-known people in the field...many IM places are known for their loyalty to their own residents in offering fellowships....bottom line, if you want a competitive fellowship like GI or Cards, do IM at a solid academic program rather than some no name community program

hi peepz,

I have a problem....see I got into med school thinking surgery is what i want to do..actually not thinking but it was a done deal for me tht no matter what i am going down the surgery route....now almost finishing second year this has changed ALOT...the idea of spending most of whts left of my life in the hospital kind of turned me off...that plus I realllllly think i'd enjoy cardiology or neurology much more than surgery...problem is i know everything there is to know about landing a surgery spot...but almost nothing about the IM and the fellowships that follow it...can someone please be kind enough to fill me in with some details...like the level of competition?....what extras should i do comes next yr when i start rotations? after finishing the IM residency, how difficult is it to get a fellowship? does it matter where u do ur residency?...the kind of lifestyle?....ya know...basically fill me in with the must-know info.

lots of thnx

peace

 

[pretzel]

Something to consider as well -- surgeons' lifestyles really vary. Some are in the hospital all of the time, some keep essentially a 9 to 5 lifestyle (with pager interruptions, like many other physicians).

 

[doc05]

hi peepz,

I have a problem....see I got into med school thinking surgery is what i want to do..actually not thinking but it was a done deal for me tht no matter what i am going down the surgery route....now almost finishing second year this has changed ALOT...the idea of spending most of whts left of my life in the hospital kind of turned me off...that plus I realllllly think i'd enjoy cardiology or neurology much more than surgery...problem is i know everything there is to know about landing a surgery spot...but almost nothing about the IM and the fellowships that follow it...can someone please be kind enough to fill me in with some details...like the level of competition?....what extras should i do comes next yr when i start rotations? after finishing the IM residency, how difficult is it to get a fellowship? does it matter where u do ur residency?...the kind of lifestyle?....ya know...basically fill me in with the must-know info.

lots of thnx

peace

as you're still a preclinical student, it is too early for you to decide medicine or surgery, or anything else. but it's good that you're thinking.

one thing to consider is that cardiology has a terrible lifestyle, both in fellowship and in private practice. obviously not the same as surgery, but often just as demanding in terms of hours, late-night emergencies, etc. you would also work in very much a primary-care capacity for many (though not all) of your patients, which can be good or bad depending on your priorities. and even though interventional cards is exploding, remember that most cardiologists are noninvasive ("general") cards.

 

[Corazon]

as you're still a preclinical student, it is too early for you to decide medicine or surgery, or anything else. but it's good that you're thinking.

one thing to consider is that cardiology has a terrible lifestyle, both in fellowship and in private practice. obviously not the same as surgery, but often just as demanding in terms of hours, late-night emergencies, etc. you would also work in very much a primary-care capacity for many (though not all) of your patients, which can be good or bad depending on your priorities. and even though interventional cards is exploding, remember that most cardiologists are noninvasive ("general") cards.[/


The lifestyle of a cardiologist does not have to be "terrible." If you desire to work less hours you will make less money, but still more than most general internists. If you join a large group you life is much more manageable. Cards is probably the hardest working Im subspecialty, but if you enjoy the work it is worth it. If you do interventional you will be working a ton, but you also get paid a ton and do not have to do interventional for the rest of you life. You could always scale back to more of an ambulatory practice, and with the emergence of Cardiac MRI and CT(which cardiologist will be reading) you will have plenty of studies to interpret that will probably reimburse you well. You must do what makes you happy and if that means working an extra 10-15 hrs a week on average then do it. Just follow your gut. Medicine is a good bridge to many different subspecialties you just have to experience them for yourself to see which one fits you best.

 

[buz]

as you're still a preclinical student, it is too early for you to decide medicine or surgery, or anything else. but it's good that you're thinking.

one thing to consider is that cardiology has a terrible lifestyle, both in fellowship and in private practice. obviously not the same as surgery, but often just as demanding in terms of hours, late-night emergencies, etc. you would also work in very much a primary-care capacity for many (though not all) of your patients, which can be good or bad depending on your priorities. and even though interventional cards is exploding, remember that most cardiologists are noninvasive ("general") cards.[/


The lifestyle of a cardiologist does not have to be "terrible." If you desire to work less hours you will make less money, but still more than most general internists. If you join a large group you life is much more manageable. Cards is probably the hardest working Im subspecialty, but if you enjoy the work it is worth it. If you do interventional you will be working a ton, but you also get paid a ton and do not have to do interventional for the rest of you life. You could always scale back to more of an ambulatory practice, and with the emergence of Cardiac MRI and CT(which cardiologist will be reading) you will have plenty of studies to interpret that will probably reimburse you well. You must do what makes you happy and if that means working an extra 10-15 hrs a week on average then do it. Just follow your gut. Medicine is a good bridge to many different subspecialties you just have to experience them for yourself to see which one fits you best.

I have to agree with Doc 05. Cardiology is very interesting but the lifestyle seems awful. Many cardiologists that I met were comfortable with the "high sacrifice, high reward" trade-off though.