Are Pediatricians in general happier than Internists?

[knockoutMice]

I have always had this notion from looking at pediatricians and internists in my med school. I have also read quite few survey ranking peds over IM as far as job satisfaction and overall happiness is concerned.

Is there any rational reason behind this?

I am currently debating between these two specialties? Anyone out there who is having the same confusion?


I personally feel that working with children is a bit less stressful than working with adults. Again you have whining and over-concerned parents who'll eat your head.

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[smq123]

Moving to allopathic, where other MS3s and MS4s trying to pick a specialty can provide input.

 

[psychforme]

In IM you patients respect you a lot more. In peds it is a rare occurence for your patients to greet you f e. Pediatric patients usually just stare at you - in neo you should be happy if they can even look. I am not spending 15 years of training to not even be shown the respect of being greeted by the person I am helping. Ped patients simply has a very arrogant attitude when it comes to their health care providers.

 

[shepardsun]

I am not spending 15 years of training to not even be shown the respect of being greeted by the person I am helping. Ped patients simply has a very arrogant attitude when it comes to their health care providers.

I can't tell if you're joking or not...if not, you make me very sad. As a ped patient myself for ten years, let me tell you that a). being in the hospital or Drs. office can be very scary even into the teens, b). I for one was always very appreciative of the health care providers taking care of me, not just doctors but also nurses, techs, PTs, etc. and c). if you're spending 15 years training solely so that people (in this case children) who come to you in often their greatest hour of need show you the proper respect befitting someone of your obviously high social worth, you might be doing it for the wrong reasons.

 

[DC DOC]

In IM you patients respect you a lot more. In peds it is a rare occurence for your patients to greet you f e. Pediatric patients usually just stare at you - in neo you should be happy if they can even look. I am not spending 15 years of training to not even be shown the respect of being greeted by the person I am helping. Ped patients simply has a very arrogant attitude when it comes to their health care providers.

That was an odd response. No one in their right mind begins a career in Peds with the idea that they are doing it for the respect of children or in any field of medicine for that fact. And why can't a child show appreciation or greet you when you enter a room? I have yet to meet a child that shows intentional arrogance towards a physician. On the other hand, I have met a number of adult patients that have shown complete disrespect and arrogance towards the attending.

 

[phospho]

In IM you patients respect you a lot more. In peds it is a rare occurence for your patients to greet you f e. Pediatric patients usually just stare at you - in neo you should be happy if they can even look. I am not spending 15 years of training to not even be shown the respect of being greeted by the person I am helping. Ped patients simply has a very arrogant attitude when it comes to their health care providers.

dude, for your sake, I hope you're kidding...

 

[radiodoc99]

Keep in mind that if you do IM then you wont see kids and vice versa. Also there are Med-Peds combined residencies.

 

[kdburton]

One thing that I liked a lot more about Peds than IM was that the patients really didn't present with diseases that were primarily due to poor lifestyle choices. Right now I'm on family med (yeah not exactly IM, but similar in some ways) and the clinic I am at is basically full of a bunch of non-compliant diabetic hypertensive Lortab-seekers. When someone has been told that if they continue to live their current lifestyle with a HbA1c of 17% they will end up with BKA/AKA, blind and on dialysis before they die 20 years prematurely from a massive MI and they can't seem to understand that it means they should make some lifestyle changes it makes me furious. I worked in a ghetto clinic for Peds as well and there were periodically some chronically unhealthy children due to neglectful parents, but at least then it wasn't something the child could control - yes you get mad at the parents, but in the worst case scenarios at least you could call CPS and force the children out of this lifestyle.

 

[MJB]

One thing that I liked a lot more about Peds than IM was that the patients really didn't present with diseases that were primarily due to poor lifestyle choices. Right now I'm on family med (yeah not exactly IM, but similar in some ways) and the clinic I am at is basically full of a bunch of non-compliant diabetic hypertensive Lortab-seekers. When someone has been told that if they continue to live their current lifestyle with a HbA1c of 17% they will end up with BKA/AKA, blind and on dialysis before they die 20 years prematurely from a massive MI and they can't seem to understand that it means they should make some lifestyle changes it makes me furious. I worked in a ghetto clinic for Peds as well and there were periodically some chronically unhealthy children due to neglectful parents, but at least then it wasn't something the child could control - yes you get mad at the parents, but in the worst case scenarios at least you could call CPS and force the children out of this lifestyle.

Bingo....what I love about kids is 9/10 times, they don't "earn" their diseases. If it weren't for neurotic parents, Peds would be any easy #1 for me.

That being said, I've mellowed when it comes to *****s that can't save themselves from themselves. You just have to learn not to care.

 

[Smurfette]

I have always had this notion from looking at pediatricians and internists in my med school. I have also read quite few survey ranking peds over IM as far as job satisfaction and overall happiness is concerned.

Is there any rational reason behind this?

I am currently debating between these two specialties? Anyone out there who is having the same confusion?


I personally feel that working with children is a bit less stressful than working with adults. Again you have whining and over-concerned parents who'll eat your head.

From my experience, pediatricians are happier, perkier people at baseline than internists. This is just a generalization, but people in my med school class who chose peds fit this mold, and peds residents in the hospitals I work in also fit the "happier", more cheerful personality mold. Do I think their lifestyle is better? maybe, but I think it's also just part of the personality of those who do peds as opposed to medicine.

Don't pick a specialty based on some random survey results---if you want to do peds, do it. If IM seems a better fit, do that instead...if you go with your gut feeling about which you'll be happier in, you're more likely to be happy in the long-term with your decision.