Are there CUSH Internships?

[GonnaBeAnMD]

If one chooses not to practice medicine / do a residency and move on with life - is there a cush residency out there? I've heard of different types of programs although I can't remember the names (un-something). Isn't there some sort of office based internship if one doesn't want to be competitive nor apply for residency?

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[NoodleIncident]

If one chooses not to practice medicine / do a residency and move on with life - is there a cush residency out there? I've heard of different types of programs although I can't remember the names (un-something). Isn't there some sort of office based internship if one doesn't want to be competitive nor apply for residency?

Could you clarify your plans some? You state that you do not wish to practice medicine, so why even do an internship? Maybe you're talking about just getting liscensed and becoming a general practitioner. Or maybe you're referring to just having MD after your name. So could you explain a little further? Thanks.

 

[robotsonic]

I don't get it either. If you don't want to practice medicine, then why would you want to do an internship or residency at all? You will have the MD after your name as soon as you graduate med school.

 

[A. Melanoleuca]

I have heard that ophthamology and urology are pretty easy as far as hours go. At least this is the sense I got from talking to their residents and by observing their hours while doing rotations in medical school. The call is pretty benigh, I know that for a fact. I don't even think opthamology does much "in house" call.

Of course, the entry barriers to these residencies are pretty steep. I know several people who were AOA, top of the class, had theri names on research papers, and still didn't match. By my way of thinking, if you have the goods to match into those fields or derm, then you deserve the cushy residency.

It's all relative, of course. I'm sure residents in even the most benign programs work harder than most people in the real world.

 

[A. Melanoleuca]

If one chooses not to practice medicine / do a residency and move on with life - is there a cush residency out there? I've heard of different types of programs although I can't remember the names (un-something). Isn't there some sort of office based internship if one doesn't want to be competitive nor apply for residency?

You can always do a preliminary year, take Step 3, get your license and be perfectly qualified work as a "Doc in the Box" at some urgent care shop. You'd probably make pretty good money, too, at least for what amounts to highly skilled "temp" work. Conceptually, if PAs can handle a lot of primary care there is no reason why a guy with five years of medical education couldn't do the same.

I don't know why you'd waste four years of your life an incur a huge amount of debt just for the prestige of an MD after your name. (It is prestigious, of course, but you'll probably think less of it once you get it than you do now.) If you just want to make a decent salary in the medical field with limited responsibilty you might as well be a PA, many of whom are highly skilled and command salaries equal to that of a low-end primary care MD...all without the burden of four years of medical school and a minimmum of three years of a low-payed residency.

Are you asking if there are any specialties that are exclusively office as opposed to hospital based? The answer is yes: Family medicine, for one, takes place almost exclusively in a clinic (is this what you mean by office?) with occasional visits to your hospitalized patients. (It is different in some rural areas where FPs are often hopsitalists.)

It depends how you structure your practice.

 

[GonnaBeAnMD]

I was just asking if such a thing as a cush internship exists... yes, i realize there are so many things you can do other than go five years. My question is not that - my question is if there are internships where one can have a relatively easy time - if that is the last step of training. I know there are good residencies, other carreer paths, etc. So back to the question, do cush internships exist or are you worked hard at pretty much all of them?

 

[Wednesday]

I was just asking if such a thing as a cush internship exists... yes, i realize there are so many things you can do other than go five years. My question is not that - my question is if there are internships where one can have a relatively easy time - if that is the last step of training. I know there are good residencies, other carreer paths, etc. So back to the question, do cush internships exist or are you worked hard at pretty much all of them?

Some of the transitional years are fairly cush (lots of electives and few floor months). Those particular transitional years are also usually very difficult to get into.

 

[GonnaBeAnMD]

Some of the transitional years are fairly cush (lots of electives and few floor months). Those particular transitional years are also usually very difficult to get into.

Are those always tied in with a residency or can one apply to only a transitional year?

 

[turtle md]

You can do only a TY if you want.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Are those always tied in with a residency or can one apply to only a transitional year?

As noted above, you can do only 1 year of training after medical school and some "cush" TY or prelim years do exist. The question is, why would you want to do this? In essence, you are severely limiting your practice options by not doing a residency. Most reputable institutions will not hire someone who is not BE/BC (ie, who completes a residency) nor will Medicare or insurance companies be thrilled about paying you for your services.

Most people find it practical and financially beneficial to complete a residency - it maximizes your practice options and your earning potential. If however you are not interested in practicing medicine at all ( a la Micheal Crichton) then why even do a year? The year, which might allow you to site for Step 3 and get licensed (in most states), doesn't help you career wise and would be a waste if you never wish to practice.

 

[adeelmd]

Think about doing nuclear medicine... Not very competitive, not much patient interaction either..... I think they would love to have someone interested in doing nuclear and not just using it as a back door for rads. The residency is shorter too, but not exactly sure. I would think it's one of the easier ones. Community medicine or medical genetics is also another option, but I am not too sure about them.

 

[toughlife]

Do lab medicine

 

[GonnaBeAnMD]

Do lab medicine

internship?

 

[beary]

Do lab medicine

lab medicine = pathology. There is no internship but it is a four year residency (or you can do it in just 3 if you do just anatomic or clinical path).

 

[mosche]

Careful with Pathology! While path. does offer a, somewhat, decent lifestyle, path. residents have a HUGE learning curve. So, if you want to enjoy your off hours, as opposed to reading, beware the Path. path!

Just my two pennies!

 

[adeelmd]

One suggestion for you regardless of what specialty you go into... do good on your boards. Take an extra few weeks off to really kill them. Two-three months of hard work will make it much easier to get into whatever Cush specialty you want. I think this is a lot easier than aoa, research, or getting good evals on every single rotation. On the other hand, if you apply with 79/79 then you might you might end up with something like internal med (beggars can't be choosers, or a really bad environment). I know you do not really want to work hard, but just doing this little bit will set you up for the rest of your life. Also, I think it's better to be in a difficult specialty with great people around you, rather than be in a "cush" specialty where everyone hates each other. It's better to get path or nuclear medicine in a semi-good place rather than the worst place in the country. Regardless of how easy any job is, a malicious environment where politics and backstabbing are common would make even working at a walmart a pain in the ass!

 

[GonnaBeAnMD]

I am asking about 1 year internships though - not residencies.

 

[(nicedream)]

Why is everyone telling him what residencies to go into??? He's asking about an internship.
GonnaBeAnMD, why do you want to do an internship though?

 

[GonnaBeAnMD]

Why is everyone telling him what residencies to go into??? He's asking about an internship.
GonnaBeAnMD, why do you want to do an internship though?

I'd like to be licensed (nicedream)

 

[DrBowtie]

Once you are licensed what type of medicine are you going to do? GP?

 

[DOCTORSAIB]

Either I'm not reading b/w the lines or this thread takes the trophy for miscommunication. Didn't the OP want to know about cush "internship" programs? What's all this talk about path, nucleur medicine, etc. Answer the question people, geez!

 

[A. Melanoleuca]

Either I'm not reading b/w the lines or this thread takes the trophy for miscommunication. Didn't the OP want to know about cush "internship" programs? What's all this talk about path, nucleur medicine, etc. Answer the question people, geez!

There is no "cush" internship. Even non-competative fields like Family Practice and Psychiatry have long hours during intern year because in case you all haven't figured it out, one of the important functions of residents is to provide cheap medical labor for hospitals.

I can't think of any residency were you will be able to slime around for forty hours a week drawing a paycheck.

 

[GonnaBeAnMD]

Perhaps the miscommunication is due to internship being tied in with a residency? As opposed to transitional year not being tied in? Is that the case for the mixed responses? If so, then my bad. I was talking about doing an extra year of training (year 5) in order to become licensed. If there are such programs, considered relatively cushy.

 

[orientedtoself]

Why do you want to be licensed if you aren't going to practice medicine? Are you planning on writing a book or selling something? Consulting? Traveling?

 

[Wednesday]

Hey OP! I just saw another post by you. Are you a first year? You might want to rethink this. Why get yourself all caught up in this just to do a "cush" internship and get out if that's what you know you want to do already. Try looking for a cush something that doesn't take so much work--you might be happier in the end.

 

[GonnaBeAnMD]

Hey OP! I just saw another post by you. Are you a first year? You might want to rethink this. Why get yourself all caught up in this just to do a "cush" internship and get out if that's what you know you want to do already. Try looking for a cush something that doesn't take so much work--you might be happier in the end.

It is for a project for an overseas hospital that required you to have done at least 1 year post-graduate training >>> so no answers yet to the main question.

 

[turtle md]

To answer your main question, as has been done a few times by now: There is no such thing as a "cush" internship - it's an oxymoron. There are, however, a few TY spots that are not as bad as the typical intern year gruel.

Where overseas?

 

[banner]

It is for a project for an overseas hospital that required you to have done at least 1 year post-graduate training >>> so no answers yet to the main question.

I feel bad for you having to wade through all this BS just to have a simple question answered. Typical medical personalities, no ability to think outside the box and threaten by those that do. Perpetual whiners driven by guilt, denial, and debt to continue in a profession that they don't truly like and have no clue how to change.

Anyway, yes there are cush residencies. Try transitional years with a lot of noncall electives in community hospitals with good ancillary staff.

In the NYC area, look into Flushing hospital, Atlantic healthsystem in Jersey, and Albert Einstein in Philly. I hear that Greenwich hospital and Southshore Hospital have decent internal med prelim. Check out Christiana Care in delaware also.

While these are easy, you will have to suck it up sometimes and take call and care for patients a couple of months. But, probably worth the sacrifice for getting what you're after.

Good luck with your plans. Consulting is very lucrative option for you also. A have a friend doing this and is very happy, looking at his choice to go to med school as an expensive mistake he would rather correct in his life rather than perpetuate with excuses and empty promises to himself.

 

[Hockeyguy]

You could always work for these guys www.MDAnswer.com - I have a friend who completed an intership and does "consulting" for them. He passed step 3 got a liscence works in his boxers and makes great money. I think you get 50% or so of what you bill. Once you get good you can consult 10-15 clients a day.

 

[ronin8]

does anyone know the cushest places to do a prelim/TY? thanks

 

[OldPsychDoc]

To answer your main question, as has been done a few times by now: There is no such thing as a "cush" internship - it's an oxymoron. ...

"Internship is pain, Highness.
Anyone who says differently is selling something."

 

[tigershark]

There's quite a few very cush transitional and prelim years. I know of several where the interns are out the door by noon almost every day. These spots are intensely competitive for obvious reasons though, and you will be competing against the top rads/derm/optho etc. applicants.