Back in the game!!

[In2b8]

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Well after waivering for the last 2 years I, an MS3 IMG, am back where I started. Entering medical school I wanted to be a surgeon. Then came all the feedback from upperclassmen about the 100 hr weeks, never seeing your family (i am married +1)and what not. So the search began for a "new" specialty.

IM rotation- yawn😳 !
Surg rotation- exciting and everything I expected (& then some). As for the hours I wasn't really pushed b/c at my school we are not given the same responsibilities as US 3rd years. I was home everyday at 5 and took call once a week untill 11-12. During this rotation I became interested in anesthesia and this was my "new" specialty.
Then was peds- not as yawn as IM but still not for me.
Now I'm in OB/GYN- being in a surgical specialty is getting me itching for surgery again. In fact, I think I like it even better than GS. Then I started thinking "how many more hours am I really saving (after residency) and is it worth not doing something I love?" !😍

So I've decided to go for it! But I had some questions....

Pros/Cons: OB/GYN vs GS?

How competitive for an IMG in California?

Lifestyle after residency?

Thanks in advance for the replies

 

[md_student10021]

>How competitive for an IMG in California?

it's probably relatively competitive, since California is competitive for most U.S. grads. As an IMG, you are at some disadvantage; obviously high USMLE scores, U.S. citizenship, some rotations done in the U.S. will all help your case.


>Pros/Cons: OB/GYN vs GS?

I think the choice here is a matter of your own interests and personality. From the surgical side of things, the operations will be different. Ob/Gyns also do a lot of primary care for many women, dealing with issues related to sexual function, pregnancy, etc etc. The OB side has (as I'm sure you know) resulted in ridiculous insurance premiums, and many docs have either dropped their OB patients (doing gyn exclusively), or left medicine altogether. There's no telling what will happen in the future.

General surgery tends to include very little "primary-care"-type stuff. It will allow you to specialize various specialties afterward.

Right now, about 2/3 of ob/gyn residents are women, and about 80% of GS residents are men. Thus, if you are a women, it might be easier in OB, whereas for a man, GS might be a better fit. [Ideally, it shouldn't matter, but these differences result in a different "culture." It's probably better to figure out where you'd be more comfortable than try to change the system.]


Best of luck.