can you switch INTO OB/GYN?

[epsilonprodigy]

---

Members do not see this ad.

MS-3 here, always knew I was a surgeon at heart and have loved everything surgical I've come into contact with. I always thought I'd do gen surg, but knew OB would throw me a curve ball. Surprise, suprise- I'm on OB and I love it too. I can't put my finger on it, but overall, I tend to lean more toward gen surg. The problem is, I've found that I have a pretty low tolerance for histrionics. I pride myself on being really nice (it's the ONE thing you can always control!) and am pretty quick to mentally dismiss people as wack jobs once I see them throw a public tantrum.

I realize that a lot of this has to do with luck- heck, there are probably malignant family medicine programs, and completely chill neurosurg programs. If it was just about the work itself, I think (*THINK*) I would pick gen surg. I'm just a little worried that a year or two in, I'll be fed up with all the insane behavior and conclude that it isn't worth it. This is a worst-case scenario, of course... but let's say it happened. As long as you've kept your nose clean as a resident, is switching to OB/GYN possible?

 

[anonperson]

There will be insane/unreasonable/demanding patients regardless of specialty. If you really enjoy general surgery and the OR, then apply for that. OB GYN has more clinic and office hours, especially in private practice unless you do a fellowship like Gyn Onc.

 

[epsilonprodigy]

*ahem* I wasn't talking about the patients. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed working with many gen Surg residents and attendings. Many were nice and all were brilliant. But I also saw more tantrums than the average preschool teacher during those weeks.

 

[anonperson]

My point still stands. Just substitute patient for attending. Depending on where you train OB GYNs can be a surly bunch.

 

[SplenoMegastar]

*ahem* I wasn't talking about the patients. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed working with many gen Surg residents and attendings. Many were nice and all were brilliant. But I also saw more tantrums than the average preschool teacher during those weeks.

I think you're saying there were a lot of attending/resident "histrionics" during your GS rotation but I have heard students complain about over-the-top poor treatment from OB/Gyn residents and attendings more than any other specialty, and even OB/Gyn residents acknowledge that personalities can be a real problem in the field. I think it's more likely to be pervasive in any field where things can get really bad, really fast. The intensity is hard to turn off. I worry that OB will not be a refuge from rough personalities for you.

 

[residencycoord]

I think you're saying there were a lot of attending/resident "histrionics" during your GS rotation but I have heard students complain about over-the-top poor treatment from OB/Gyn residents and attendings more than any other specialty, and even OB/Gyn residents acknowledge that personalities can be a real problem in the field. I think it's more likely to be pervasive in any field where things can get really bad, really fast. The intensity is hard to turn off. I worry that OB will not be a refuge from rough personalities for you.

So you are currently an MD/PhD medical student talking to other medical students who have probably only dealt with the OBGYN residents/faculty at your institution, so it is incorrect to generalize that OBGYN residents and attendings should be accused of over-the-top poor treatment more than any other specialty. It really irks me when students come on this site and offer up misinformation or opinions that they cannot truly back up. OBGYN physicians are no more over the top than other fields and I have worked in Surgery and Medicine for over 30 years so I know of what I speak.

 

[SplenoMegastar]

So you are currently an MD/PhD medical student talking to other medical students who have probably only dealt with the OBGYN residents/faculty at your institution, so it is incorrect to generalize that OBGYN residents and attendings should be accused of over-the-top poor treatment more than any other specialty. It really irks me when students come on this site and offer up misinformation or opinions that they cannot truly back up. OBGYN physicians are no more over the top than other fields and I have worked in Surgery and Medicine for over 30 years so I know of what I speak.

I'm sorry I did not mean to offend - I think the main point I wanted to make was that although he/she has seen histrionics in general surgery, others have seen it in OB/Gyn, so it may not be the case that switching to OB from General surgery will provide the OP with an environment that has easier personalities just because it's not general surgery. And while I appreciate your experience, just because I'm a student doesn't mean I didn't have a career in healthcare before I went to med school (and I certainly did and am certainly not your average 26 year old MS4). Also don't see you hopping on the OP for calling out "histrionics" in GS.

 

[epsilonprodigy]

I, of course, didn't mean to offend either. I hold my surgery residents and attendings in extremely high regard. However, as students, we have to base a BIG decision (our specialty) on relatively little information. Sometimes generalizations based on what we see during rotations are necessary to do this.

I have to say, in OB/GYN, my experience has been the polar opposite of most people's on SDN. The residents have all been friendly, eager to teach, and inclusive (and this is at a program that has a terrible reputation for being "catty!") I was bracing myself for my mid rotation evaluation, thinking surely they had been nice to my face but were ready to rip me to shreds. I was pleasantly surprised when this was not the case.

The thing that worries me about interacting with malignant personalities isn't so much that I'll get my feelings hurt and be sad. It's about not being able to establish a standard of reasonable expectations, and not knowing what needs correcting in order to move forward. For example, if on your first day of internship, you're not retracting to your attending's satisfaction and s/he responds by throwing a **** fit and telling you what a worthless human being you are, is it because you are not up to par for your level, or because you're not perfect at it, as is appropriate for your level? How can you know- and how can you improve, if the only feedback you get is a verbal lashing?

I recently counseled a friend, who is having trouble with the way he's being treated on surgery, that when you're on the receiving end of a screaming binge, you have to think of it as you do when a psych patient is yelling at you. The fit-thrower is not throwing a fit because of who they're interacting with, or the environment they're in. It's predetermined by their own psychopathology/inadequate stress management/personal hangups, etc. I have a thick skin, but whatever I choose to do, I want to make sure that I can learn it well- this kind of behavior can put a significant damper on that.

 

[22031 Alum]

You said yourself, if it were only about the work itself, you'd pick Gen Surg. So do Gen Surg.

If you wanted to switch, you'd have to go through the match again, most likely. I can't think of any program that would accept a surgery intern year for OB/GYN PGY1. That's because of the delivery numbers you're expected to have as an intern- a year in any other specialty wouldn't get that.

You really, really cannot let personalities decide which field you apply in. As much as SDN loves its stereotypes, there isn't a "type" that spans every attending/resident in every field. I remember sitting through a GYN attending's temper tantrum during a fourth-year rotation, and reminding myself, "This is one person. I love the field." Then I matched at a program which I loved. I got along with 95% of the people I worked with, but there were still some personality conflicts- just like every other work environment that has ever existed. You can't escape that. So you have to figure out which you'd rather do as a career, and do that.

 

[obgyny]

I had debated between gen surg and OB myself (and even considered IM because I wasn't sure I could deal with the personality stereotypes). But I completely agree with 22031 Alum's post above. I don't think the stereotypes exactly hold true for any specialty, and you should definitely pick based on what YOU love to do and how you want to spend the rest of your career. I found out I loved surgery and I encountered the typical tantrum-throwing attendings on my surgery rotation, but I also had amazing attendings and residents and had a lot of fun. I had nothing but a positive experience on my OB/GYN rotations and sub-Is (except 1 resident). But after much reflection, I realized I love the OR, but I also loved all of the aspects of OB/GYN (deliveries, outpatient, women's health, etc) and the patient population. And that I didn't enjoy all of the aspects of general surgery. After rotating on OB and surgery, I knew I couldn't do IM. So it made the decision clearer to me.

And if you don't like the attendings/residents at your home program, you can apply to go to residency somewhere else 😉.

You said yourself, if it were only about the work itself, you'd pick Gen Surg. So do Gen Surg.

If you wanted to switch, you'd have to go through the match again, most likely. I can't think of any program that would accept a surgery intern year for OB/GYN PGY1. That's because of the delivery numbers you're expected to have as an intern- a year in any other specialty wouldn't get that.

You really, really cannot let personalities decide which field you apply in. As much as SDN loves its stereotypes, there isn't a "type" that spans every attending/resident in every field. I remember sitting through a GYN attending's temper tantrum during a fourth-year rotation, and reminding myself, "This is one person. I love the field." Then I matched at a program which I loved. I got along with 95% of the people I worked with, but there were still some personality conflicts- just like every other work environment that has ever existed. You can't escape that. So you have to figure out which you'd rather do as a career, and do that.

 

[residencycoord]

I'm sorry I did not mean to offend - I think the main point I wanted to make was that although he/she has seen histrionics in general surgery, others have seen it in OB/Gyn, so it may not be the case that switching to OB from General surgery will provide the OP with an environment that has easier personalities just because it's not general surgery. And while I appreciate your experience, just because I'm a student doesn't mean I didn't have a career in healthcare before I went to med school (and I certainly did and am certainly not your average 26 year old MS4). Also don't see you hopping on the OP for calling out "histrionics" in GS.

I am sure that the OP did see some histrionics while on Surgery. There is never a good reason for an attending to ever berate a resident unless it involved a life or death situation and the resident screwed up big time. I tell our PGY3s before they become Chiefs that it is ok to be tough but don't expect your jr. residents to do something you would not do. If a jr. resident does something wrong, take them in a room and turn it into a teachable moment. There is no reason to humiliate or embarass someone. You will find all types of personalities in each field. When applying to residencies and during your interviews, do your research, pay attention to the residents and see how they interact. Ask the students at those programs. If residents are unhappy then you will see it. There will never be a perfect program with perfect people, but there are some really good programs with really good faculty and residents. Just try to take some of the negative comments on this board with a grain of salt. Please don't stereotype a particular specialty.