Choosing a specific surgical subspecialty?

[madadivad]

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Hi, All!

For our surgical subspecialties rotation, we are supposed to choose among orthopedic surgery, otorhinolaryngology, urology, and vascular surgery. We are also being asked to choose whether to have 1 specialty for three weeks or 2 specialties for a week and a half apiece. I'm planning on eventually going into family medicine.

Does anyone have any insight/experiences they would like to share?

Thanks!

 

[Jolie South]

I think you as an FP would probably get a lot out of urology and otolaryngology. I feel like with both of these subspecialties the bread and butter stuff is often channeled first through a PCP before anyone gets to ENT/urology. With urology, you'll have incontinence, ED, and BPH. With ENT, you'll see a lot of sinusitis, otitis, hearing loss, vertigo. These conditions all have medical management initially, even though it's "surgical" sub-specialty clinic.

 

[ZagDoc]

I think you as an FP would probably get a lot out of urology and otolaryngology. I feel like with both of these subspecialties the bread and butter stuff is often channeled first through a PCP before anyone gets to ENT/urology. With urology, you'll have incontinence, ED, and BPH. With ENT, you'll see a lot of sinusitis, otitis, hearing loss, vertigo. These conditions all have medical management initially, even though it's "surgical" sub-specialty clinic.

Agreed. Ortho would be useful too.

If you're concerned about hours, urology/oto are lighter (unless you're on head & neck for oto), ortho and vascular more time intensive.

 

[smq123]

Hi, All!

For our surgical subspecialties rotation, we are supposed to choose among orthopedic surgery, otorhinolaryngology, urology, and vascular surgery. We are also being asked to choose whether to have 1 specialty for three weeks or 2 specialties for a week and a half apiece. I'm planning on eventually going into family medicine.

Does anyone have any insight/experiences they would like to share?

Thanks!

If you're interested in FM, you really can't go wrong with any of these. I would say urology, just because I feel like estimating prostate size and texture is very difficult and requires a lot of practice, but vascular would be useful (since you deal with so many vasculopaths in primary care) and ortho would also be useful (sports medicine is a big part of FM). Can't really go wrong with any of them.

 

[Ashers]

I'd say ortho since in medical school you don't really get a good chance to learn the MSK exam, which is important in FP if that's what you plan on doing. Also, speaking as the daughter of an orthopaedic surgeon, my dad talks about how FPs should be able to splint general common sprains and fractures before referral, so some exposure to that would be helpful. You may also be lucky and be able to do some knee injections.

 

[cartoondoc]

My vote is for ortho and urology. Ortho is super important in FP, and it's not stuff that you learn much in med school. Try to do as much clinic as you can though and as little OR time as possible.

 

[Aphasic]

I'd say Ortho and ENT since they have a lot of clinic procedures that you may be able to incorporate into your practice some day!

 

[jdh71]

I think a week and a half is not enough time to actually be terribly useful. Pick one and do the three weeks. I like urology out of that batch the most for primary care complaints of prostate CA (when to screen [mildly provocative issue right now], and when to bx), BPH, and overactive bladder. The rest of services would have some utility, but getting stuck on neck dissections for three weeks because ENT needs the extra hands retracting just doesn't sound like what you're looking for, for instance.

 

[Substance]

If you're going into FM you won't need to impress anyone, so don't overwork yourself.

Find out which of those has the most cush hours, and do that. My bet is on Urology. ENT can be good, but if you're doing H+N the days will be SUPER long. Avoid vascular and ortho: you will be the super-scut-monkey and won't learn a whole lot while being worked to the bone.

 

[Smurfette]

Based on what I have seen PCPs send as a consult that does not actually need a specialist, I would recommend ENT and vascular. You will also learn how to do proper vascular and head and neck exams, see ear pathology, feel thyroid nodules, see chronic wounds, venous stasis, etc. This way you can learn to identify some common pathologies that can be managed without shuffling a patient to multiple providers.