Disenchanted in IM Residency

[Phlegm]

I am well into my second year of IM residency and often wonder if I made the right specialty choice. I would be interested in hearing any experiences from those who have switched specialty during residency.

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[lloyddobbler]

I am well into my second year of IM residency and often wonder if I made the right specialty choice. I would be interested in hearing any experiences from those who have switched specialty during residency.

can we keep this garbage off the IM forum. this is a place to celebrate medicine, not to mope. go to the psych forum is you need a kleenex.

 

[tripleJ]

Switched from IM to Dermatology- best thing I've ever done. If getting into another residency doesn't work for you I reccommend you tough it out- finish IM (boarded) then look into your options (business, etc)

 

[scootad.]

wow congrats on the switch to derm! thats an amazing accomplishment. how'd you do it??

 

[BVP]

I am well into my second year of IM residency and often wonder if I made the right specialty choice. I would be interested in hearing any experiences from those who have switched specialty during residency.

Craving to get back to the glory days of IM residency..sick of Neurology !

 

[DrQuinn]

I am well into my second year of IM residency and often wonder if I made the right specialty choice. I would be interested in hearing any experiences from those who have switched specialty during residency.

In our EM program, we have one guy who did IM/Peds, one guy who did surgery, and one guy who did one year of surg and one year of IM and didn't like either.

You only have one more year to go, I would tough it out and finish up, then look into options. You can do a lot more with a board certification than with only 2 years under your belt.

Q

 

[iatrosB]

In our EM program, we have one guy who did IM/Peds, one guy who did surgery, and one guy who did one year of surg and one year of IM and didn't like either.


Q

Did they have any problems with funding?

 

[golytlely]

If you aren't into it you might as well bail now, no since in finishing something you can't hang with. Maybe look into one of the more lifestyle friendly fields with less patient contact. I hear pharmaceutical companies would pay high price for your soul, same with law firm, or insurance company.

 

[Eidolon6]

Agreed, bail now. Nothing's worse than a burnt out resident who has lost interest in patient care and whose work reflects the same. Save your colleagues and yourself. There are plenty of easy EM, anesthesia, or radiology programs for those who can't handle IM.

 

[dbiddy808]

I'm currently a 3rd year IM resident and in July I'll be starting an anesthesia residency. Probably the smartest decision I have ever made. It has nothing to do with not being able to "handle" it. Its just a matter of what do you see yourself doing twenty years down the road and if you'd be happy doing it.

If you are already having doubts, then listen to them. You are very early on in your career and have a long way to go.

 

[Pinky]

Then again, you are more than half-way done with IM. My anesthesia residency program is full of board-certified internists both faculty and residents (my CA-1 class alone has seven) who didn't want to practice internal medicine. However, being a boarded internist gives them more options in the future. If you are going to work for a consulting firm or a law firm, it is another credential that sets you apart from the others applying for the same positions. A year and 3 months can go by pretty quickly.

By the way, a couple of the internists in my class question their decision to go into anesthesia. They thought that it would be easier prior to starting, but they find it much more stressful than int med. sometimes the grass is just greener .........

 

[ReMD]

Internal Medicine board certification will give you many more opportunities in life than you know. One more year is definitely worth it esp since 3rd year is the easiest.

 

[ChiefToma]

Internal Medicine board certification will give you many more opportunities in life than you know. One more year is definitely worth it esp since 3rd year is the easiest.

that begs the question,

what opportunities, other than the traditional sub-specialty options?

 

[ReMD]

I know General Internists who are involved in all kinds of different things such as hospital administration, pharmaceutical presentations/endorsements ($1000 a pop sometimes), part-time consultants, volunteer work here and abroad, public education on news/radio stations, government work such as CDC, medical education, durable medical equipment Rx and sales, non-invasive cosmetic procedures, locum tenens, etc, etc, etc. There are also those involved with surgical centers, diabetic care centers, cardiac procedures such as treadmills/thallium, etc.

Basically, you can pretty much do whatever you want with a Medicine degree; the exception being the obvious (ie, surgery). Many of the above jobs would be more difficult to get with a less clinically focused specialty.

It can only help you, and for 1 more year, it's definitely worth it.

 

[iliacus]

can we keep this garbage off the IM forum. this is a place to celebrate medicine, not to mope. go to the psych forum is you need a kleenex.

I agree with you. I'm a first year D.O. student and every friday afternoon I follow an internist on hospital rounds, as well as seeing pts in the office. Internal medicine seems challenging and rewarding. I've never thought too much about IM until I was exposed to it. It seems that if people don't subspecialize they hate it. I'm assuming many of these people haven't done much other than undergrad, med school and residency. As a former firefighter, biochemist for a big biotech company, and various odd jobs where I had to eat crap from a pin head boss, working as a physician and making a comfortable living while you save people's lives seems dam appealing. If you're stupid enough to get it stuck in your head that if you don't read EKG's all day you won't be happy you deserve your misery. Also, if you are this type of person, even if you do specialize you'll sit around bitching about something...anything. Hospital admin, insurance co., nurses blah blah blah. Appreciate what you have and stop whinning about what you don't.

 

[tripleJ]

dam appealing, huh?
talk to us in five years pal

 

[powermd]

I agree with you. I'm a first year D.O. student and every friday afternoon I follow an internist on hospital rounds, as well as seeing pts in the office. Internal medicine seems challenging and rewarding. I've never thought too much about IM until I was exposed to it. It seems that if people don't subspecialize they hate it. I'm assuming many of these people haven't done much other than undergrad, med school and residency. As a former firefighter, biochemist for a big biotech company, and various odd jobs where I had to eat crap from a pin head boss, working as a physician and making a comfortable living while you save people's lives seems dam appealing. If you're stupid enough to get it stuck in your head that if you don't read EKG's all day you won't be happy you deserve your misery. Also, if you are this type of person, even if you do specialize you'll sit around bitching about something...anything. Hospital admin, insurance co., nurses blah blah blah. Appreciate what you have and stop whinning about what you don't.

A first-year, eh? Even if your post were written by a fourth-year med student, it would sound just as clueless. If you're looking for a good laugh, print out your post and tuck it away somewhere. Pull it out and read it when you're in the middle of internal medicine internship. I guarantee a good laugh (or cry!). All I can say is, keep your eyes and ears open to those who know, and don't say you weren't warned! There are a lot of good reasons IM residents scramble for fellowships like rats on a sinking ship. You should probably listen to what they have to say.

 

[musicman1991]

1) I would definitely finish. 3rd year of IM resident is a joke, and try to take the IM boards too.

2) Don't listen to the naysayers here. People are always trying to force their opinion down the throat

3) The comment by the 1st year DO student is hilarious. I watch some of the medical students at our hospital say that IM isn't that bad. They don't even take freakin overnight call. The pager never goes off. It's freakin hilarious. But anyways we all know the truth

4) Even if you switch to a lifestyle oriented field and end up disliking the speciality as much, at least you'll have a nice lifestyle.

 

[CambieMD]

I agree with you. I'm a first year D.O. student and every friday afternoon I follow an internist on hospital rounds, as well as seeing pts in the office. Internal medicine seems challenging and rewarding. I've never thought too much about IM until I was exposed to it. It seems that if people don't subspecialize they hate it. I'm assuming many of these people haven't done much other than undergrad, med school and residency. As a former firefighter, biochemist for a big biotech company, and various odd jobs where I had to eat crap from a pin head boss, working as a physician and making a comfortable living while you save people's lives seems dam appealing. If you're stupid enough to get it stuck in your head that if you don't read EKG's all day you won't be happy you deserve your misery. Also, if you are this type of person, even if you do specialize you'll sit around bitching about something...anything. Hospital admin, insurance co., nurses blah blah blah. Appreciate what you have and stop whinning about what you don't.

I love that quote. It sounds like something that my mom would tell me.

Med schools will never fully disclose the down sides to primary care(pc). The best way for medical students to learn about a specialty is through their peers. This forum serves that purpose.

I think that it is easy for a med student to have a positive outlook of pc because their contact with it is very limited, often.

In talking to pcp 's, I have come across very few who would do it again. Some of the older more established guys seem to tolerate all of the crap better. Younger physicians talk about trying to find a fellowship or starting a business.

The bottom line is that med students should choose the specialty that they feel makes the best use of their med degree and interests.

And yes, finish the residency.


CambieMD

 

[iliacus]

A first-year, eh? Even if your post were written by a fourth-year med student, it would sound just as clueless. If you're looking for a good laugh, print out your post and tuck it away somewhere. Pull it out and read it when you're in the middle of internal medicine internship. I guarantee a good laugh (or cry!). All I can say is, keep your eyes and ears open to those who know, and don't say you weren't warned! There are a lot of good reasons IM residents scramble for fellowships like rats on a sinking ship. You should probably listen to what they have to say.

I can understand if you had an idea of medicine and found something totally different when you got there. But that's all on you. Just because you don't like something about a certain specialty don't go on and on about how it "sucks" and about how you want to make the big dollars without all the bullsh!it. I was in the military and had to spend weeks in the jungle in South America being bitten by bugs the size of dragon flies. There are guys in Iraq losing limbs, making 800.00/month, and away from their families for years who whine less than you. There are people that crawl into burning buildings for less that 40,000/year. I guess what I'm saying is I've been through worse and have seen people in situations far more strenuous and the hardships much greater than you losing beauty sleep and making a salary in the low six figures. And this whole "oh you're a first year you don't know anything" ...please, save it. You know more medicine than I do, but know far less about life and it's challenges. So I repeat...Appreciate the opportunities in front of you. If IM isn't for you then move on...but for god sakes stop crying like a school girl and move on.

My suggestion to you...save your post, get out of medicine, and then read it after living in the real world for a while. Then you'll fully understand how childish you sound.

 

[musicman1991]

Geez, why are you all being so hard on the original poster. Comparing him to soliders in war, etc...

Many people make career moves because they are unhappy. In fact, many people in med school switched from other careers. Stop taking his doubt so personally because you don't want to hear someone not liking what you like.

 

[CambieMD]

Medicine is hard no matter what specialty you are in. I have no problem with someone having second thoughts about their career choice. Some med students spent 200k and up to obtain their medical degrees.

It seems like the posters with the most hostile harsh tones are the ones with the least experience in medicine. I have plenty of life experiences both in and outside of medicine. Some of the previous posters may be just joking.

I have learned that what people say is not as important as what they do not say. Take EMR for example. No one has said that I will significantly improve a docs' bottom line. They have said that it will probably reduce medical errors. They have said that it will be expensive to set-up. No primary care organization has pushed for any financial incentive to be offered to physicians. The unspoken message is, "we the powers that be in medicine think that EMR is cool. We do not care how musch it cost you to impliment a system in your office , you are on your own."

I have yet to read any post that intelligently defended primary care. There was some testosterone but no good argument.

Phlegm, it is clear to me that you will probably enjoy another specialty better.
This is the case for many in primary care. You must stay in your program. Work hard and do not complain. You will need letters from the IM folks in the future. At this point work hard to be the best resident that you could possibly be.Keep reading and prepare for the IM boards.

Do not get discouraged by Rambo and leave your program prior to completing it. I cannot emphasize this enough.

Good luck,

CambieMD

 

[iliacus]

Do not get discouraged by Rambo and leave your program prior to completing it. I cannot emphasize this enough.

Good luck,

CambieMD

My comments were directed at those complaining about IM...not the OP. The OP's question was legitimate and I'd encourage him/her to think hard about it, as well as seek out the advice of people who have their best interest at heart.

My comments are directed at the other posters who constantly complain about IM.

I agree if you're going to drop 200K on your education it's important to be happy with your job. It's funny how you try to be the "voice of reason" then turn around and insult me because of sharing a small part of my military service. I never was "Rambo" Just a 19 year old kid serving his country. In addition, how can you tell somebody to leave their program without knowing the full extent of their circumstances? Your arrogance is appauling.

 

[powermd]

My comments are directed at the other posters who constantly complain about IM.

I agree if you're going to drop 200K on your education it's important to be happy with your job.

So what's wrong with discussing the negative aspects of any specialty? If you're not headed toward a fellowship, IM leads to primary care. Primary care IM is not a happy place right now, none of the doctors I work with who do it seem very happy. Many praise my decision when they hear what field I'm going into. Doubtless, doctors are not hurting for money compared to the general public, but once you're a doctor you have freedom to choose what field to go into. Why pick something that won't make you happy?

 

[lloyddobbler]

A first-year, eh? Even if your post were written by a fourth-year med student, it would sound just as clueless. If you're looking for a good laugh, print out your post and tuck it away somewhere. Pull it out and read it when you're in the middle of internal medicine internship. I guarantee a good laugh (or cry!). All I can say is, keep your eyes and ears open to those who know, and don't say you weren't warned! There are a lot of good reasons IM residents scramble for fellowships like rats on a sinking ship. You should probably listen to what they have to say.

dork.

one year of medicine at a joke suburban hospital hardly gives a surgeon's lackey the know-how to make comments like this.

 

[musicman1991]

I guess everyone hates each other in medicine. Kinda funny (but true, I watch the attendings give advice to medical students at the same time curse their own field.)