To nfgsjklgnsdfkjn:
This is what I did:
Medschool (year 1-2):
Pretty much during every single moment I was either listening to lecture, in lab, studying or worrying and feeling guilty about not studying. Usually the most relaxed parts were right after big exams when we'd go out, and when. But when you look at actual hours it would break down into something around 90-100 hours per week. Not too bad. Sometime there I took step 1 which was a month or so of 16 hours/day of studying.
Medschool year 3:
S**t hit the fan here. Psychiatry was cake, regular 8-5, with 3 hours of studying per day. During internal medicine, surgery, Ob-gyn and even pediatrics I rarely saw or spoke to anybody outside of hospital and was constantly underslept.
Hours: with 110-120 per week(including studying and 'free' weekends).
Sometime during the third year I realized I cannot stand clinical medicine, and not because of hours, but BECAUSE OF PATIENTS.
Medschool year 4:
Vacation. I have already decided on path, and was doing electives and rotations and such. There is a step 2 which is a relatively minor nuisance. There is another hassle with applications and interviews, which is actually a very demeaning process. But overall you're looking at around 50-60 hours of work and studying. That was the best year in my medical career, (excluding my current fellowship).
Then I started pathology residency, which is very very different from what most doctors do. However, it was around 80 hours/week, including studying. Pathology residents typically have good work hours, but they have to read a lot more than other docs.
Sometime during second year I took step 3--three weeks of intense review, 16 hours/day.
Then toward the end of my residency I started my board prep. It took me a year or so, first several months was just easy readings several hours per day--note that during this time I was working as a full time resident. Overall, 70-80 hours per week worth of work and study.
Then during the last 6 months I started panicking and putting in 16-17 of INTENSE hours/day. It was like studying for step 1 USMLE, but SIX TIMES in a row.
And when I say INTENSE studying, I mean INTENSE. It means taking your notes to the bathroom when you take a crap. I means reviewing flashcards at family dinner. It means dreaming about the exam. It means neglecting your relationships with significant others, family and friends. It means vacations which I never took. It means sacrificing my health and decreasing my life expectancy.
To Takeaguess: Most practicing pathologists I know are satisfied with their jobs. I haven't spoken to radiologists. Every single Ob-gyn resident I've met during my rotations was miserable. Curiously, surgeons seemed happy, except for a few who have already decided that they will quit surgery. I don't know any practicing ob-gyns or surgeons. Internal medicine docs tend to hate their jobs; a female friend is considering quitting medicine. I know bunch of internal medicine, family practice, and pediatrician docs who quit and did pathology residency. One opthalmologist I know through a friend just quit medicine and is starting his own business.
So overall, it's hard to judge this issue with a simple estimation of 'how many happy/unhappy docs you know', because you're not likely to know many people intimately.
Also, remember that all of those 45+ year old docs practiced in golden age of medicine, so chances are they will be satisfied. You guys, you will not be so lucky...
My debt: 236 K. I was lucky to lock it at a low rate, but don't count on that.
