epilepsy or movement disorder

[guj]

Hi all,

I am a PGY3 Neurology resident at university program. I have been thinking of doing a fellowship in epilepsy or movement disorder. I am interested in both and liked the subject and am pursuing research options in both, but I have to decide in next few months now.

I would like your input on the lifestyle, salaries and job options in big cities on west coast after pursuing either epilepsy of movement disorder fellowship.

(Yes, I have been trying to read previous posts on these topics but seems out dated)

Thank You to all my friends and colleagues here.

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[typhoonegator]

When I saw the title of this thread I assumed it was going to be asking for medical advice (the answer was going to be restless leg syndrome). I'm glad to see it is actually pertinent.

You can read EEGs for $$, which can be helpful, and most people doing this at academic programs are epilepsy trained. In a more community setting, a movement disorder specialist would likely need to see a lot of general neurology on the side, particularly early in your career if you join a group practice.

Epilepsy lifestyle can be a bit more hectic than movement, because there really aren't any life-threatening movement disorders issues that can't be handled by the ED. But depending on where you are and whether you have fellows at your disposal, there may be more overnight issues to deal with if you're in epilepsy.

It's easy to try to extrapolate from residency training experience, but life in the trenches for subspecialists is often quite different from what you're exposed to in training at a big academic center.

 

[Acherona]

Epilepsy is generally more sought after because you can read EEGs. If you want to stay purely academic there may not be a big difference but I can tell you the job market in movement in big cities in California is pretty bad. Movement obviously has a better lifestyle though.