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Family Life?
Started by ComoAnda
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ComoAnda said:
Sorry, they're too busy taking q2 call.
"Neurosurgery" and "quality of life" are seldom spoken of simultaneously.
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Not true. Q2 call is virtually unheard of in the 88 hr/wk regulation days. Most programs are q3-4 to q 7-13. This depends on the program. The hours are long because the surgeries can be long and the patients can be very sick. you know this going into it but if your family understands the demand on both them and you, your life will be better. Lifestyle is relative.OldPsychDoc said:
Attending call can be q2 though.
And while your family can be understanding at first, your trophy wife might fight some extra-curricular activities in the end.
And while your family can be understanding at first, your trophy wife might fight some extra-curricular activities in the end.
Say goodbye to your wife and kids...you can reunite at their high school graduation! Just kidding...well kind of. I'm a neurologist but I have a very good friend who's a pgy-3 in NS. She DOES take Q2 call and it's killing her. I don't think it's as unheard of as you might think. Home call lets you get around alot of the rules.
It means that you are in the hospital overnight every 2nd night.
That's not quite correct. Q2 simply means you are on call every other night. It doesn't mean you are inhouse. When call is inhouse it can't be any more often than Q3, which is why many programs employ home call. Home call can even be Q1! During our VA rotations, there were only two of us, so every other week we took Q1 call!
Home call isn't as cush as you might think. When you get called every single hour, you don't really get any sleep, do not get to leave early the next day and can only count the ACTUAL time you spent on the phone! Even worse, when you have to go in, you can only count the actual time spent in the hospital. If you get called at 2am, get dressed, drive in, see the patient, review studies (assuming the studies have been completed which often ISN'T the case), write orders, dictate, etc. then drive home, it's 5am. Of course you have to be in the OR by 7am, so your night is shot! Do that every other night for a few months and see how understanding your family is! 😱
Home call isn't as cush as you might think. When you get called every single hour, you don't really get any sleep, do not get to leave early the next day and can only count the ACTUAL time you spent on the phone! Even worse, when you have to go in, you can only count the actual time spent in the hospital. If you get called at 2am, get dressed, drive in, see the patient, review studies (assuming the studies have been completed which often ISN'T the case), write orders, dictate, etc. then drive home, it's 5am. Of course you have to be in the OR by 7am, so your night is shot! Do that every other night for a few months and see how understanding your family is! 😱
yikes. hats off to you guys!
It depends on where you are, methinks. I worked with a neurosurgeon that is one of two for the area, so he's on call a lot. But, he hardly ever gets called in, so it isn't too bad. He does mostly simple spine stuff, and every now and then he'll do a crani. He's also like 60 years old.
EDIT: I don't think this is the norm though.
EDIT: I don't think this is the norm though.
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Not all NS is this way, it really depends on your subspecialty. I work for a NS who does a lot of shunts and hydrocephalus stuff... mostly non-emergent surgeries; he only works 5 days a week, roughly 8-5. He's on call once or twice a week, but it's home call and he rarely actually gets called, since the residents filter the patients.
It's what you make of it, IMO. If you subspecialize in neurologic trauma, expect a hectic life. If you subspecialize in shunts, you won't be killing yourself (at least, after residency. Residency is still a beast, though).
CQ
It's what you make of it, IMO. If you subspecialize in neurologic trauma, expect a hectic life. If you subspecialize in shunts, you won't be killing yourself (at least, after residency. Residency is still a beast, though).
CQ
