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I am trying to decide between FP and OB/Gyn. Can anybody share their thoughts?
FP vs. OB
- Thread starter ayms
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You have to sit down and decide what you like about each. In OB-GYN, realize there is going to more than just delivering babies and you lock yourself in to seeing only females for the rest of your life. In residency there is going to be plenty of surgery so there is another consideration - do you like the OR / surgeries. If you like a variety of patients (young, old, female, male) and delivering babies then think about family practice. As with anything I would do a rotation in each and see first hand what you like and what sucks - every speciality has something sucks (contrary to what you might hear from others) but it is all a balancing act of personal preferences.......Thats my two.....anybody else........
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Traditionally, FP is supposed to be family-centered and low intervention as compared to a more medicalized view of pregnancy in most OB/GYN programs. I have not experienced this in my FP residency, probably because most of the obstetrics is taught by OB rather then FP, but I think you might see that in some other programs, especially in California and the Northeast. Unfortunately then you might have trouble figuring out how you differ from a nurse midwife but I really don't have the experience to tell if that's a problem. Also, OB/Gyn will be a lot of surgery, gyn oncology etc. Psychosocial perspectives are seriously downplayed. Good luck with your decision-making!
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I'm a Board Certified FP.
Here are my thoughts:
I liked doing delivery in ob, hated waking up in the middle of the night to do it.
I hated the insurance companies who can increase malpractice anytime they want. When this is done in ob/gyn it's significant.
I think that if you are going to do FP ob you need to be able to do a C-section. Because what if that OB backup is not around to save you when the Pt. is need of an emergency c-section.
I think if you do OB you shoud like to be on call many nights in the month and be able to tolerate very little sleep for the rest of your life. If you think the money is better, it is, but there is a price for the higher salary.
If you can handle the above, go for ob.
EH.
Here are my thoughts:
I liked doing delivery in ob, hated waking up in the middle of the night to do it.
I hated the insurance companies who can increase malpractice anytime they want. When this is done in ob/gyn it's significant.
I think that if you are going to do FP ob you need to be able to do a C-section. Because what if that OB backup is not around to save you when the Pt. is need of an emergency c-section.
I think if you do OB you shoud like to be on call many nights in the month and be able to tolerate very little sleep for the rest of your life. If you think the money is better, it is, but there is a price for the higher salary.
If you can handle the above, go for ob.
EH.
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Gherelin,
That statement about FP's being glorified midwives is a crock of crap. If you want to, as an FP, you can do deliveries, including C-sections, as long as you are not trying to get credentialled in the big city. But the rest of the country is and will always be fair game. And there are now tons of programs that give FP residents the primary surgeon role OB C-sections, and many give the FP resident 50-100 of them over 3 years!
And even in the instance that an FP was not completely comfortable with a C-section from open to shut, just like junior OB residents can, the FP can "get in" so to speak and wait for OB backup. That is how it works in many places. Where I am doing my OB rotation right now, even interns are allowed to start the section if the baby's heart rate drops for over 3 minutes. The intern's job is to call the attending, and start the procedure, basically not going layer by layer as normally done. The intern is instructed to have the baby out in 3 minutes from the time the knife touches the skin!
I too love OB, almost to the point that I would choose it over FP, but I love seeing kids, adults, and doing other procedures as well. I don't want to lock myself in to seeing only women, when I can see them at my leisure and at my own pace as an FP!!
That statement about FP's being glorified midwives is a crock of crap. If you want to, as an FP, you can do deliveries, including C-sections, as long as you are not trying to get credentialled in the big city. But the rest of the country is and will always be fair game. And there are now tons of programs that give FP residents the primary surgeon role OB C-sections, and many give the FP resident 50-100 of them over 3 years!
And even in the instance that an FP was not completely comfortable with a C-section from open to shut, just like junior OB residents can, the FP can "get in" so to speak and wait for OB backup. That is how it works in many places. Where I am doing my OB rotation right now, even interns are allowed to start the section if the baby's heart rate drops for over 3 minutes. The intern's job is to call the attending, and start the procedure, basically not going layer by layer as normally done. The intern is instructed to have the baby out in 3 minutes from the time the knife touches the skin!
I too love OB, almost to the point that I would choose it over FP, but I love seeing kids, adults, and doing other procedures as well. I don't want to lock myself in to seeing only women, when I can see them at my leisure and at my own pace as an FP!!
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Sort of a different perspective, but you might also want to think about the kind of residents you'll be working with for at least 3 years. I can't say it's the same everywhere, but from what I've seen and heard from friends at other schools, OB residents seem to be very catty towards each other and dissatisfied in general. On the other hand, FP residents seem to be much happier, well-balanced, and nice. It's actually one of the reasons I'm choosing FP. I was probably biased from the start, but I've heard similar stories from other people who weren't.
