hours,$ in residency and med school.

[ALTorGT]

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heya.
i can't help but notice the frequent postings about hours of work and pay in specialities. What doesn't get talked about much is hours of work in medical school and pay during residency. Whats it like??? for eg IM or Surgery.


Also I find it physically and biologically implausible for anyone to work 80-90hr weeks let alone 120. Thats like 15 hour days over 6 days. Which gives you a grand total of 9 hours to commute to and from work, wash, eat, have sex?? wake.😛

How on earth does anyone manage 120 hrs a week. I should imagine that they'd be some very monkey pissed individuals.

U wouldnt wanna be round me if I was workin 120 hr weeks. I guarantee. Are these hours an exception rather than the norm? Is it something that you do for a few weeks in the year with the reat being 60-70 hr weeks?

 

[ApacheIndian]

I for one agree with you. In my eyes, life is too short to choose a career in which you have to work 70-80% of your waking hours. From before I even started medical school, I knew that those fields that require their practitioners to work this much were out of the question for me. Not b/c I'm lazy, but b/c I have many outside interests in life... many other things I'd like to see, to learn, to experience... and I only have about another 74 years to do them all (I plan to be a centunarian 🙂).

Carpe Diem...

😎

 

[Lisa_OSU]

Hey Dr. Cuts,
nice pic....I always knew you were a stud!

 

[ApacheIndian]

Originally posted by Lisa_OSU
Hey Dr. Cuts,
nice pic....I always knew you were a stud!

😎
Why thank you baby...

 

[Jim Picotte]

Well, as of July 1, 2003 there will be rules governing how long you can work even in surgery (at least ACGME certified programs). Even with a special exemption the total per week is 88 hours, but should be around 80 hours. The surgery program at my hospital started going by the new rules in January to work out any issues. Out of the hospital by noon post call and a minimum of 4 complete days off a month. It's still a lot of hours but at least you have time to sleep and see your family.

Also, for residency, you get paid the same depending on your seniority usually. That means those surgeons working the 120 hour weeks get the same pay as the dermatology residents putting in their 40. It's a salary, not an hourly wage.

 

[ALTorGT]

agree...so lets assume ur an IM dude in PGY1 in a mid tier program. How many hours would you be workin per week on average (what kinda shifts?) and how much salary will you be drawing.

I see somewhere that residents get paid (NMRP) around 40K per year. Does that increase as you progress through PGY2 to fellowship and beyond. If so by how much. How in blooming hell does a resident whose gone through 8 years of ball busting school live on 40K per year. I mean, bell boys prolly make that in tips at the four seasons. not to sound conceited...but...Duh???
😕

 

[edfig99]

Originally posted by ALTorGT
agree...so lets assume ur an IM dude in PGY1 in a mid tier program. How many hours would you be workin per week on average (what kinda shifts?) and how much salary will you be drawing.

I see somewhere that residents get paid (NMRP) around 40K per year. Does that increase as you progress through PGY2 to fellowship and beyond. If so by how much. How in blooming hell does a resident whose gone through 8 years of ball busting school live on 40K per year. I mean, bell boys prolly make that in tips at the four seasons. not to sound conceited...but...Duh???
😕

on average you are looking at working at least 70-80+ hours/week depending on number of other residents in the program and location... shifts vary depending on what rotation you're on...so an inpatient rotation, you are going to be on the higher end of hours 80-100, whereas on outpatient rotations your cookin' a 9 to 5 deal with weekends off.

however...work 8 hours, work 80, you take home the same pay. Pay varies by region, but it is an average of $40K/yr, increasing about 1.5K to 2K per year. I'm in a NYC FP program (but all residents get paid exactly the same here) and i started at $42K and now I'm up to $46K (as a pgy3). Most fellowships actually pay LESS than residency due to changes in the funding structure (there is more federal money funding residencies than they do fellowships) most fellows "moonlight" to make some extra cash.

suffice to say you do not pick a career in medicine in this day and age for the money. Residency pay sucks. The health care reimbursement process is confusing and is in shambles. Medicare money is disappearing and reimbursement is sh***y. Medicaid pays abysmally. if it wasn't for my wife and her income, i'd be living in a cardboard box turning tricks trying to make ends meet....or making more money as a manager in McDonald's....

it is very difficult making ends meet on a resident's salary -- ya gotta have some money saved up, and just make every effort possible to live within your means. and you gotta learn to love ramen noodles. you also use all of your deferment time on your loans, apply for forbearance and play the lottery.

-ed

 

[ALTorGT]

hey ed and everyone else...
thanx for the reality check dude. 🙁
Lemme put this straight b4 I get flamed....
All this talk bout money and hours and which pays the best is not to pick a specility based on its cushiness or how much dough I stand to make....

Like someone said, if I wanna have diverse interests, and maintain a good balance in life....and be happy with around $200K, living in a cool place, working 50-60 hour weeks..what specialities should I toe for????????????? 😱

Bottom line...regardless of what speciality it is in medicine...It all feels the same to me....people come to you with a problem...U try to understand it and make a somewhat attempt to fix it.....Sure I prefer Cardiology to Rehab Medicine but GI over Cardiology or Nephrology.......Heck theyre all interesting......and the same goes for surgery...its all cut and paste.......everythings interesting....Which brings me to the people in any given residency or field.....I've always enjoyed those rotations which had the coolest people there.....For me it was Neurology and Neurosurgery. Enough bantering😳 ne opinions????

 

[surge]

Originally posted by ALTorGT

Like someone said, if I wanna have diverse interests, and maintain a good balance in life....and be happy with around $200K, living in a cool place, working 50-60 hour weeks..what specialities should I toe for????????????? 😱

Investment banking.
God, I hope I never have to see a doctor like you. 🙄

 

[womansurg]

Originally posted by surge
Investment banking.
God, I hope I never have to see a doctor like you. 🙄

Now, that was harsh.

Those are all very rational expectations for an individual to hope for in his or her career: reasonable hours, reasonable lifestyle, reasonable pay... I don't find anything to condemn in these statements.

It's not healthy to expect everyone in medicine to sell their soul to the devil to practice their art. Balance is a good thing.

 

[ApacheIndian]

Originally posted by ALTorGT
All this talk bout money and hours and which pays the best so I can pick a specility based on its cushiness and how much dough I stand to make....

Like someone said, if I wanna have diverse interests, and maintain a good balance in life....and be happy with around $200K, living in a cool place, working 50-60 hour weeks..what specialities should I toe for????????????? 😱

It's all about the 3 Cs... cash, cushiness, and chicks.

Prominence? Is that you? You naughty boy! 😉

 

[ortho2003]

go for ED or Anesthesia if you are looking for flexible hours and strong income.