How do you deal with pessimistic attitude towards OB/GYN?

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Hi, I don't post very often, but wanted to know if any current med students or residents have been/gone through the same thing as me.

I'm a male 3rd year medical student who recently made my decision to go into OB/GYN. For most of the year I was dead set on internal medicine, but since finishing surgery and ob/gyn clerkships I changed my mind. On every rotation people ask you what you're interested in and I always said internal medicine and got a positive reaction. Now that I'm definitively applying OB/GYN, I get a terrible reaction from everyone I tell no matter if they're medical or non-medical.

It's getting frustrating because I'm now very excited about my future career and no one is excited for me and can only tell me about terrible lifestyles, malpractice, and gender issues that will make it impossible for me to have a robust practice. I know I have to do what I love, but any thoughts on how to manage the bad perception about OB/GYN?

 

[FutureDoc734]

I couldn't agree more with you. I have not rotated through internal medicine yet, so I'm not 100% sure that I'll be going into Ob-Gyn. However, I LOVED my Ob rotation, and almost don't see myself doing anything else! But, every time I tell someone about it, they look at me like I'm crazy because either they had a bad experience in their rotation or they have heard the horror stories...

I think there's definitely a very bad stereotype about Ob-Gyn. I've tried to talk to a lot of faculty and residents about it, and even fellow medical students that are going into the field. Ob-gyn has definitely changed - maybe not completely, but it's gotten better than it previously was. Ultimately, you HAVE to do what you love, no matter what people say. There are negatives to every single field (path - not enough jobs, rads - will get taken over by computers eventually, ophtho - optometrists are going to take over, IM - you'll only survive if you specialize...etc etc etc). At the end of the day, it is YOU who makes the decision, and it is for YOU to make the best of your experience! People can be miserable in pretty much any specialty, so don't let the "stares" get to you!

 

[rsgillmd]

........At the end of the day, it is YOU who makes the decision, and it is for YOU to make the best of your experience! People can be miserable in pretty much any specialty, so don't let the "stares" get to you!

I think that quote above is the key point of the whole issue. There are stereotypes about every specialty and subspecialty, including mine (anesthesiology). If you've found something that you believe you are willing to do for the rest of your life, go for it! Who cares what others think? For every negative view, you'll find a positive view. It's your decision, not theirs. Also remember: if you love what you do, it's not really work.

 

[Chuck's Right Foot]

action from everyone I tell no matter if they're medical or non-medical.

It's getting frustrating because I'm now very excited about my future career and no one is excited for me and can only tell me about terrible lifestyles, malpractice, and gender issues that will make it impossible for me to have a robust practice. I know I have to do what I love, but any thoughts on how to manage the bad perception about OB/GYN?

Find the other Ob/Gyn hopefuls and band together. One of our advisory deans is an Ob/Gyn and I just talked to her about pursuing a career in Ob/Gyn and she was very supportive and was not a doomsayer about the specialty. As a guy, she said that (for a general practice) it takes longer to build up a base, but the data shows that the patient base is more likely to stay with their male Ob/Gyn. Don't know if it's true but it was nice to hear.

 

[sia_simba]

OB/GYN is a great field. It has gotten very competitive within the last 4 years. Medical professions who have a negative view on ob/gyn specialty are very ignorant sad to say.

A lot of people don't understand the diversity and need for ob/gyn. All people think about is delivery... this goes for medical professions as well. 90% of Medical students don't even know other subspecialities of ob/gyn including 50% of pgy 1 and 2.

Oppose to general surgery... majority of women seek their ob/gyn as primary care. Your patient population is 51%. You get immediate satisfaction and its a very rewarding feeling.

Don't let the fear of malpractice get to you. People will sue you for anything nowadays.

I was driving down the street today and saw a sign "888-I-CAN-SUE". Now you know. =)

Life style is not bad. The more you work... the more you get paid.

I will be starting in July 2011 as an attending. My work schedule is...

Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm. Pay 160-180k still negotiating.

Calls --> $100 per hour. I should do 4 calls a month.

Will be working at a teaching hospital. When I am home... I will be home. Though I am also doing part-time private practice as well which will earn me potential 30-40k extra. My private practice is 6 hours total a week.

I hope this shed some light for you.

 

[HDRphoto]

@sia_simba Thank you for the real world experience, it was both thoughtful and encouraging which is a response I have not been getting from most everyone I tell my interest to.

 

[SassyCat]

Hang in there! Even as a woman, I sometimes here negative things about doing OB GYN but everyone has their opinion but its your life you have to live.

I think you will like the attention you receive being a male applicant during the interview season. There are definitely a lot more female applicants so you will instantly have that to help you stand out from many applicants on interview day.

 

[HumbleMD]

OB/GYN is a great field. It has gotten very competitive within the last 4 years. Medical professions who have a negative view on ob/gyn specialty are very ignorant sad to say.

A lot of people don't understand the diversity and need for ob/gyn. All people think about is delivery... this goes for medical professions as well. 90% of Medical students don't even know other subspecialities of ob/gyn including 50% of pgy 1 and 2.

Oppose to general surgery... majority of women seek their ob/gyn as primary care. Your patient population is 51%. You get immediate satisfaction and its a very rewarding feeling.

Don't let the fear of malpractice get to you. People will sue you for anything nowadays.

I was driving down the street today and saw a sign "888-I-CAN-SUE". Now you know. =)

Life style is not bad. The more you work... the more you get paid.

I will be starting in July 2011 as an attending. My work schedule is...

Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm. Pay 160-180k still negotiating.

Calls --> $100 per hour. I should do 4 calls a month.

Will be working at a teaching hospital. When I am home... I will be home. Though I am also doing part-time private practice as well which will earn me potential 30-40k extra. My private practice is 6 hours total a week.

I hope this shed some light for you.

Also thank you for posting real $s. I feel like we're ashamed/embarrassed to talk about money in medicine, but it needs to be brought up in real terms.

 

[antoniosvidne]

OB/GYN is a great field. It has gotten very competitive within the last 4 years. Medical professions who have a negative view on ob/gyn specialty are very ignorant sad to say.

A lot of people don't understand the diversity and need for ob/gyn. All people think about is delivery... this goes for medical professions as well. 90% of Medical students don't even know other subspecialities of ob/gyn including 50% of pgy 1 and 2.

Oppose to general surgery... majority of women seek their ob/gyn as primary care. Your patient population is 51%. You get immediate satisfaction and its a very rewarding feeling.

Don't let the fear of malpractice get to you. People will sue you for anything nowadays.

I was driving down the street today and saw a sign "888-I-CAN-SUE". Now you know. =)

Life style is not bad. The more you work... the more you get paid.

I will be starting in July 2011 as an attending. My work schedule is...

Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm. Pay 160-180k still negotiating.

Calls --> $100 per hour. I should do 4 calls a month.

Will be working at a teaching hospital. When I am home... I will be home. Though I am also doing part-time private practice as well which will earn me potential 30-40k extra. My private practice is 6 hours total a week.

I hope this shed some light for you.

These numbers sounds kind of awful. It seems like OB's terrible reputation is every bit as deserved as they say. $100 an hour? Plumbers make more than you do.

 

[HumbleMD]

These numbers sounds kind of awful. It seems like OB's terrible reputation is every bit as deserved as they say. $100 an hour? Plumbers make more than you do.

Sounds like you'll make a great plumber.

 

[sia_simba]

These numbers sounds kind of awful. It seems like OB's terrible reputation is every bit as deserved as they say. $100 an hour? Plumbers make more than you do.

If you go into medicine ONLY wanting to make $$ or going into OB/GYN only to make $$, then you are absolutely correct... the pay does suck.

However, you obviously never worked in a hospital before nor in a residency program so I will decline to comment further on your ridiculous remark.

But for other people who actually needs to know... those are the numbers being offered to me at my hospital.

In NYS hospitals, similar numbers are being offered as well for Attending position.

The only thing is private practice... it requires more hours but payment is dependent on work hours. So its not salary to a certain extent.

Pay starting for 1st year Attending from East to West coast this year was roughly average $180-$190 starting. Some place will offer more (due to location).