IM hours?

[greenergrass]

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How would you compare hours worked in residency/fellowship/attending levels in IM vs. Radiology... drastic/not-so-different? I am interested in the core material of both, unfortunately.

thanks for any insight-

 

[Reddpoint]

As a general rule IM is going to have more hours at every level of training than radiology. If having less hours is a primary concern than radiology is a better pick. However, you have to decide how much you value spending time with patients and treating disease. Radiology offers the chance to help make a diagnosis but thats about it unless you do IR.

 

[dragonfly99]

Agree with above.
Especially as interns, IM house staff work significantly more hours. If you do radiology, you can do a transitional year, which tends to have cushy hours.

 

[FatPigeon]

I don't know if I agree totally with what's been said, though I'm only an MSIII. Radiology residents at my school claim to work about 60 hours per week and then read/study for the remainder of their waking hours.

The worst months of IM on the general ward definitely involve more time at the hospital than any portion of a rads residency, but keep in mind that a large portion of an IM residency is ambulatory work (where hours are pretty much 9-5) and other easier rotations. Also, the word from current residents seems to be that IM gets notably easier to handle after intern year...and I think it would be silly to make a career decision based on just that one year...

 

[FutureSoxDoc]

I don't know if I agree totally with what's been said, though I'm only an MSIII. Radiology residents at my school claim to work about 60 hours per week and then read/study for the remainder of their waking hours.

The worst months of IM on the general ward definitely involve more time at the hospital than any portion of a rads residency, but keep in mind that a large portion of an IM residency is ambulatory work (where hours are pretty much 9-5) and other easier rotations. Also, the word from current residents seems to be that IM gets notably easier to handle after intern year...and I think it would be silly to make a career decision based on just that one year...

Large portion ambulatory? That's crazy talk. I have 5 blocks Ambulatory and 1/2 day per week my entire residency (IM).

 

[dragonfly99]

4.5-5 months clinic/ambulatory my entire 3 years of residency.
But I agree with the rads resident that you shouldn't make your decision based on intern year hours...but I think most practicing internists work more hours than radiologists as well, and make about 1/2 to 1/3 as much. However, you really do have to like what you do, so what you like needs to favor heavily into your decision. And we DO need more good internists...

 

[Howser]

Don't get me wrong, I don't like working long hours unless I have to. But you have to truly love what you are doing or you will be miserable.

 

[gutonc]

Assume that no matter what you do, you'll "work" 80hr/wk in residency. In Surgery specialties, you'll actually work more but pretend to work less. In IM/FP/Peds, you'll be in the hospital for 80hrs/wk, go home and crash...on your less intense months, you'll work less and read more. In Derm/Rads/RadOnc/etc., you'll work 40-60 hrs/wk in the hospital and read another 20-40 hrs to make up 80.

 

[mercaptovizadeh]

Assume that no matter what you do, you'll "work" 80hr/wk in residency. In Surgery specialties, you'll actually work more but pretend to work less. In IM/FP/Peds, you'll be in the hospital for 80hrs/wk, go home and crash...on your less intense months, you'll work less and read more. In Derm/Rads/RadOnc/etc., you'll work 40-60 hrs/wk in the hospital and read another 20-40 hrs to make up 80.

What I don't understand is how a narrow subject like derm or radonc could demand all the remaining hours up to 80 for study, whereas IM people do their 80 hours in the hospital and crash. One would think that IM, being so broad, has much more to learn than derm/radonc, i.e. more reading needed.

Or is it that the depth of info learned in IM is less than in derm, and the more analogous situation would be fellowship, where the field is narrower?

 

[indiamacbean]

Hours:
IM>>>>Radiology

Satisfaction:???

do NOT go into internal medicine for lifestyle.

 

[WatchingWaiting]

What I don't understand is how a narrow subject like derm or radonc could demand all the remaining hours up to 80 for study, whereas IM people do their 80 hours in the hospital and crash. One would think that IM, being so broad, has much more to learn than derm/radonc, i.e. more reading needed.

Or is it that the depth of info learned in IM is less than in derm, and the more analogous situation would be fellowship, where the field is narrower?

You couldn't spend 20-40 hours a week reading about dermatology or rad-onc for the entire three years of a derm or rad-onc residency even if you wanted too. Unless you have a learning disability, there just isn't that much material. You probably could spend 20 hours a week reading about medicine and medicine subspecialties and scouring journals if you really wanted to try hard, though even with medicine's breadth, your head would hurt from that much studying on top of the amount of daily work you already have. It would also be far more reading than you need to be a strong resident.

Lifestyle specialties are called lifestyle specialties because they're easier and require less work. That's all there is to it. There is a reason they have high rates of applicants not matching and 10-20 pt higher than average step 1 scores. Specialties become competitive because there is a combination of (a) high renumeration post residency, (b) low (relatively) work hours during and/or after residency.