IM Specialties

[medigull]

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I am interested in IM and love that Internal Medicine has such a wide range of subspecialties and I was wondering if someone could rank the subspecialties based on lifestyle/call. I know that there is a lot more that goes into a decision on what to specialize in, but I am just curious. Specifically Cards, GI, Neph, Pulm/CC.

 

[gutonc]

I am interested in IM and love that Internal Medicine has such a wide range of subspecialties and I was wondering if someone could rank the subspecialties based on lifestyle/call. I know that there is a lot more that goes into a decision on what to specialize in, but I am just curious. Specifically Cards, GI, Neph, Pulm/CC.

Congratulations on picking the 4 worst IM specialties WRT call and lifestyle. Cards and GI get called constantly. MIs and GI bleeders have a bad habit of coming in at 2am. Renal gets called when anyone is admitted with a SCr >2. Pulm/CC can be in-house shift-work in the ICU, or it can be constant calls from the hospitalist/house staff covering the ICU at night.

If you want an IM specialty where you have to check once a month or so to see if your pager still works, try Endo or Rheum. My friends who are Rheum fellows can go 2 or 3 weeks without getting paged.

Do what you like, not what you like the schedule of.

 

[medigull]

Congratulations on picking the 4 worst IM specialties WRT call and lifestyle.
If you want an IM specialty where you have to check once a month or so to see if your pager still works, try Endo or Rheum. My friends who are Rheum fellows can go 2 or 3 weeks without getting paged.

Do what you like, not what you like the schedule of.

Haha yeah I understand and dot get me wrong Im not looking for a cush specialty I dont mind working. Im interested in the ones listed because Id like to do procedures. Im really wondering if theres any significant difference between any of those four because if there are aspects of all that interest me (scoping etc.), I might as well do one where I also get to see my family ya know?

 

[pntgrd]

I am interested in IM and love that Internal Medicine has such a wide range of subspecialties and I was wondering if someone could rank the subspecialties based on lifestyle/call. I know that there is a lot more that goes into a decision on what to specialize in, but I am just curious. Specifically Cards, GI, Neph, Pulm/CC.

You listed some of the worst things. If you care about procedures, Rheumatology has a great lifestyle and taps joints.

 

[k96tw01]

If you plan on ending up in large group practice settings, you have to break it down even more than that into the sub-specialties.

In my own specialty the call from best to worst is EP>general>interventional with each call pool being separate

You can imagine there might be similar differences in each other subspecialty depending on how those call pools work (e.g. Pulm= Critical care vs. pulm vs. sleep medicine)

You also have to consider which ones have you racing in to the hospital (90 minute door-to-balloon for STEMI's) vs. writing a name down and rolling back over to sleep (adding someone to the AM dialysis schedule).

Ultimately the group you join will have as much impact on this. There are more than a few that make significant accomodations for call (ranging all the way up to no clinical responsibilites/day off the day after an overnight call)... I know one cards group that has their interventionalists do one month of night shift coverage (with nothing during the day) and then gets the other 11 months call-free...

many many variables when it comes to call and lifestyle. Pick the subject matter you like the best and then focus on finding the practice that entails the lifestyle you want to live.