I'm a Med 3 and I've been having a hard time determining whether I want to apply to IM or PM&R next year. I enjoyed primary care a lot during my clerkships, way more than I'd anticipated. I like the pace of outpatient medicine in general, and getting to know patients in that setting is fun for me. The variety is appealing, and the lack of expertise in any one thing doesn't bother me. As for PM&R, there are aspects of the field that really appeal to me, but others that I have absolutely no interest in. I like non-operative MSK patients a lot and I'd love to do sports medicine full-time. On the flip side, inpatient rehab and neurological recovery is not my thing at all. The sports fellowships in PM&R seem to be very competitive, and I'm a little nervous about not matching and being stuck with few appealing job options following residency.
Still, I'm reticent about IM because of how grueling the residency can be. Med school has been a difficult experience in that it has left me prioritizing work over my personal life and hobbies way more than I'd imagined when I started. In short, I haven't been happy and I really want to put myself in a situation where I'll be happier. I'm very concerned about entering IM and putting my life on hold for another 3 years. PM&R doesn't require that same compromise, as the residency is a lot more relaxed. One other consideration is that I would like to relocate to California for residency and eventually practice there. There are far fewer PM&R programs in Cali, and they are generally not as well-regarded as programs outside the state.
IM:
Pros: only 3 years, variety of appealing job opportunities (primary care, sports med, allergy, administrative/public health), more residency options in my desired location, strong training as a generalist and ability to handle a huge variety of patients
Cons: grueling residency with more nights/weekends/holidays, more required ICU/CCU months, more stressful/high intensity situations (hate emergencies and high acuity cases) than in PM&R
PM&R:
Pros: very relaxed hours during residency, generally happy residents, opportunity to do sports med, likely stronger MSK training
Cons: requires a transition year, required months doing inpatient rehab, fewer appealing alternatives if don't match sports, job market seems to be tougher (perhaps simply because it's a smaller field with fewer number of jobs overall)
Sorry for the marathon post, but I'd love any feedback. Thanks
Still, I'm reticent about IM because of how grueling the residency can be. Med school has been a difficult experience in that it has left me prioritizing work over my personal life and hobbies way more than I'd imagined when I started. In short, I haven't been happy and I really want to put myself in a situation where I'll be happier. I'm very concerned about entering IM and putting my life on hold for another 3 years. PM&R doesn't require that same compromise, as the residency is a lot more relaxed. One other consideration is that I would like to relocate to California for residency and eventually practice there. There are far fewer PM&R programs in Cali, and they are generally not as well-regarded as programs outside the state.
IM:
Pros: only 3 years, variety of appealing job opportunities (primary care, sports med, allergy, administrative/public health), more residency options in my desired location, strong training as a generalist and ability to handle a huge variety of patients
Cons: grueling residency with more nights/weekends/holidays, more required ICU/CCU months, more stressful/high intensity situations (hate emergencies and high acuity cases) than in PM&R
PM&R:
Pros: very relaxed hours during residency, generally happy residents, opportunity to do sports med, likely stronger MSK training
Cons: requires a transition year, required months doing inpatient rehab, fewer appealing alternatives if don't match sports, job market seems to be tougher (perhaps simply because it's a smaller field with fewer number of jobs overall)
Sorry for the marathon post, but I'd love any feedback. Thanks
