AAU said:
Does anybody have any info on medical genetics?
I'm a future medical geneticist who is applying for Medicine/Pediatrics residencies, so here goes.
Do MD medical geneticists have to be board-certified internists or pediatricians?
I don't think that they technically are required to be boarded in IM or Peds, but it certainly helps. You can become boarded in Clinical Genetics or various sub-sub boards from there by the American Board of Medical Genetics. There are actually some programs that only require 2 years of primary care before you are eligible to start your fellowship program. However, this seems like a bad idea to me, as it is a complex field. I for one, intend to finish my residency before continuing to fellowship.
Are these fellowships competitive, and does one have to be interested in research and/or academic medicine in order to apply?
I don't think that the specialty is really all that competitive. There aren't a lot of fellowships that have been creative, and each fellowship doesn't take a lot of people (1-3 appears typical). However, there aren't a lot of people going into the field. I haven't met any other students who are interested in it.
I think having a strong research background is to your advantage in genetics, but you can say that about virtually any aspect of medicine these days. I also think that one should be interested in academic medicine, as much of the profession practices at large tertiary care teaching hospitals. Many geneticists hold some sort of academic rank.
I am pretty sure there is not much call, but I am wondering what their day is like, and what kind of money they make (hey, just curious). I haven't been able to find any satisfactory information online, so what you contribute will be appreciated. Thanks.
There really isn't much call, and what call you have is most likely home call, as there currently isn't a scenario I can think of that is a "genetic emergency". Certainly I can imagine a scenario where a patient is admitted to the hospital with an acute decompensation for a known genetic condition in which a geneticist may be called on to advise on what to expect. Even that can be handled on the phone. Many weekend calls for consult can probably be taken care of on Monday if they can't be taken care of on the phone.
The geneticist I work with is semi-retired, and as a result, I may be getting a skewed vision of what is done, but I would expect that I will have several clinics a week in which I would see either patients who are referred for diagnosis of suspected diseases, or are being seen for medical management or surveillance of a known diagnosis. The rest of the time would be split between teaching responsibilities, research opportunities, and inpatient consults (mainly NICU, nursery, and peds, although I've seen a couple of adults on consult service). Many of the consult requests are to assess an FLK (funny-looking kid). So, the short answer is that the lifestyle is good, which my wife is happy about. I'll probably work from 7-5 M-F with the occasional weekend stop in if something weird/interesting shows up.
The pay is adequate. I'll be boarded in 2011 and will probably start at equivalent to around $125,000 a year in the midwestern United States. I have no idea what other countries or other regions of the United States pay. The economic model may change if medical geneticists adopt and administer gene therapy or stem cell therapies as(if) they become available. If that happens, genetics may resemble Heme/Onc, but we also are taking more risks and opening ourselves up to more liability (see Gelsinger vs. the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania).
Reply back with specific questions if you want to know more. I'm very enthusiastic about genetics and would be happy to share any information I have about it.
-Eric
