Int. Cards vs. Neurosurgery

[Surgeon Guy]

I want to do something with procedures, and I have always loved cards and neurosurgery. I know a lot about both fields, but I have a few questions that might make me decide if I still can't.

1) How does the lifestyle compare with interventional cards vs. neurosurgery?
2) How does salary compare?
3) How does malpractice insurance compare (average)?
4) Which one has the better looking future?

Thanks for any input.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[hans19]

I want to do something with procedures, and I have always loved cards and neurosurgery. I know a lot about both fields, but I have a few questions that might make me decide if I still can't.

1) How does the lifestyle compare with interventional cards vs. neurosurgery?
2) How does salary compare?
3) How does malpractice insurance compare (average)?
4) Which one has the better looking future?

Thanks for any input.

If you truly know 'a lot' about both fields, you would know that Cards and NS are two very disparate fields. The few things they have in common are prestige and salary.

1) People have acute MIs all hours of the day and need to be revascularized all the time. With NS you can do elective spine surgery and do very well. NS wins.
2) 700K vs 700K TIE
3) MI patients might have otherwise died without your intervention. With NS if you convert a dead man to a vegetable, you can claim victory, though the family might not understand why the patient can't walk and talk and play the piano like she used to. Advantage Cards
4) Interventional Cards is oversaturated. People are fighting over themselves to do cardiac interventions, elective stenting has been revealed to be no better than meds for non-sx patients, so look for a huge number of cardiologists to look for other procedures to do VS a huge shortage of neurosurgeons. Advantage NS

NS is easily the most rigorous, malignant residency in medicine. Pushing catheters and open brain surgeries are two entirely different skill sets. Do you see your self as a medicine doc first, or a surgeon first?

 

[PreMedDocMD]

Nevermind...

 

[dmg18]

Do you see your self as a medicine doc first, or a surgeon first?

Hi, I'm entering med school right now, and honestly do not know much about these specialties except for the fact that they interest me (as do many other specialties).

However, if I were to answer this question and say that I saw myself as a medicine doc first and a surgeon second, would that say that I would be happier as a Int. Card instead of a NS?

 

[cremaster2007]

Hi, I'm entering med school right now, and honestly do not know much about these specialties except for the fact that they interest me (as do many other specialties).

However, if I were to answer this question and say that I saw myself as a medicine doc first and a surgeon second, would that say that I would be happier as a Int. Card instead of a NS?

Most likely. The basics are that to do cards you must do a 3 year medicine residency first, while neurosurgery is 6-7 years of surgery straight through.

 

[mpp]

Hi, I'm entering med school right now, and honestly do not know much about these specialties except for the fact that they interest me (as do many other specialties).

However, if I were to answer this question and say that I saw myself as a medicine doc first and a surgeon second, would that say that I would be happier as a Int. Card instead of a NS?

Absolutely. I love neurosurgery. I think I would hate being an internist.

 

[cremaster2007]

Absolutely. I love neurosurgery. I think I would hate being an internist.

I couldn't agree more!