Interested in PM & R

[twocentnews]

Hey everyone,

So I shadowed a physiatrist over the summer last year and I was really interested in what he did. So much so, that I have considered this as a possible specialty in the future. Do you know how difficult it can be to land a residency in these programs? The doctor I shadowed was actually a DO graduate from NYCOM.

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[judasreznor]

Hey everyone,

So I shadowed a physiatrist over the summer last year and I was really interested in what he did. So much so, that I have considered this as a possible specialty in the future. Do you know how difficult it can be to land a residency in these programs? The doctor I shadowed was actually a DO graduate from NYCOM.

I don't think it's an amazingly competitive residency. You can find out more about that on the PM&R section of the Residency Forums.

 

[Atom bum]

Hey everyone,

So I shadowed a physiatrist over the summer last year and I was really interested in what he did. So much so, that I have considered this as a possible specialty in the future. Do you know how difficult it can be to land a residency in these programs? The doctor I shadowed was actually a DO graduate from NYCOM.

I have shadowed a PM&R doc as well. He went to UNE-COM if it matters.
He was telling me that when he got into PM&R it wasn't very competitive, but it is getting more and more competitive now.

 

[JaggerPlate]

From what I understand, it isn't "competitive" at the moment, but it is becoming more competitive. It's a very interesting field, and extremely DO friendly.

 

[Momentum70]

I just matched in it this year, and its still not very competitive. However it has been slowly creeping up. The secret has gotten out about the great lifestyle, but luckily not that many people want to do it. Also if you look at the trends, all specialties are becoming more competitive as the amount of graduates is increasing a lot faster than the number of residency spots. But dont worry its still well below all the surgical specialties and derm.

 

[FutureCTDoc]

It's great from a lifestyle perspective, my cousin is a DO who went onto one of the top ACGME PM&R programs. It's not difficult and it's a great segue to pain management if you want it. It is very achievable by almost any DO.

 

[EmersonAnne]

I just matched in it this year, and its still not very competitive. However it has been slowly creeping up. The secret has gotten out about the great lifestyle, but luckily not that many people want to do it. Also if you look at the trends, all specialties are becoming more competitive as the amount of graduates is increasing a lot faster than the number of residency spots. But dont worry its still well below all the surgical specialties and derm.

How are the hours? I know people say it's a great lifestyle, but is that compared to something like IM or surgery or is it really a great lifestyle the way one would call derm a great lifestyle?

 

[DOwnage]

It's great from a lifestyle perspective, my cousin is a DO who went onto one of the top ACGME PM&R programs. It's not difficult and it's a great segue to pain management if you want it. It is very achievable by almost any DO.

Is it any more difficult for a PM&R doc to get into pain vs an Anesthesia doc?

 

[Atom bum]

How are the hours? I know people say it's a great lifestyle, but is that compared to something like IM or surgery or is it really a great lifestyle the way one would call derm a great lifestyle?

The doc I shadow works 8 to 5 Tuesday through Friday and makes good money. He did an extra few years on spinal injections though so he may be different than normal.

 

[FutureCTDoc]

Is it any more difficult for a PM&R doc to get into pain vs an Anesthesia doc?

It's on a program by program basis some prefer anaesthesia some prefer PM&R. I'd say anaesthesia makes it somewhat easier, however the advantage isn't huge.

 

[Momentum70]

Hours are whatever you want to make them so some degree after graduating. Its easy to work under 50 hours a week and make great money, and call is always home call, and its like Derm in that you arent getting woken up for emergencies all the time. Lets face it, the ER doesnt call the PM&R doc to wake up and come right in to evaluate for rehab placement.

As far as pain fellowship it is program by program. Some are run by the PM&R dept and others by anesthesia. I wont be applying to fellowships for a long time, but if its like residency and most other jobs, its easier to get in if they know you. So on that train of thought, going to a place that has a pain fellowship would make it easier. My program as a PM&R pain fellowship and its not too difficult to get into if you do PM&R residency here from what Ive been told by other residents.

 

[twocentnews]

Are the opportunities better if you go through an MD residency, or would it be similar to go through AOA ones? I know a lot of people as DOs aim to land ACGME residencies/internships, but PM&R seems so incredibly DO-friendly, so I was just wondering.

 

[JaggerPlate]

Are the opportunities better if you go through an MD residency, or would it be similar to go through AOA ones? I know a lot of people as DOs aim to land ACGME residencies/internships, but PM&R seems so incredibly DO-friendly, so I was just wondering.

PM&R seems like possibly the most friendly DO field out there, without a doubt the most friendly outside of PC fields. I've even heard rumors of ACGME programs teaching OMM in residencies. To be honest, I think you'll be completely fine coming from the DO side of things.

As to the quality of residencies (AOA vs ACGME) ... I'm unsure. The opportunities page isn't working right now, but I think there are only a couple of AOA PM&R residencies, and 1-2 are dual??? Again, they are probably strong programs. You should go read the PM&R boards.

 

[FutureCTDoc]

PM&R seems like possibly the most friendly DO field out there, without a doubt the most friendly outside of PC fields. I've even heard rumors of ACGME programs teaching OMM in residencies. To be honest, I think you'll be completely fine coming from the DO side of things.

As to the quality of residencies (AOA vs ACGME) ... I'm unsure. The opportunities page isn't working right now, but I think there are only a couple of AOA PM&R residencies, and 1-2 are dual??? Again, they are probably strong programs. You should go read the PM&R boards.

Also DOs consistently get into the top programs like Jefferson Med which is a top PM&R program. Most people would choose allo for the better access to pain management.

 

[JaggerPlate]

Also DOs consistently get into the top programs like Jefferson Med which is a top PM&R program. Most people would choose allo for the better access to pain management.

For sure.

 

[Momentum70]

As above, its pretty easy to get in from the DO side for residency, however if you wanna do fellowships, MD is better.

 

[twocentnews]

Thanks for the feedback. I was also reading some much older threads recently about it being harder for PM&R residents to get sports medicine fellowships. Do any current med students/residents know if this has changed? I read a little about PASSOR, but apparently most of these programs are not ACGME accredited?

Any help would be appreciated. I am really interested in PM&R, but also sports med and was wondering if there is a way to great the fellowship training without doing FP first.

 

[bongobingo]

I also shadowed PMR in outpatient practice. The doctor actually worked well over 40hrs. And while there were patients for whom he did great diagnosis and treatment, many others were chronically ill. I don't understand the point of PMR for those who are chronically ill because they definitely are not getting better. I know that ALS and Cerebral Palsy are a serious part of PMR practice. How is that lifestyle friendly??
Also I am not sure if you are even referring to outpatient or inpatient. But either way in big cities there is definitely no shortage of PMR doctors. To me, ER is much more lifestyle friendly. You can do as many shifts as you like if you want to work hard. Say 10nights in a row. And then you can go on vacation without any trouble.

 

[Helen Wheels]

I don't understand the point of PMR for those who are chronically ill because they definitely are not getting better. I know that ALS and Cerebral Palsy are a serious part of PMR practice. How is that lifestyle friendly??

When people talk about the "lifestyle specialties" they are normally referring to specialties where:

• You are not on call very much/at all
• You don't have to work crazy long hours

I know it might seem depressing to treat patients who won't get better but that isn't what people mean by "lifestyle" in this case. A PMR doc isn't going to treat anything that can't wait until the morning - they aren't going to be paged at all hours of the night and though you could work longer hours and make more money, they can probably be home for dinner every night if they want.

 

[fozzy40]

bump

 

[EmOlee]

I shadowed a PM&R DO who was doing a fellowship at the UofM spine clinic, and I loved it! Many of the physicians there we're also DO, to me as a little premed it did seem DO friendly and the thee MDs that worked there were too. Was mostly outpatient and chronic cases.