Hi Everyone!
Searched some threads but maybe I didn't look correctly because I couldn't seem to find anything that answered this question. If there is, apologies for wasting everyone's time and I'd love a link.
I'm a current med student who just matched in IM. Basically, I'm worried that I might have chosen the wrong field...
I was deciding between IM or ophtho and basically, I wasn't able to do an ophtho elective besides some shadowing I did at home. I ultimately chose IM in part because I couldn't see myself missing out on the intense IM training. I absolutely loved all of my IM rotations and I'm still very excited to get this wide breadth of training. A friend of mine is an ophtho resident and mentioned a story where a patient collapsed in the cafeteria and they had no idea what to do while their friend who was an IM resident swept in and easily took control of the situation. They told me that if I wasn't ok being the kind of doctor that wasn't trained to handle that type of situation, then I shouldn't do ophtho.
At the time, I couldn't see myself not doing IM. The thing is...my thoughts and feelings have changed!! I am already planning on subspecializing in IM so I'm going to lose my generalist abilities anyways 🙁 I was recently overhearing some advice that the 3rd years were getting about specialty choice and someone suggested that they picture what they want their career to look like. I've always pictured a career in the future where I would have clinic a few days a week and a few days a week doing procedures!! I love small delicate but short surgeries where I can sit down if I need to. I'm not *in love* with the operating room (surgery didn't have enough IM for me but I still enjoyed it otherwise) but there is just no way I can do clinic every day forever. I should mentioned that I hate GI gut (though I love liver, I don't think I'd survive a GI fellowship hating gut so much) since that is the obvious choice. I've heard that cards tends to be one or the other for the most part (you're either an interventionalist or not) and pulm is somewhat similar in that regard with IPulm. Plus, it seems like with Ipulm or interventional cards the patients they see in clinic are there for their "surgical/procedural" issue and then they have a different cards/pulm doctor they see. Whereas for something like ophtho you can be both and medically and surgically treat the same patient for the same problem (for example, retina). Maybe I'm naively misunderstanding what these attendings do and if that is the case pleeeasseee someone set me straight.
Does anyone have any thoughts on whether the career I'm picturing is really possible in an IM field??
Am I being crazy???
Searched some threads but maybe I didn't look correctly because I couldn't seem to find anything that answered this question. If there is, apologies for wasting everyone's time and I'd love a link.
I'm a current med student who just matched in IM. Basically, I'm worried that I might have chosen the wrong field...
I was deciding between IM or ophtho and basically, I wasn't able to do an ophtho elective besides some shadowing I did at home. I ultimately chose IM in part because I couldn't see myself missing out on the intense IM training. I absolutely loved all of my IM rotations and I'm still very excited to get this wide breadth of training. A friend of mine is an ophtho resident and mentioned a story where a patient collapsed in the cafeteria and they had no idea what to do while their friend who was an IM resident swept in and easily took control of the situation. They told me that if I wasn't ok being the kind of doctor that wasn't trained to handle that type of situation, then I shouldn't do ophtho.
At the time, I couldn't see myself not doing IM. The thing is...my thoughts and feelings have changed!! I am already planning on subspecializing in IM so I'm going to lose my generalist abilities anyways 🙁 I was recently overhearing some advice that the 3rd years were getting about specialty choice and someone suggested that they picture what they want their career to look like. I've always pictured a career in the future where I would have clinic a few days a week and a few days a week doing procedures!! I love small delicate but short surgeries where I can sit down if I need to. I'm not *in love* with the operating room (surgery didn't have enough IM for me but I still enjoyed it otherwise) but there is just no way I can do clinic every day forever. I should mentioned that I hate GI gut (though I love liver, I don't think I'd survive a GI fellowship hating gut so much) since that is the obvious choice. I've heard that cards tends to be one or the other for the most part (you're either an interventionalist or not) and pulm is somewhat similar in that regard with IPulm. Plus, it seems like with Ipulm or interventional cards the patients they see in clinic are there for their "surgical/procedural" issue and then they have a different cards/pulm doctor they see. Whereas for something like ophtho you can be both and medically and surgically treat the same patient for the same problem (for example, retina). Maybe I'm naively misunderstanding what these attendings do and if that is the case pleeeasseee someone set me straight.
Does anyone have any thoughts on whether the career I'm picturing is really possible in an IM field??
Am I being crazy???
