Lifestyle during IM residency?

[PossibleEMapplicant]

Question for all you current IM residents, what is your weekly schedule typically like? 7am-5pm (ish) ? Just asking for family planning reasons.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[NITRAS]

Very residency dependent. And then, very rotation dependent. IM does a lot of inpatient months. Most outpatient rotations are 8-5ish, but mine often had hospital calls attached to this as well.

My inpatient weeks were usually 6am-5am ish when we weren't on call with one day off a week and 6am to 9pm on call nights. I did 24 hour calls twice a month. When a particular ICU doc was on, I had to start my day at like 430am.

I don't remember, but I had at least 20 months of inpatient rotations over 3 years. They are front loaded to intern year. Most programs have some form of night float system.

You need to have someone who can take the baby most of the time in residency. Most daycares are M-F 6-6, not including most major holidays. PS, babies also get fevers, and they get sent home from daycare for 1-3 days with a doctor's note. While we didn't have babies till the very end of residency, my wife could have taken off pretty much at will. PSS, look at daycares well ahead of birth. Waitlists are often very long for very little babies.

 

[Anicetus]

Question for all you current IM residents, what is your weekly schedule typically like? 7am-5pm (ish) ? Just asking for family planning reasons.

That would be a cushy schedule for IM.

For wards you May have to expect some days admitting train wrecks until 11pm especially with back to back admissions.

That is unless you’re super set on primary care and match at a non academic community hospital with hospitalists to run the show so you can leave by 5.

 

[Splenda88]

That would be a cushy schedule for IM.

For wards you May have to expect some days admitting train wrecks until 11pm especially with back to back admissions.

That is unless you’re super set on primary care and match at a non academic community hospital with hospitalists to run the show so you can leave by 5.

Literally... ED physicians will call you at 6:30 PM to give you 2 super complicated admissions... and you are still working on one that you had an hour earlier.

Prepare to work 70+ hrs/wk when on the wards or ICU if you are doing IM at a big academic center... These places rely heavily on residents' labor.

 

[Splenda88]

Question for all you current IM residents, what is your weekly schedule typically like? 7am-5pm (ish) ? Just asking for family planning reasons.

Find a small community hospital if you are not set on doing a competitive fellowship (GI, Card, Pulm/crit)... 7am-5pm(ish) is when you are not on call or short call or post-call, and that is literally 1-2 days/week.

 

[PossibleEMapplicant]

Find a small community hospital if you are not set on doing a competitive fellowship (GI, Card, Pulm/crit)... 7am-5pm(ish) is when you are not on call or short call or post-call, and that is literally 1-2 days/week.

Is heme/onc considered competitive?

 

[Mad Jack]

Is heme/onc considered competitive?

Yes

 

[Splenda88]

Is heme/onc considered competitive?

Yes, but it seems like its competitiveness is decreasing... not sure why.

 

[wjs010]

I have a great program. Not malignant at all and still academic. Call days usually go til 7. Interns get 5 admits (sometimes 6 if the clinic admits directly) . Some days when not on call, there’s a cross cover intern that stays until night team gets there, so if you’re done at like 2-5 pm, you can go (it’s usually around 4.). But the night team is there to signout at 6.
I usually finish notes on call days anywhere from 8-10. Usually not later than 10. My program is good to us and covers all food too.

 

[darklabel]

Yes, but it seems like its competitiveness is decreasing... not sure why.

Because GI, Cards and Pulm/Crit Care is where it's really at.

 

[PossibleEMapplicant]

Because GI, Cards and Pulm/Crit Care is where it's really at.

I'm surprised to hear that pulm/crit is taking off.

 

[deleted980918]

Its really not that bad. mid tier academic programs. has never worked >70 hrs/wk even on ICU or CCU with >15 pts. Its all about how efficient and comfortable you are.

 

[CatFactorial]

Yes, but it seems like its competitiveness is decreasing... not sure why.

What's that based on? Most subspecialties are getting more selective.

 

[Splenda88]

I'm surprised to hear that pulm/crit is taking off.

For some reason, it seems like it has become more competitive that heme/onc based on some people that I have talked to.

 

[Saxappeal1]

How do you guys adapt to the sleep schedule changes going from having no responsibilities in between medical school graduation and the start of residency?

 

[IMreshopeful]

For some reason, it seems like it has become more competitive that heme/onc based on some people that I have talked to.

Probably because shiftwork + procedures + reasonably decent pay. I would have considered PCCM if I didn’t need find outpatient pulm so desperately boring to me.

 

[gutonc]

How do you guys adapt to the sleep schedule changes going from having no responsibilities in between medical school graduation and the start of residency?

You just do.

My first day of internship was my day off for the week. My 2nd day was a 30h MICU call. I was barely functional during rounds but had a great senior and fellow as backup and my co-interns pushed me out as soon as possible. Every day after that was much more manageable.

 

[lulu09]

How do you guys adapt to the sleep schedule changes going from having no responsibilities in between medical school graduation and the start of residency?

When you're tired enough, falling sleep isn't an issue.

 

[pgy0246]

plenty of coffee, also I started exercising 2-4 times per week midway through intern year and that improve my endurance.
living with 15-20 minutes drive from the hospital don't hurt

 

[PreMed9242]

Is it typical to know your schedule in advance? More specifically, in terms of hours and which days of the week that you’re on.

I’m finding it difficult to plan just about anything. Not sure to chalk this up to a normal residency experience or not.

 

[mdjo]

Is it typical to know your schedule in advance? More specifically, in terms of hours and which days of the week that you’re on.

I’m finding it difficult to plan just about anything. Not sure to chalk this up to a normal residency experience or not.

In my residency, we knew our rotations for the whole academic year by the spring before. We had a short/pre/long/post call rotation and at least a few months in advance, you could look up which one your team would be on for a given day. We usually picked days off for the month at the beginning of the month when the whole team could sit down together, but if someone needed special arrangements (for a wedding or something) you would email the chiefs and your team and set that up in advance.

There was definitely day-to-day variability with admissions and sick people, but we knew that on long call days, you definitely can't make evening plans, on short call days you usually can make dinner plans but not guaranteed, and on the pre and post days you should be good for whatever evening plans you want.

If your program doesn't give that much notice, maybe talk to your seniors and/or the chiefs for advice. There might be a way to look up schedules in advance or other tips that you don't know about yet.

 

[rokshana]

Is heme/onc considered competitive?

Yes...they like research so you will need to get some publications and presentations at national meetings

 

[gutonc]

Is it typical to know your schedule in advance? More specifically, in terms of hours and which days of the week that you’re on.

I’m finding it difficult to plan just about anything. Not sure to chalk this up to a normal residency experience or not.

We knew our block schedule at the beginning of the year. Our actual schedule (which team, where you were in the rotation) was something we'd learn a week or two before the block started. Yes, it's impossible to plan things. Welcome to internship.

 

[cootieshot]

Is it typical to know your schedule in advance? More specifically, in terms of hours and which days of the week that you’re on.

I’m finding it difficult to plan just about anything. Not sure to chalk this up to a normal residency experience or not.

So we knew the block schedule at the beginning and the team/call schedule at least 3 months before. I usually e-mailed my interns like 2 weeks prior to starting about days off. I would say a good chunk of the upper levels did this at my program, and it was encouraged to do so.

Yeah it definitely does stink planning things during residency, but I think it gets a little better after intern year. I'm a big planner but residency taught me to be more spontaneous which was nice.