What's the deal with everyone saying that gas is a "lifestyle" specialty? In the last couple of surveys that I've read, Anesthesia has been at the top of the list regarding amount of hours worked (58.7). This appears to be similar to surg, internal med, ob/gyn. For that matter, Radiology is also considered a "lifestyle" specialty and is among the top, concerning hours. Can anyone explain why this is?
lifestyle
- Thread starter Ganz
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I agree.
What does lifestyle mean? Gas guys get up hella early, as do most all docs. They take call on weekends, too. The oft quoted phrase "When you're done, you're done...you turn off your pager at the end of the day..." I know lots of primary care docs that do the same, maybe take call once -twice a month, or not at all.
The advantage I find is the portability of the profession (gas and rads), since you don't have to invest your time in to building a practice that is then hard to leave. Also it's easier to work part-time for the same reason. Rads allows you to live wherever you want, through telerads, and by living in another timezone, you could work afternoon+evening, as opposed to morning+afternoon, etc.
In the end, it all comes down to how "not trapped" you are by the money. We all hear doctors complain about being overworked...why don't they just cut back their hours? Make 80k instead of 120k. It's because, in the words of an attending answering this question..."You get shown the big house, and you want it...you have the ability to drive the benz, so you take the hit...you have kids, and stress out that you're not doing enough for them so you need to pay through the nose for education..."
Docs develop high standards and get trapped by their need to make money. Smart, driven people in other fields would love to make half the average doctor's salary.
The ability to work WHEN YOU WANT is golden, and not found in any scenario I can think of in medicine except maybe private-practice pathology to some degree. Friends that are day traders and computer programming consultants agree.
...just a rant...
What does lifestyle mean? Gas guys get up hella early, as do most all docs. They take call on weekends, too. The oft quoted phrase "When you're done, you're done...you turn off your pager at the end of the day..." I know lots of primary care docs that do the same, maybe take call once -twice a month, or not at all.
The advantage I find is the portability of the profession (gas and rads), since you don't have to invest your time in to building a practice that is then hard to leave. Also it's easier to work part-time for the same reason. Rads allows you to live wherever you want, through telerads, and by living in another timezone, you could work afternoon+evening, as opposed to morning+afternoon, etc.
In the end, it all comes down to how "not trapped" you are by the money. We all hear doctors complain about being overworked...why don't they just cut back their hours? Make 80k instead of 120k. It's because, in the words of an attending answering this question..."You get shown the big house, and you want it...you have the ability to drive the benz, so you take the hit...you have kids, and stress out that you're not doing enough for them so you need to pay through the nose for education..."
Docs develop high standards and get trapped by their need to make money. Smart, driven people in other fields would love to make half the average doctor's salary.
The ability to work WHEN YOU WANT is golden, and not found in any scenario I can think of in medicine except maybe private-practice pathology to some degree. Friends that are day traders and computer programming consultants agree.
...just a rant...
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How hard you work depends on the practice situation you enter. One of the regulars around this forum posted that he got a job out of residency last year in Indiana making 300K. For that he works from 7-12pm. At the latest, he gets out around 2pm. Not bad straight out of residency, huh? The chairman of my school's anesthesiology department said it's possible to work 6 months each year and make $200K. Locum tenens opps abound where you can make $1000-1500/day. A graduating resident at BID told my interview group a guy who graduated last year is making $1M/yr working in Vegas, and he needs help!
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YEEESSSSSSSSSS
