Most laid back medical specialities

[SoundofSilver]

What do you guys consider to be the most laid back medical specialties? I'm talking about 8-9 hour days during normal hours, no weekends, relatively low stress environment. Do such specialties even exist? The only thing that comes to mind for me would be family medicine, which doesn't really interest me that much at this point.

I'm only an M1, but I just kinda want to get a feel for whats out there. A low stress lifestyle where I actually enjoy what I'm doing is probably going to be more important to me than prestige or making tons of money.

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[FunnyCurrent]

What do you guys consider to be the most laid back medical specialties? I'm talking about 8-9 hour days during normal hours, no weekends, relatively low stress environment. Do such specialties even exist? The only thing that comes to mind for me would be family medicine, which doesn't really interest me that much at this point.

I'm only an M1, but I just kinda want to get a feel for whats out there. A low stress lifestyle where I actually enjoy what I'm doing is probably going to be more important to me than prestige or making tons of money.

Derm
Psych

 

[Goober11]

I've heard physical medicine and rehab can be pretty cush. Also, heard good things about outpatient pain management

 

[FunnyCurrent]

I've heard physical medicine and rehab can be pretty cush. Also, heard good things about outpatient pain management

Derm
Psych
PM&R
Outpt Pain

 

[mjl1717]

Derm
Psych
PM&R
Outpt Pain

I can see the first 3..

In pain management the patient can stress you by being demanding, manipulative and selling what you give him.. And the MRI does not really correlate with symptoms.

Also you may need security in you r office..

Perhaps a creative version of preventive medicine..

 

[FunnyCurrent]

I can see the first 3..

In pain management the patient can stress you by being demanding, manipulative and selling what you give him.. And the MRI does not really correlate with symptoms.

Also you may need security in you r office..

Perhaps a creative version of preventive medicine..

Derm
Psych
PM&R

How about sleep?

 

[officedepot]

ophtho
family medicine
pathology
rads (for the most part)

 

[Kaustikos]

ophtho
family medicine
pathology
rads (for the most part)

WHAT?

 

[smq123]

WHAT?

Most FM jobs are now for 4-4.5 days a week. Usually minimal weekends, and home call (and no hospital admissions). The rural jobs out in BFE are usually a little more "hard core," but for most FP practices in suburban or urban markets, working 4 days in the office, with 1 for administrative/flex time, is becoming fairly common.

One of the people who graduated from my program last year got a deal like this; she was also offered an additional $20K a year if she was willing to cover the hospital as well. She ultimately chose to do just outpatient, but, like I said, those job offers are out there.

 

[SGuttenberg]

rad onc = boat loads of money for very little work (once you match). cake residency too. i love how we turn cancer patients into goldmines.

 

[colbgw02]

ophtho
family medicine
pathology
rads (for the most part)

Meh. Maybe. Private practice radiologists (i.e., the most part) largely work their arses off and have done so for the better part of the last decade. As reimbursements go down and demand continues rise (albeit at a slower rate), they'll be working even harder to maintain their salaries.

 

[Morsetlis]

I think the back medical specialty of spine surgery would get laid the most, no?

 

[2012mdc]

rad onc = boat loads of money for very little work (once you match). cake residency too. i love how we turn cancer patients into goldmines.

Rad Onc is probably the sweetest gig in medicine right now

 

[moto_za]

Preventative medicine

 

[Sheldor]

rad onc = boat loads of money for very little work (once you match). cake residency too. i love how we turn cancer patients into goldmines.

Have you spent much time working with Radiation Oncologists or are you just spreading something you've heard elsewhere? All of the radiation oncologists I've worked with worked incredibly hard. They weren't pulling 80+ hours weeks, but that doesn't mean that during the day they are just sitting around (like you make it sound.)

Don't get me wrong, Rad Onc is a great field that I intend to go into, but it isn't "very little work."

 

[Lil Mick]

Pathology
Preventive medicine
Possibly Psychiatry

 

[sanityonleave]

What do you guys consider to be the most laid back medical specialties? I'm talking about 8-9 hour days during normal hours, no weekends, relatively low stress environment. Do such specialties even exist? The only thing that comes to mind for me would be family medicine, which doesn't really interest me that much at this point.

I'm only an M1, but I just kinda want to get a feel for whats out there. A low stress lifestyle where I actually enjoy what I'm doing is probably going to be more important to me than prestige or making tons of money.

As an aside, one that I haven't seen mentioned on here but seems to be relatively slow-paced and definitely isn't particularly stressful is rheumatology. Granted, you'd have to make it through an IM residency and fellowship, but most of the diseases you see as a rheumatologist tend to be in the vein of long-term management rather than any acute crises (okay, SLE and renal crises... but other than that!.. and MAS... but yea. anyway, mostly). The rheumatologists I worked with all had a fairly slow-paced clinic (much slower than a standard FP or IM clinic in terms of # of patients/hr) and rarely get called.

Might be an option if you don't want to forsake clinical medicine entirely (cough derm cough) but still want something low-key.

That said, coming from a current second year -- you have time to figure out what you want to do. And, unfortunately, you really won't know what your options are until you get your Step 1 scores back.

 

[danzman]

Pediatric Emergency Medicine.

Seems to be about half as busy as the adult side, still only work 3 12s a week, mostly just tell parents that their kids are just fine. The pathology is pretty straight forward, lots of URIs OMs and rashes. A few traumas, and we had a to intubate a couple of kids but really pretty laid back. None of that chest pain crap.

If the money was as good as Adult EM it would be more popular.

 

[mjl1717]

Have you spent much time working with Radiation Oncologists or are you just spreading something you've heard elsewhere? All of the radiation oncologists I've worked with worked incredibly hard. They weren't pulling 80+ hours weeks, but that doesn't mean that during the day they are just sitting around (like you make it sound.)

Don't get me wrong, Rad Onc is a great field that I intend to go into, but it isn't "very little work."

Agree.{I've been saying all along there is no easy way} Morbidity/Radiation scatter..
To really stand out in this field it seems like one must at least be very much up to date..But really on the cutting edge of innovative treatment..And probably creative enough to invent a new modality..

 

[2012mdc]

Have you spent much time working with Radiation Oncologists or are you just spreading something you've heard elsewhere? All of the radiation oncologists I've worked with worked incredibly hard. They weren't pulling 80+ hours weeks, but that doesn't mean that during the day they are just sitting around (like you make it sound.)

Don't get me wrong, Rad Onc is a great field that I intend to go into, but it isn't "very little work."

I don't think any specialty is "very little work". Obvious exaggeration for affect but rad onc has a sweet lifestyle compared to other fields. No doubt there are folks in the "lifestyle" fields who stay very busy but we're talking about on average.

 

[SGuttenberg]

Well to the rad onc defenders: They work half as much as a general surgeon and get paid twice as much. They work as much as a family doctor and get paid 4 times as much. Sure derm and psych put in fewer hours, but the pay to work ratio doesn't get any sweeter than rad onc.

"Very little work" is subjective meaning they have basically no call and 40-50 hr weeks and no weekends. Their residency has always been 7-5 or 6 just like a regular job, while other residencies (take gen surg for example) are murder.

 

[NYDoc83]

Well to the rad onc defenders: They work half as much as a general surgeon and get paid twice as much. They work as much as a family doctor and get paid 4 times as much. Sure derm and psych put in fewer hours, but the pay to work ratio doesn't get any sweeter than rad onc.

"Very little work" is subjective meaning they have basically no call and 40-50 hr weeks and no weekends. Their residency has always been 7-5 or 6 just like a regular job, while other residencies (take gen surg for example) are murder.

I am now thinking of a new field that I may want to go into.

 

[DrBowtie]

I am now thinking of a new field that I may want to go into.

Crush boards and publish 5+ papers. Maybe get a PhD while you're at it.

 

[K31]

Pediatric Emergency Medicine.

Seems to be about half as busy as the adult side, still only work 3 12s a week, mostly just tell parents that their kids are just fine.

I'm thinking occasionally having to tell parents their child is dead would more than counterbalance this in regards to the "low stress" criterion of the OP.

 

[patel2]

anesthesiology for a plastic surgeon is probably a very sweet gig with great hours and minimal responsibility

 

[Zuerst]

try pedi surg or neuro surg if you really want the cush specialties.

 

[DreamingTheLive]

try pedi surg or neuro surg if you really want the cush specialties.

Umm, I could definitely be wrong, but isn't neuro surg residency BRUTAL?...practice may/may not be different

 

[TheLesPaul]

Umm, I could definitely be wrong, but isn't neuro surg residency BRUTAL?...practice may/may not be different

:sarcasm alert:

 

[Zuerst]

Umm, I could definitely be wrong, but isn't neuro surg residency BRUTAL?...practice may/may not be different

bro, if ur working more than 20 hours a week on neuro surg, u r definitely doing it wrong.

and pedi surg is like surg but with like smaller people and smaller parts so it takes a lot less time. 25 hours a week tops.

 

[Jack is Back]

Crush boards and publish 5+ papers. Maybe get a PhD while you're at it.

lol. That's all?

 

[2012mdc]

lol. That's all?

Add in AOA and you might have a chance

 

[K31]

Add in AOA and you might have a chance

Marrying the daughter of a RadOnc PD or chairman sounds like a good idea based off of what I hear of the competitiveness of recent matches.

 

[Ortho Guy]

Ortho.

 

[Brachyury]

Medical genetics
Occupational med

 

[SGuttenberg]

I am now thinking of a new field that I may want to go into.

The problem is no one can predict the future and how reimbursement will change. It may be cush now, but if some amazing new non-radiation cancer treatments comes out in 15 years they will be screwed.

 

[muhali3]

there are a bunch.

allergy, sleep, derm, psych, med gen...and many others, depending on the practice setting, and that is up to you.

 

[mjl1717]

Umm, I could definitely be wrong, but isn't neuro surg residency BRUTAL?...practice may/may not be different

Yes neurosurg residency is brutal!!!!

 

[K31]

Ortho.

I hope you don't really believe that.

You're more qualified to respond to this than me, but it seems like ortho (and most surgical subspecialties) could be pretty relaxed if you were willing to make less.

I rotated with a private ortho attending who seemed to have a pretty sweet setup. He was in a large group so he didn't have to take call that often, and chose to only spend a couple half-days per week in the OR and instead be in the clinic most of the time. He said he took a hit on his income having less OR time (still made a very comfortable income of course), but he preferred the more relaxed lifestyle, being home by dinner most days, etc. He was getting close to retirement though; he probably worked longer hours when younger.

 

[adaptation1]

I think (and correct me if you disagree) that when we talk about the character or personality of specialties, we're usually talking about academic medicine, which is where we spend most of our time when we're young. 4 years of school + 5-7 years of residency, all of which we're surrounded by other people in the field. Add to that the 10-15 years as a new junior attending, where it's basically the same deal. That's where "personality" comes in to play, and relationships can make or break you. If you're 55yo doing solo practice in an area with a good referral base, who gives a crap what the "personality" of your specialty is? All that matter is you.

That being said, I do not believe that most Orthopaedic Surgeons are "laid back." I have yet to work with a residency program where anyone worked less than 90hrs per week. In larger centers, Ortho cases run 24hrs per day, especially if they handle trauma. Despite the jokes and stereotypes, Orthopaedics is highly academic with a massive body of literature that a competent surgeon must be familiar with. Orthpaedists like to have fun, and typically have outside interests, but the ability to tell a joke does not make you "laid back."

I have been to Iraq and Afghanistan. I have been shot at. I have taken care of hard-core Taliban. I think I'm a reasonably secure person. There are exactly three people on Earth that honestly scare me (two men, one woman). All are Orthopaedic Surgeons. Take from that what you will.[/QUOTE]

LOL

 

[ucbsmd]

try pedi surg or neuro surg if you really want the cush specialties.

Just go for the trifecta, pediatric functional neurosurgery. Its only 95 hour work week.

 

[Zuerst]

...

There are exactly three people on Earth that honestly scare me (two men, one woman). All are Orthopaedic Surgeons. Take from that what you will.

did they came after you with hammers and saws?

 

[michaelrack]

How about sleep?

 

[Zuerst]

No, but once I pissed them off, I got screwed.

screws up the butt?

 

[deuist]

I'm thinking occasionally having to tell parents their child is dead would more than counterbalance this in regards to the "low stress" criterion of the OP.

I've had this conversation a few times before. It's never easy. Also, peds EM may be lower acuity than the adult side, but the parents can be every unrealistic and demanding. There are good reasons why the field is so unpopular.

 

[surftheiop]

I've had this conversation a few times before. It's never easy. Also, peds EM may be lower acuity than the adult side, but the parents can be every unrealistic and demanding. There are good reasons why the field is so unpopular.

But it does seem like those who enter the field tend to really like their jobs (I assume its a field that by the time you choose it, you would know exactly what your going to be getting yourself into)

http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/9/166/table/T5

 

[Salient]

Crush boards and publish 5+ papers. Maybe get a PhD while you're at it.

I have a hard time seeing how it's possible to publish one paper during medical school, much less five or six.

 

[bomgd3]

Path is a great one, as long as you can find the right kind of job. The pathologists working for big companies like AmeriPath have crappy jobs, but hospital pathologists can have it really good.

 

[Morsetlis]

I have a hard time seeing how it's possible to publish one paper during medical school, much less five or six.

If you went to Duke you'd be doing research your entire third year!

There are also some people at UCSD taking a year off after MS-4 for research to match into Opthal.

 

[NachoBabyDaddy]

rad onc = boat loads of money for very little work (once you match). cake residency too. i love how we turn cancer patients into goldmines.

Are you serious?

 

[ArcGurren]

rad onc = boat loads of money for very little work (once you match). cake residency too. i love how we turn cancer patients into goldmines.

Only thing is... rad/onc pretty much involves a ton of basic science research as well if you're in a big program... which I abhor and loathe.

Med/onc is actually pretty good pay for a pretty good lifestyle (if you don't work obscene hours) too, but it's notoriously hard to get into (not quite as much as rad/onc though).