marcus_aurelius said:
To all you docs and residents out there....
What is the most satisfying part of being a PMR doc?
Its not easy to narrow it down to one thing, there's a bunch:
1) helping those with severe disabilities recover to get back to work, play, traveling, golfing, whatever they were doing before
2) the close contact with patients and family members
3) the hours that are usu lighter than that of other fields (depending how hard you want to work)
4) the advancements being made in pain, spasticity management
5) interest in sports medicine
6) the 'newness' of the field. Although its been around many decades, I think PM&R is starting to really blossom. Research esp in the musculoskeletal sciences (sports, amputee) is picking up. This allows a person entering the field to feel that they can be a 'mover and shaker' b/c there is so much research that needs to be done.
7) the culture of residents of faculty: this is a generalization, but they tend to be very friendly and sociable. It seems as though everyone who chooses this field emphasizes having a life outside of work. B/c it is a small field, there is a lot of camraderie and "we're all in it together" type of feeling among physiatrists.
8) the breadth of clinical opportunities available: you can work in inpatient, outpatient, peds, adult, multidisciplinary, single specialty. Docs can carve out their own niche.