Most Studious Specialties

[fourthyear]

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We all know which specialties are known for being competetive to get into. But here's a new question - which specialties require/expect the most studying and reading once you are in residency?

Please post which specialty you are doing residency in and how many hours per week, on average, you read from textbooks or journals. Also, do you have a yearly inservice exam and how much pressure does your program place on doing well on it?

 

[doepug]

I think that rads and path require the most after-hours reading. Not sure how much is necessary to do well... still a 4th year student.

 

[IMGforNeuro]

from what i have seen Internal Medicine ( lots and lots to read ) , Neurology also lot to read (also neurosurgery).
I think most surgical specialities have more ' to do ' . They have to spend more time in the OR. Both surgical and medical specialities learn related imaging studies and films. But nonsurgical specialities have much more to read including pharmacology of drugs and electrophysiological studies.

 

[Smurfette]

Hmm...I would vote for path as number one. Runner-ups I would guess Neurosurgery and maybe some other surgery subspecialty/fellowship like cardiothoracic or surgical oncology since those involve knowing the basics of pathophys, dx and tx with further knowledge of surgical options and intra-operative techniques.

 

[Docxter]

Radiology first, Pathology second. Neurology and Dermatology require a lot of reading too. Of course, any field requires lots of reading to be good when it comes to overall knowledge, but some fields are more amenable to being able to "get along" in your residency without having to do a lot of hardcore reading. Radiology and pathology are definitely not one of those. Since these two fields require you to know about diseases of all organs and across all specialties, they require more reading.

 

[MariaG]

Neurology for sure.. Ive got two friends that matched this year and they are already studying. From what i hear its mostly reading and not much doing.

 

[doc05]

Neurology for sure.. Ive got two friends that matched this year and they are already studying. From what i hear its mostly reading and not much doing.

neurology for sure. the field attracts dweebs like no other specialty.

 

[Leukocyte]

neurology for sure. the field attracts dweebs like no other specialty.

I agree. It and probably Pathology.

I also do agree that Surgery is COMPARATIVELY the least "cognitive" with the exception of Neurosurgery (since it includes neurology).

 

[jakstat33]

"Mens sana en corpore sano"
- a sound mind in a sound body

dr. cuts- do you wear asics?

 

[IndyXRT]

Radiation oncology requires extensive reading, as residents are required to have a detailed knowledge of current and past research in oncology and radiation oncology.

 

[roja]

*ALL* specialties require more reading than you have time for in residency. Gas residents seemed to do a lot of reading and a friend in path seems to always have her nose buried in a book.

I have a ton of reading I should be doing as well... journals stacked up and tintinalli, rosens, etc etc.

 

[mdblue]

psych is definitely the most confusing 😀 -there is so many things that you can read about(and people do read) but you don't apply them in your regular clinical work-at least that has been my experience.

 

[fourthyear]

Can anyone add some specifics to these generalizations?

Exactly how many hours a week do you put into reading in your given specialty?

 

[beyond all hope]

For example, one IM resident may not study at all at home, while another puts in 10-20 hours a week. EM residents tend not to study as much as other specialties, but we have a cheif at our program who?s like a walking textbook.