nephrology

[stimpworth]

I am an FMG studying in Israel. Nephrology here is well respected and is known as an area where the smartest people in medicine flock.
I was wondering if the US has the same trend doctors going into nephrology.
Is it a competitive residency to get accepted into?
What are the salaries like?
Are nephrologists happy in the US?
Is there a bright future for the field?

From what i have seen so far in med school, hepatology and nephrology are the two areas of medicine where the physician can put his/her hands in their pockets and think, I like that idea

Mike

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[norton]

I think nephrology has a similar reputation here, ie a field where the "brainy" people go to.
As far as competitiveness, it probably falls in the middle of the int med subspecialities. Less so than GI, cardio. And the same goes for the salary rankings. In general, I think they make a decent amount, especially if you do dialysis.
Don't know much about the future of the field, beyond saying there will always be dialysis for the near future.

 

[joelee955]

In the past, it was wide open. Now, it's become somewhat competitive. Dialysis has good compensation, but VERY hard to get set up. Also, fellowship is harder in terms of workload since many spots were cut a few years ago.
Still, because of the work, some fellows drop out before finishing their fellowship. You may want to some research for a nephrologist at a US university and try to grab one of these spots when someone drops out. It may be easier than applying with all the US residents.

 

[DR]

I think the key thing to do is to talk with a nephrologist. The field is changing dramatically from what is was, given the projected estimation of how many end-stage renal patients there will be in the near future. Most nephrologists I have spoken with seem to think that there will be a tremendous boom of dialysis centers (already seen in some cities). I think that this also is somewhat variable and dependent on which city/area you practice in. Talk with a nephrologist, get some figures. With the country getting more obese by the minute, we are (unfortunately) looking at a future of diabetics, and therefore...end-stage renal patients.