Neuro truths

[DeanWormer]

I completed my IM internship at a large university hospital and then had to practice as a GP on an Indian reservation for 4 years for med school payback. I'm going to begin neuro residency next year and wonder how difficult the 3 years are in comparisson to a big IM internship? I do have 4 years of independent practice under my belt too.

Is the 2nd year easier than the first? What's the third year like in terms of hours call difficulty?

Is neuro full of gunners or more laid back?

Is it closer to psych or IM in terms of its residency lifestyle and "feel"?

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[typhoonegator]

The answers to each of your questions is going to vary dramatically from program to program. There are programs with difficult call schedules, large services, and publication-driven gunners with malignant faculty, and there are laid back programs with mostly consult-based inpatient services, nightfloat, home call, etc. Most programs fall somewhere in between.

Are you already matched into a program? Your message sort of sounds like you are. If so, nobody will be better able to answer your questions than the residents in your program of choice.

 

[neurologist]

I completed my IM internship at a large university hospital and then had to practice as a GP on an Indian reservation for 4 years for med school payback. I'm going to begin neuro residency next year and wonder how difficult the 3 years are in comparisson to a big IM internship? I do have 4 years of independent practice under my belt too.

Is the 2nd year easier than the first? What's the third year like in terms of hours call difficulty?

Is neuro full of gunners or more laid back?

Is it closer to psych or IM in terms of its residency lifestyle and "feel"?

Forget about comparing IM internship to neuro residency. As the previous poster said, it varies a lot from place to place and there's really nothing you can do about it anyway.

The biggest challenge you are going to have is going from being an independent practitioner used to doing things your own way to being a bottom-of-the-pile neuro R2 who can't wipe his own butt without an attending reviewing it, staffing it, and pimping you before finally signing off. Getting used to that again after 4 years will be the real challenge for you . . .