Neuro Vs. PMR, decisions decisions

[DannMann99]

So I'm a soon to be MS4, and I think i've narrowed down as much as I can my residency options...

Kind of sitting with either Neuro or PM&R at this point... I haven't done a rotation in either yet, but will be doing PM&R this summer, and a neuro and additional PM&R in the early fall.

I'm completely torn at the moment though as to which program I should apply to. I'm leaning toward PMR because of the lifestyle... Was wondering if any of you guys had any input to help me along my way.



Anything is appreciated, as always.

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[DoctwoB]

So I'm a soon to be MS4, and I think i've narrowed down as much as I can my residency options...

Kind of sitting with either Neuro or PM&R at this point... I haven't done a rotation in either yet, but will be doing PM&R this summer, and a neuro and additional PM&R in the early fall.

I'm completely torn at the moment though as to which program I should apply to. I'm leaning toward PMR because of the lifestyle... Was wondering if any of you guys had any input to help me along my way.



Anything is appreciated, as always.

Definitely PM&R for lifestyle. Downside is you'll be explaining to ever non medical person what a "physiatrist" is. It depends what you want to do though. Would you rather do acute stroke management (neuro) or help people recover from their strokes (PM&R)? Neuro is gradually developing more of an interventional side, though you can certainly do a lot of minor procedures in PM&R also. What are you interested in?

 

[cbest]

I wouldn't necessarily pick between the two based solely on lifestyle as either can be pretty chill or pretty intense. Also, residency is going to be demanding no matter which specialty you choose. Having said that, I'll be starting my PM&R residency in July and could not be more excited about my selection of specialties.

I did 3 PM&R rotations and 2 neuro rotations during medical school and thoroughly enjoyed all of them. For a very brief moment, I even considered going into neuro but I love MSK and sports medicine too much to change my mind. Also, the goal setting and team approach of inpatient PM&R really appealed to me. I found PM&R to be more focused on function and quality of life and provided more long-term patient relationships, while neuro involved more acute diagnosis and optimization of medical management.

There's a decent amount of overlap so I'd imagine there are many people out there who considered both. You can't go wrong with either field, but I think if you have more of an interest in MSK, interventional spine, peripheral nervous systems, and a focus on function, PM&R is the way to go!

 

[fozzy40]

PM&R is such an awesome field!

I too was interested in neuro and PM&R. While the body of knowledge is similar between both specialties, I liked that physiatry's focus on function. I started to feel like what was the use in focusing on "treatments" when they did not help them (directly) get them back to life. Initiating steroids and IVIG infusions is really the tip of the iceberg and found the helping the patient during the rehabilitation phase much more fulfilling. Plus, I liked that we get much better MSK training out of the residency.

Ultimately, do a rotation in each and I think you'll know what's right for you.

 

[DannMann99]

Thanks for the advice. I won't be able to fully experience both fields until after I apply... Which kind of sucks.

How should I go about applications? Just apply to an intern year first and then apply to neuro/pmr? Or are most programs linked with their intern year? Ugh decisions decisions.

 

[fozzy40]

You are likely going to have to apply for both an intern year (PGY-1) and both specialties (PGY2-4). There are a couple of PM&R residences that include an intern year (called categorical positions.) I'm not familiar if neurology has categorical positions or if they offer only advanced positions (PGY2-4).

 

[fozzy40]

Anyone who has questions about PM&R feel free to send me a PM. Good luck!