Ob/gyn lifestyle and family?

[egf]

I am a third year currently doing Ob/gyn and have found it the most interesting and fun rotation so far. I am really considering it, but my only hesitation is the lifestyle. My husband is also a 3rd year and is planning on going into general surgery which he fell in love with during his rotation. I want to be able to take care of our children by working part time when we have them after residency. Is this possible in this field? What are the hours like for full time and part time ob/gyn (including calls)? Can you just do gyn surgery (if it has more flexible hours) for a few years and then expand later to a full time gyn and ob? Thanks for the information.

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[DOnut]

Hey wow, you're me two years from now. My wife and I are both 1st year students. She is extremely interested in OB/Gyn and I am an aspiring ophthalmologist. Please post if you hear the answers to your questions anywhere outside of this form. We would be most interested. Thanks

 

[dankatzzz]

While OB/GYN is known for one of the worst/unpredicatable lifestyle in medicine, you are somewhat in control of your schedule once you finish residency. One of my mentors works 8-5, and one weekend call during the month. Granted, he is in academic medicine. Usually, graduates start doing both OB and GYN and slowly thin out their OB practice because of predictability of gyn surgeries and less malpractice. Do what you love - it may be hard in the beginning, but you can tailor your practice later in life.
Dani

 

[Kiki2004]

Wow, I am in the same situation, too! I am strongly considering OB/GYN and my boyfriend is possibly thinking about surgery. (we are both third years at the same school). Everyone I talk to warns me about the lifestyle during residency (yes, I want to have kids). Ideally I would only like to work part-time after residency. Is this possible?

Are there any OB/GYN residents or doctors out there who can give us some insight?

kiki

 

[JPNSU]

You will be asking for a GSW to the head if you decide to become an OB/GYN....but hey do what you enjoy, right?

 

[williestyle81]

JPNSU, is it really that awful?!?!

 

[JPNSU]

Please take my post with a grain of salt. I have but a superficial insight into the daily life of a practicing OB/GYN. I can only tell you that my experience as a 3rd year medical student was more than enough to disuade even the slightest thought of persuing OB/GYN as a specialty.

Generalizations aside, I think that it is a very interesting and specialized area of medicine. However, I could not stand that type of lifestyle for myself or my family.

Therefore, I chose ophthalmology. Luckily, it has decided to choose me as well.

 

[Dr_Heather]

I'm in the same situation - third year MS thinking seriously about Ob/Gyn. Each time I've delivered a baby this year, I think to myself - yes, I'd be willing to get up at 3am for this. That has been the clincher for me in my decision. No matter what field you choose, it's going to be hard - finding time to raise a family and have a life. My personal physician is in a practice of 9 Ob/Gyns. To me, it is the ideal practice - each one is doing what they want to do. 2 specialize it Ob/Gyn surgery, 1 in complicated pregnancies, 2 in infertility, 2 just do ambulatory gyn, etc. My physician love delivering babies, so she only holds clinic on monday for gyn, and is inthe hospital the rest of the time. There are so many options out there.

 

[Diane L. Evans]

RmemberOb is a truely competitive field. If you do decide to pursue it do a 4th year rotation to be assured. Although delivery can be exhilarating there is much more : gyn/ surgergy for incontinence, HIV and preganancy, cancers etc....
The nice thing about the field is that it entails aspects of IM,FP, Psych, Sx, and Endocrinology. Also you must pass oral boards and written.

 

[unregistered]

you and your husband have chosen the two of the worst fields to be interested in. gen surg is losing their cases to specialized surgery and ob-gyn has the worst malpractice:salary ratio and crappy lifestyle.

 

[jvarga]

To answer your questions, there is nothing wrong with wanting to be an OB/Gyn while your significant other is in Surgery. Fortunately, OB/Gyn is a flexible field when it comes to schedules(outside of residency of course). In essence it allows you to work as hard as you wish (at least whatever your mind and body can stand). If you wish to have an "easy" life and have predictable time with the family you can certainly gear your practice towards GYN. If you wish to work like a dog, there is always the ever entertaining OB. Several practitioners have even managed to operate a part-time practice working only a few days per week and rarely taking call. However, with the skyrocketing costs of malpractice insurance, many of these part-time OB's have to work up to 10 months just to break even for the year. To lower your insurance premiums, you can always drop the OB part and concentrate on GYN. In terms of best "full-time" schedules, you would definately have to look at the subspecialties of Uro-Gyn, Gyn-Onc, and REI. In conclusion, OB/Gyn is an excellent and flexible field to chose (not to mention extremely rewarding). However, as in ALL other specialties, your family time during the residency will most definately be limited.

 

[pecksmedical]

A lot depends on how busy you want to be.

I have two OB/GYN clients and they work day AND night. They see about 25-30 patients a day and deliver roughly 5-9 babies a week. This isn't even counting the other surgeries performed, such as hysterectomies, D&C's, etc. They are extremely busy and work well over 12 hours a day.

After stating all this, keep in mind, they CHOOSE to do this. They want their practice to be very successful (financially)

Good luck to you and your husband, two physicians in the household will be hard to maintain compatible schedules.

 

[OwlMyste]

Originally posted by JPNSU
You will be asking for a GSW to the head if you decide to become an OB/GYN....but hey do what you enjoy, right?

whats a "GSW"??

 

[Future GI Guy]

OwlMyste,

I'm surprised you don't know what GSW is.

After all, this is a standard abbreviation in your "Surgery Shows."

GI Guy

 

[Doc Ivy]

After all of that and you didn't even tell the poor thing what GSW meant---

OwlMyste: it means Gun Shot Wound

Peace ~Doc

 

[BBB 1]

OB/GYN was one of the most competitive specialties, but I guess because of similar phenomenon to the comments made on this thread--hours, malpractice, etc.--numbers of US grads applying have been steadily dropping. Time magazine recently reported that 30% of slots went unmatched by US grads. That's a pretty big percentage left open for scramble and IMGs. Last year's match results had some pretty decent programs left with unmatched slots. It's interesting. I hope this will encourage those with perhaps less than stellar board scores, but a real passion and enjoyment for the field, to try to match.

I love the field and I've been talking to a lot of attendings to try and figure out if the rep is real. It seems to me that a lot of the older docs who had private practices before insurance rates went through the roof, etc., are really bitter and disillusioned. But the younger docs, 4th years coming out of residency, people practicing for 1 to 4 years, are all still really happy they chose the field, are working out all sorts of options to have as much/little call as they feel like taking on, and a bunch of them are working through hospitals, at least at first, to get their feet wet, have help with insurance and setting up a practice, etc. Of course, they haven't been out long, and haven't been sued yet! I guess that could take some of the luster off the field

But as many have said before, unless you love what you do, the hours, the stress, and the responsibility of any medical field just don't make sense to take on. . ..

 

[alisande01]

I loved surgery, but would like to actually see my hubbie-to-be, after residency if not before...is gyn surg a good option? How many years (post-residency) of Pap smears and deliveries do I have to get through before I can focus on gyn surg?

 

[chrisisinnocent]

I loved surgery, but would like to actually see my hubbie-to-be, after residency if not before...is gyn surg a good option? How many years (post-residency) of Pap smears and deliveries do I have to get through before I can focus on gyn surg?

There is no such thing as a gyn Surg residency. You can do a Ob/Gyn residency (4 years) and practice only benign gyn when you graduate or you can do a fellowship in Urogynecology which does pelvic floor surgery (3 years extra).

 

[MeowMix]

Time magazine recently reported that 30% of slots went unmatched by US grads. That's a pretty big percentage left open for scramble and IMGs. Last year's match results had some pretty decent programs left with unmatched slots.

What on earth are you talking about? Ob had an extremely high match rate in the first round last year, with many US grads unmatched (those IMGs are often coming in with amazing credentials and even experience as Obs in their home countries). This is not an easy field to match into.

For the OP, those gyn surgeries are highly sought after by the experienced OB/Gyns who want the nice lifestyle too. The junior OBs that I know usually are expected to pick up the heavy OB load in their first few years of practice, so that the seniors can relax. This does not make for a cushy life. Also, many gyn surgeries are not covered by medicaid/ medicare, and there are only so many insured pts to go around. Everyone wants them. Choose this field because you love the work and feel that you would be happy doing it. Remember that family docs can do OB, some do C-sections, and some do tubals and TABs too, in a much more flexible field.

Gyn onc and urogyn are heavily surgical and very demanding (and competitive). Also not an easy life.

 

[DeaconMD04]

What on earth are you talking about? Ob had an extremely high match rate in the first round last year, with many US grads unmatched (those IMGs are often coming in with amazing credentials and even experience as Obs in their home countries). This is not an easy field to match into.

A very old thread was revived. Check the dates. Although, it is a good example of how the field has changed in the past few years. Why does it have to start getting competitive again now?

 

[MeowMix]

you're right! The long-dead pt has come back to life (fortunately, it doesn't smell)

 

[Cholinergic]

But as many have said before, unless you love what you do, the hours, the stress, and the responsibility of any medical field just don't make sense to take on. . ..

I think this is especially true with OB because it IS such a huge sacrifice. I've heard this from so many residents since med 1. There is absolutely NO point in going into OB unless you couldn't see yourself doing anything else. For ex, I loved surgery and came to not mind hours, but I wouldn't say I was passionate about it and it wasn't something that I couldn't not do. I can't wait to do my rotation so I can see if I get "the call."

 

[pnds]

I agree that residency is very tough. I juggled the decision to go into ob because I have two kids. I worked with an ob-gyn that recently graduated from residency and she worked in a small all female, family friendly practice. Her hours were 9-5, one or day a week, which usually the same day as her planned surgeries and she had friday's as a half day. She was very happy! (It also didn't hurt that her practice has a high induction rate) One thing that determines how hard you work is how many hospitals you service. Where I live many practices are small and some still have solo practice. They are able to manage with working out of one hospital and their clinic very close to the hospital. Some bigger offices work out of 2-3 hospitals and have to run frantically from one to the other to deliver patients.

 

[nightowl]

egf-

my husband is a 3rd year really considering gen surg (or another surgical specialty, like ortho), and I'm a second year whose always been interested in ob/gyn. I'm also really wondering about life/work balance, because we want 3 or 4 kids eventually. I'm wondering about job sharing. That might be a potential solution. maybe with the growing percentage of women going into ob/gyn, it might become more of an option in the future. Also, if you join a really large practice and don't care so much about the money, I'm sure the call isn't so bad. Good luck on deciding! Let us know when y'all figure it out!

 

[rayofdiana]

Actually, there sort of is such a thing as gyn surg. After doing a four year residency, you can do a fellowship in laparoscopic/minimally invasive surgery. They aren't officially recognized by ACOG (yet), but they tend to be only 1 year (as opposed to urogyn or gyn-onc). We have one guy at where I did my OB/GYN rotation who did this, and he's become the go-to guy for cool lap surgeries. He does take care of some ob patients, but tends not to do his own deliveries (i.e. I delivered a lot of his "private" patients).

If you want big ex-lap sorts of cases, this wouldn't be for you, but it's an option out there.