Obgyn vs. ophtho vs anesthesia vs. radiology

[SandP]

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[nimbus]

If lifestyle is a concern for you, ophtho and don’t look back. Anesthesia is not a lifestyle specialty. Anesthesia is not lonely at all with lots of social interaction with surgeons, circulators and scrub techs and there are still many MD only practices if that’s your preference. But ophtho lifestyle is 1000x better after training.

WRT OB, some of the worst SHTF moments in anesthesia happens on labor and delivery. The lifestyle in OB these days can be pretty good with laborists working in shifts. There will always be some night, weekend, and holiday work however which can be avoided in ophtho.

 

[getdown]

A lot of times med students lose sight of the forest because of the trees. What you need to do is really boil it down to what will make you the happiest. How you prevent burn out is by doing something you really enjoy. It really is as simple as that. The tricky part is figuring out what it is exactly that will make you happy. Some people it's lifestyle. Some people it's money. Others still like patient interactions or being in the ORs. We can't figure that out for you. Don't do a pros and cons list for each specialty just yet. Just sit down and reflect on your experiences. What made you the happiest in each field and why. Can you see yourself doing it over and over and over again? The first time you do a cataract it's awesome, the 20000th time? Probably not so much unless money is your only motivator. Come back when you've figured out your guiding principle and then we can have an in depth discussion of the fields as it relates to your principles.

 

[colbgw02]

Radiology
Cons
--job market
--AI
--would probably lose a lot of my social skills

LOL @ losing your social skills. If you ‘lose’ them because of radiology, then you never had them.

As to the rest, don’t forget 1) everyone just reads their own studies anyway and 2) outsourcing to India.

 

[zurc2014]

Anesthesia
Pros
--lifestyle
--get to do some procedures
--get to sit down
--cerebral in that you are constantly fine tuning things based on vitals, etc.
--can leave work at work and not bring it home
Cons
--no more getting histories from patients, etc.
--solo work...can get lonely
--stressful when **** hits the fan
--having to manage cRNAs etc rather than just doing it yourself

Radiology
Pros
--get to sit down
--I am actually an introvert and wouldn't mind abundant time to myself
--cerebral field
--leave work at work
Cons
--job market
--AI
--would probably lose a lot of my social skills

Bruh lol Wutz????

 

[mrbreakfast]

Obgyn
Pros
--overall the rotation I enjoyed most and the only one where I was there at 5 am and was like "yep, no other place I'd rather be right now"

/thread. Seriously, it looks like you're listing all the other specialties just because they look good on paper. Yea, if you want good lifestyle and good $$, go ophtho, but you should pick something in which you'll be happy to be there. Look at your pros for OBGYN again, and then ask yourself why you're even considering things like gas and rads.

Also, these days you can avoid the really bad hours OB used to have. And if you want to do gyn surgery, which you seem to imply, you will have a very good lifestyle anyway.

 

[alprazoslam]

Anesthesia
Pros
--lifestyle
--get to do some procedures
--get to sit down
--cerebral in that you are constantly fine tuning things based on vitals, etc.
--can leave work at work and not bring it home
Cons
--no more getting histories from patients, etc.
--solo work...can get lonely
--stressful when **** hits the fan
--having to manage cRNAs etc rather than just doing it yourself

Radiology
Pros
--get to sit down
--I am actually an introvert and wouldn't mind abundant time to myself
--cerebral field
--leave work at work
Cons
--job market
--AI
--would probably lose a lot of my social skills

Bruh lol Wutz????

I like your profile pic. Thought
I accidentally posted this then saw it wasn’t my name lolz

 

[ACSurgeon]

My interests all over the place. Please help me choose. Step 255+.

Obgyn
Pros
--overall the rotation I enjoyed most and the only one where I was there at 5 am and was like "yep, no other place I'd rather be right now"
--healthy patients overall, few medical problems
--nice, kinder patient population
--potential for diversity in practice (surgery vs. clinical, ob vs. gyn)
--mix of surgery and clinic
--very interesting medicine, very passionate about women advocacy

Cons
--malpractice insurance sucks
--work comes home with you and there is stress if there are any loose ends/unanswered questions...may keep me up at night
--will likely have to take on 7 yrs of training b/c fellowship=better lifestyle/better trained surgeon
--call

Ophtho
Pros
--lifestyle
--get to do surgery and medicine
--less training
--sit down surgeries, patients often under local anesthesia
--less stressful
Cons
--limited medical scope (i.e. I would never use my stethoscope again)
--microsurgery (I don't know that I am technically dexterous enough)

Anesthesia
Pros
--lifestyle
--get to do some procedures
--get to sit down
--cerebral in that you are constantly fine tuning things based on vitals, etc.
--can leave work at work and not bring it home
Cons
--no more getting histories from patients, etc.
--solo work...can get lonely
--stressful when **** hits the fan
--having to manage cRNAs etc rather than just doing it yourself

Radiology
Pros
--get to sit down
--I am actually an introvert and wouldn't mind abundant time to myself
--cerebral field
--leave work at work
Cons
--job market
--AI
--would probably lose a lot of my social skills

Really lost- somebody please guide me based on the above and any extra insight you may have. My love for obgyn has thrown me for a loop--totally unexpected. I am a naturally risk averse person yet I was so, so happy during that rotation that I am wondering if it was meant to be. On the other hand, it's possible that I'm being a naive med student watching from the sidelines who doesn't actually know what's up.

Which state do you anticipate practicing? Malpractice costs are covered by your employer (as will probably be the state of most physicians by the time you’re looking for a job). Some states are more favorable than others in that regard too, so there’s that.

 

[kb1900]

If lifestyle is a concern for you, ophtho and don’t look back. Anesthesia is not a lifestyle specialty. Anesthesia is not lonely at all with lots of social interaction with surgeons, circulators and scrub techs and there are still many MD only practices if that’s your preference. But ophtho lifestyle is 1000x better after training.

WRT OB, some of the worst SHTF moments in anesthesia happens on labor and delivery. The lifestyle in OB these days can be pretty good with laborists working in shifts. There will always be some night, weekend, and holiday work however which can be avoided in ophtho.

I don’t understand how you can say anesthesia is not a lifestyle specialty when things like “mommy tracks” and working only 3-4 days a week exist and still making bank.

Maybe my perception is swayed because all the 10-15 gas docs I know completed a felllowship.Having said that, I agree that Optho is just a different level of comfort and lifestyle that most people can’t fathom

Could you elaborate?

 

[LBJLA23]

Do Rads. It's real medicine. And the lifestyle and $ are a plus.

 

[LBJLA23]

Ophtho is a lifestyle specialty but it doesn't get paid well in most areas anymore. New grads are making in the 200s.

 

[nimbus]

I don’t understand how you can say anesthesia is not a lifestyle specialty when things like “mommy tracks” and working only 3-4 days a week exist and still making bank.

Maybe my perception is swayed because all the 10-15 gas docs I know completed a felllowship.Having said that, I agree that Optho is just a different level of comfort and lifestyle that most people can’t fathom

Could you elaborate?

Because the vast majority of anesthesiologists take call and work nights and weekends throughout our careers. In my practice less than 10% have what you’d call a mommy track schedule. For that, they take a disproportionate hit in income, they don’t make bank. Also, unlike most specialists, we take in-house call throughout our careers and have less control over our schedules than most other doctors. Whenever a surgeon is operating in the middle of the night, we are there. I could go on and on.

 

[radsisrad]

Ophtho or radiology.

Vanishingly few people in either specialty ever wish they'd pursued a different one. The same does not apply to anesthesiology or Ob/Gyn.

 

[Horners]

I love how pros for 3/4 specialities here were “get to sit down”


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[W19]

I think FM would be a good fit based on your pros and cons.

 

[Ho0v-man]

Trick question. The answer is is dermatology.

 

[y123]

Have you considered derm?

 

[SandP]

Have you considered derm?

Do I have a shot with 3 passes and no research yet?

 

[CherryRedDracul]

Job market's not too shabby in radiology right now.

 

[OrthoTraumaMD]

If you thought that you’d rather be “nowhere else” than your obgyn rotation at 5am, you’re one of a few..... thank god there are people to do that job, because I’d throw myself out the nearest window looking at vags all day. bless you...go forth into obgyn and don’t look back.


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[Angus Avagadro]

My interests all over the place. Please help me choose. Step 255+.

Obgyn
Pros
--overall the rotation I enjoyed most and the only one where I was there at 5 am and was like "yep, no other place I'd rather be right now"
--healthy patients overall, few medical problems
--nice, kinder patient population
--potential for diversity in practice (surgery vs. clinical, ob vs. gyn)
--mix of surgery and clinic
--very interesting medicine, very passionate about women advocacy

Cons
--malpractice insurance sucks
--work comes home with you and there is stress if there are any loose ends/unanswered questions...may keep me up at night
--will likely have to take on 7 yrs of training b/c fellowship=better lifestyle/better trained surgeon
--call

Ophtho
Pros
--lifestyle
--get to do surgery and medicine
--less training
--sit down surgeries, patients often under local anesthesia
--less stressful
Cons
--limited medical scope (i.e. I would never use my stethoscope again)
--microsurgery (I don't know that I am technically dexterous enough)

Anesthesia
Pros
--lifestyle
--get to do some procedures
--get to sit down
--cerebral in that you are constantly fine tuning things based on vitals, etc.
--can leave work at work and not bring it home
Cons
--no more getting histories from patients, etc.
--solo work...can get lonely
--stressful when **** hits the fan
--having to manage cRNAs etc rather than just doing it yourself

Radiology
Pros
--get to sit down
--I am actually an introvert and wouldn't mind abundant time to myself
--cerebral field
--leave work at work
Cons
--job market
--AI
--would probably lose a lot of my social skills

Really lost- somebody please guide me based on the above and any extra insight you may have. My love for obgyn has thrown me for a loop--totally unexpected. I am a naturally risk averse person yet I was so, so happy during that rotation that I am wondering if it was meant to be. On the other hand, it's possible that I'm being a naive med student watching from the sidelines who doesn't actually know what's up.

Do Opthomology.
Prestige, no one wants to handle anything but the most basic eye problem. Good lifestyle, little call. Lots of short cases.

OB. Like dentistry, no one is happy to see you. No woman likes her annual exam. Cant get there soon enough for any lady in labor. You will be sued multiple times.
Now the good times are really good, and the bad times are beyond belief.

Gas, lots of call, lots of midlevel competition. Not great lifestyle.
Rads
No patient contact.. no people contact. You will sit at your desk for 8 to 10 hrs a day, eat lunch at your desk. Good compensation and time off.
No perfect specialty. Look at what literature you read in your free time and see if that is any guide for you. Good luck and best wishes

 

[kb1900]

Because the vast majority of anesthesiologists take call and work nights and weekends throughout our careers. In my practice less than 10% have what you’d call a mommy track schedule. For that, they take a disproportionate hit in income, they don’t make bank. Also, unlike most specialists, we take in-house call throughout our careers and have less control over our schedules than most other doctors. Whenever a surgeon is operating in the middle of the night, we are there. I could go on and on.

Thanks for the input. May I ask what region your practice is in and if it’s urban/suburban/rural?

 

[nimbus]

Thanks for the input. May I ask what region your practice is in and if it’s urban/suburban/rural?

I’ll pm

 

[Black Coffee 24/7]

I don’t understand how you can say anesthesia is not a lifestyle specialty when things like “mommy tracks” and working only 3-4 days a week exist and still making bank.

Maybe my perception is swayed because all the 10-15 gas docs I know completed a felllowship.Having said that, I agree that Optho is just a different level of comfort and lifestyle that most people can’t fathom

Could you elaborate?

Anesthesia isn't a lifestyle specialty. You're expected to take calls 20-24 days in a month as either a primary or secondary Gas doc at home. That means that you must be available to the hospital within a one hour notice. You're on home lockdown pretty much all year long unless you're on your 8 weeks of vacation. Solid money and benefits though.

 

[Black Coffee 24/7]

My interests all over the place. Please help me choose. Step 255+.

Obgyn
Pros
--overall the rotation I enjoyed most and the only one where I was there at 5 am and was like "yep, no other place I'd rather be right now"
--healthy patients overall, few medical problems
--nice, kinder patient population
--potential for diversity in practice (surgery vs. clinical, ob vs. gyn)
--mix of surgery and clinic
--very interesting medicine, very passionate about women advocacy

Cons
--malpractice insurance sucks
--work comes home with you and there is stress if there are any loose ends/unanswered questions...may keep me up at night
--will likely have to take on 7 yrs of training b/c fellowship=better lifestyle/better trained surgeon
--call

Ophtho
Pros
--lifestyle
--get to do surgery and medicine
--less training
--sit down surgeries, patients often under local anesthesia
--less stressful
Cons
--limited medical scope (i.e. I would never use my stethoscope again)
--microsurgery (I don't know that I am technically dexterous enough)

Anesthesia
Pros
--lifestyle
--get to do some procedures
--get to sit down
--cerebral in that you are constantly fine tuning things based on vitals, etc.
--can leave work at work and not bring it home
Cons
--no more getting histories from patients, etc.
--solo work...can get lonely
--stressful when **** hits the fan
--having to manage cRNAs etc rather than just doing it yourself

Radiology
Pros
--get to sit down
--I am actually an introvert and wouldn't mind abundant time to myself
--cerebral field
--leave work at work
Cons
--job market
--AI
--would probably lose a lot of my social skills

Really lost- somebody please guide me based on the above and any extra insight you may have. My love for obgyn has thrown me for a loop--totally unexpected. I am a naturally risk averse person yet I was so, so happy during that rotation that I am wondering if it was meant to be. On the other hand, it's possible that I'm being a naive med student watching from the sidelines who doesn't actually know what's up.

Go OB/GYN dude. We need people to fill those seats and leave more spots available for the rest of us in other specialties.

 

[zurc2014]

I like your profile pic. Thought
I accidentally posted this then saw it wasn’t my name lolz

Yea...I member...

 

[Black Coffee 24/7]

Do Opthomology.
Prestige, no one wants to handle anything but the most basic eye problem. Good lifestyle, little call. Lots of short cases.

OB. Like dentistry, no one is happy to see you. No woman likes her annual exam. Cant get there soon enough for any lady in labor. You will be sued multiple times.
Now the good times are really good, and the bad times are beyond belief.

Gas, lots of call, lots of midlevel competition. Not great lifestyle.
Rads
No patient contact.. no people contact. You will sit at your desk for 8 to 10 hrs a day, eat lunch at your desk. Good compensation and time off.
No perfect specialty. Look at what literature you read in your free time and see if that is any guide for you. Good luck and best wishes

Best post that I have seen coming from you in a while. You've come a long way from your 4 yr FM residency spiel.

I have real life contacts in all of these specialties listed above. So far, my info resonates with yours.

 

[Amygdala23]

I love how pros for 3/4 specialities here were “get to sit down”


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I noticed the same thing. Sedentary job that comes with higher probability of cardiovascular disease and deep vein thrombosis would actually be a con to me. I prefer to be on my feet, but I can see how others would think differently.

 

[DoctwoB]

Based on your list I would consider Urology as well. Cool surgeries that are mostly elective with the ability to scale back to mostly cysto if you want (you seem to value Sitting). Huge variety from cancer to stones to bph to prolapse to infertility. Surgeries make a huge difference in patients quality of life. Good mix of operative and non operative management and being both the medical and surgical expert of a system.

While residency is tough (probably comparable to OB on list, tougher then everything else), post residency lifestyle is good for a surgical field. More importantly it is a surgical residency with 5-6 years of surgical training (unlike 2-2.5 of OB) so fellowship isn’t needed unless you want to sub specialize or go into academics.

 

[NavyDoc23]

Do OB, based on the fact you said there was no other place you'd rather be at 5 am. That was one of the biggest deciding factors for me. It seems like you're most passionate about OB. It makes it a lot easier to wake up at 4/5 AM if you are going to the hospital to do things that excite you.

 

[kb1900]

I noticed the same thing. Sedentary job that comes with higher probability of cardiovascular disease and deep vein thrombosis would actually be a con to me. I prefer to be on my feet, but I can see how others would think differently.

Yes because a sedentary job prevents you from doing cardio or even standing every few hours lol

 

[nimbus]

Do OB, based on the fact you said there was no other place you'd rather be at 5 am. That was one of the biggest deciding factors for me. It seems like you're most passionate about OB. It makes it a lot easier to wake up at 4/5 AM if you are going to the hospital to do things that excite you.

But if she goes ophtho, the only reasons she’ll ever have to be up at 5am is to go to orange theory or catch an early flight to fiji

 

[colbgw02]

Yes because a sedentary job prevents you from doing cardio or even standing every few hours lol

Sitting is the new smoking. There’s a reason why standing and treadmill workstations are popular among radiologists these days.

 

[Cognovi]

LOL @ losing your social skills. If you ‘lose’ them because of radiology, then you never had them.

As to the rest, don’t forget 1) everyone just reads their own studies anyway and 2) outsourcing to India.

I worry med students take this seriously

 

[Mr.S]

I don’t understand how you can say anesthesia is not a lifestyle specialty when things like “mommy tracks” and working only 3-4 days a week exist and still making bank.

Maybe my perception is swayed because all the 10-15 gas docs I know completed a felllowship.Having said that, I agree that Optho is just a different level of comfort and lifestyle that most people can’t fathom

Could you elaborate?

Its not a lifestyle specialty and I am in the field.
Believe me dude. Believe me.

ER is prob better off.. Certainly any of the surgical sub specialties

 

[watermelon master]

Its not a lifestyle specialty and I am in the field.
Believe me dude. Believe me.

ER is prob better off.. Certainly any of the surgical sub specialties

Can you elaborate on this? What were your impressions of the field before you chose it? What is it like for you now as a practicing anesthesiologist?

 

[getdown]

Can you elaborate on this? What were your impressions of the field before you chose it? What is it like for you now as a practicing anesthesiologist?

A lot of it will depend on the type of practice you join, whether you do per-diem vs partnership track, how the practice is set up, etc etc so there's a lot of variables. It'd be silly to have a blanket statement saying that anesthesia is or is not a lifestyle specialty. I work at the VA and that's for sure a lifestyle since you leave by 3 PM unless you're on call or happens to be a very busy day. I take home call 3-4x a month and rarely get called in. I have friends in academic institutions that definitely work more than me but they also have time for their families. I also have friends who are in private practice and work a crap ton but are also making a huge amount of money. Others work in PP and just do per diem so they can be with their kids. So, if you want to go into Anesthesia you should do it because you actually enjoy the field. In terms of jobs it all depends on what's available in your area. There's definitely flexibility for sure to ramp up or down your work, again depending on availability of jobs in your area.

 

[Frogger27]

A lot of it will depend on the type of practice you join, whether you do per-diem vs partnership track, how the practice is set up, etc etc so there's a lot of variables. It'd be silly to have a blanket statement saying that anesthesia is or is not a lifestyle specialty. I work at the VA and that's for sure a lifestyle since you leave by 3 PM unless you're on call or happens to be a very busy day. I take home call 3-4x a month and rarely get called in. I have friends in academic institutions that definitely work more than me but they also have time for their families. I also have friends who are in private practice and work a crap ton but are also making a huge amount of money. Others work in PP and just do per diem so they can be with their kids. So, if you want to go into Anesthesia you should do it because you actually enjoy the field. In terms of jobs it all depends on what's available in your area. There's definitely flexibility for sure to ramp up or down your work, again depending on availability of jobs in your area.

This is a great answer- a lot more informative than the over generalized negative/positive comments that get thrown around in regards to Gas lifestyle. Thank you

 

[CyrusHabs7695]

A lot of it will depend on the type of practice you join, whether you do per-diem vs partnership track, how the practice is set up, etc etc so there's a lot of variables. It'd be silly to have a blanket statement saying that anesthesia is or is not a lifestyle specialty. I work at the VA and that's for sure a lifestyle since you leave by 3 PM unless you're on call or happens to be a very busy day. I take home call 3-4x a month and rarely get called in. I have friends in academic institutions that definitely work more than me but they also have time for their families. I also have friends who are in private practice and work a crap ton but are also making a huge amount of money. Others work in PP and just do per diem so they can be with their kids. So, if you want to go into Anesthesia you should do it because you actually enjoy the field. In terms of jobs it all depends on what's available in your area. There's definitely flexibility for sure to ramp up or down your work, again depending on availability of jobs in your area.

I know youre going to have to make a pretty big generalization again, but what would you say the average lifestyle of an anesthesiologist is like compared to the average lifestyle of someone in vascular surgery? Does vascular really have that much call like people says it does, even in private practice? Anybody can feel free to chime in


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[OrthoTraumaMD]

ER is prob better off.. Certainly any of the surgical sub specialties

Omg definitely not ANY of the surgical subspecialties. Ortho and vascular is definitely not lifestyle. I feel it acutely when I’m on my 7th nonstop hour of a nonunion case and I’ve switched anesthesia 3 times due to breaks.... lmao.


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[getdown]

I know youre going to have to make a pretty big generalization again, but what would you say the average lifestyle of an anesthesiologist is like compared to the average lifestyle of someone in vascular surgery? Does vascular really have that much call like people says it does, even in private practice? Anybody can feel free to chime in


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Yes, unfortunately I can only speak again in gross generalizations. But on average an Anesthesiologist's lifestyle is going to be better than someone in vascular surgery.

Some things to keep in mind:
1. In Anesthesia groups, how often you take call will depend on the size of the group and where you are in that group. More people to share call burden, less call overall. The more senior partners are more likely to give away their calls or not take call just because they're more senior. Most vascular groups aren't usually that big so higher call burden.

2. Surgeons gemerally own their patients so if that person comes back with a thrombosed vein and/or other complication guess who's gonna get called? Anestheisa is never really primary so when we're off, we're off unless it's a complication. Same thing as when you're in the OR. The surgeon doesn't leave till the surgery is complete even if it takes 16 hours. Anesthesia will switch if you're not on call. The call/late person will take over.

Again a lot will depend on the practice model. My friend who works a lot takes 24 hr call every other day but is paid handsomely for it. He also sometimes works the day after call picking extra shifts if the night was easy.

 

[DokterMom]

Can you do another OBGYN rotation at another site to make sure you love it there as well? It does seem to be a love it or hate it field though, with very little in between.

 

[AsianPersuasion]

Lolzz people are really asking for a comparison between Anesthesia and vascular?

This is the exchange in the OR between Anesthesia and the circulating nurse, "Omgzzz, can you relieve me, it's been so crazy, I haven't had my break, loolllzzz, omgz yass let's switch off, **comes back all giddy* your turn! Omg, I need a pee break!!"

While the rest of us all standing there with swamp ass in a hot ass OR ready to pass out cause we haven't had a real down time to eat.

 

[nimbus]

Lolzz people are really asking for a comparison between Anesthesia and vascular?

This is the exchange in the OR between Anesthesia and the circulating nurse, "Omgzzz, can you relieve me, it's been so crazy, I haven't had my break, loolllzzz, omgz yass let's switch off, **comes back all giddy* your turn! Omg, I need a pee break!!"

While the rest of us all standing there with swamp ass in a hot ass OR ready to pass out cause we haven't had a real down time to eat.

The circulator relieves the anesthesiologist??? Where is this?

 

[OrthoTraumaMD]

The circulator relieves the anesthesiologist??? Where is this?

They probably meant crna.


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[vernhart]

They probably meant crna.


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-if that's the case.... -_-

 

[Radology]

None of your cons about radiology are actual cons




The job market is blazing hot in radiology right now.

AIs impact on radiology is entirely hypothetical at this point—it’s just as likely to end up as a “pro” on your list as a con IMO

The third one about your social skills is just nonsense

People used to think teleradiology was a massive con for radiology. Now its everyone’s plan b that if you get fired from your job you can stay home and make 300k working 17 weeks of nights a year rather than having to sell your house and move to another city

 

[ortnakas]

Why is sitting down such a major factor?

That aside, these specialties mostly have nothing to do with each other, and the list of likes and dislikes reads like a list of likes and dislikes you think you're supposed to have based on the general consensus of the interwebs. What do you ACTUALLY like? What will make you still want to come to work for hours 70-80 of the week in residency, and ten years down the road as an attending? Maybe more importantly, what do you like most for the boring bread and butter daily parts?

If you thought that you’d rather be “nowhere else” than your obgyn rotation at 5am, you’re one of a few..... thank god there are people to do that job, because I’d throw myself out the nearest window looking at vags all day. bless you...go forth into obgyn and don’t look back.

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Also, this.

 

[Gurby]

AIs impact on radiology is entirely hypothetical at this point—it’s just as likely to end up as a “pro” on your list as a con IMO

Sorry for the derailment but I would love to hear your thoughts on this:
With regards to AI being a "pro", is this because in the shorter term AI will likely make radiologists more efficient when it comes to normal images, giving them more time to focus on the complicated/interesting/better reimbursed studies?

Extrapolating from that, people often say "Interventional Radiology is safer from AI" than the more diagnostic subspecialties... But I understand that most IR's do a mix of reading and procedures. The reading done by IR's probably tends to be more bread and butter cases when compared to fellowship-trained DR's. If this is the case, aren't IR's likely to actually be more negatively affected by automation, because those bread-and-butter cases are more likely to be automate-able?

Sorry again for the wildly speculating and off-topic post... But as someone ~10 years away from cashing my first attending paycheck, uncertainty about AI is something I think about a lot when considering going into Rads.

 

[Radology]

I see AI a lot like the cryptocurrency hysteria.

Everyone is throwing oodles of money at radiology AI startups just because their marketing ad has the words “deep learning” in them. This is in the same way millions were throwing money at any **** coin they could find just because they used the word “blockchain”.

It became clear pretty quick that while bitcoin did some things great, it simply cannot replace regular currency as we know it—at least it’s nowhere close to doing so.

This is how I see AI. People always cling to the most far fetched end to this—that AI will be able to fully replace one of the most complex tasks humans do. And that’s definitely what the startups are claiming is inevitable.

This far, the results have been underwhelming—no more than a couple press clippings from some horribly conducted studies that are published in open access non peer reviewed journals.

You wanna know where AI is gonna make a difference?

By putting me in touch with the clinician ordering the study without calling the operator.

By helping the clinician order the appropriate study so we don’t have to repeat it in 24 hours so that it’s done correctly

By keeping track of patients for follow up recommendations.

Maybe even be able to do what CAD has promised for the last 20 years. god forbid a piece of technology ever figure out how to find 4 mm lung nodules...