Pediatric specialties?

[superdoc2.0]

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I am thinking about pursuing a ped specialty (maybe cardiology or hematology/oncology) and wanted to get some opinions.

I would love to hear from people who have taken this route.

Any advice? Pros? Cons?

What is the relative competitiveness?

Is there student loan repayment help ?

Does the professional satisfaction help with the pain of a 25-50% pay cut compared to IM specialties?

 

[sazerac]

Don't forget the pay cut compared to being a general pediatrician!

Have you read this thread in the Peds resident sub forum? http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/the-end-of-pediatric-subspecialties.1111754/

 

[mvenus929]

Don't forget the pay cut compared to being a general pediatrician!

There's not a pay cut for cards. Primarily because they are still doing lots of procedures.

People who do Peds do so because they don't like adult medicine. They cannot imagine, generally, doing adult medicine, and thus the pay cut compared to IM is worth it. cards is competitive, and becoming more so, so you have to like doing gen Peds because you might end up doing it for at least a couple years while trying to match into fellowship. Heme/Onc isn't competitive, relatively, but you have to have a certain character to work with really sick kids who often die on you.

Whether there is student loan repayment help depends on the job you end up taking, not the specialty you pursue.

 

[MEN2C]

Does the professional satisfaction help with the pain of a 25-50% pay cut compared to IM specialties?

I don't compare myself to IM because I would never do IM. It would be like comparing myself to an accountant or a lawyer - I have nothing against those professions but it's a useless comparison because I would never be an accountant or a lawyer. Now that's a bit unfair as obviously pediatrics and medicine are more similar than pediatrics and corporate law, but really you shouldn't be comparing stuff like that because there's always going to be some specialty that makes more than you and you can't live your life like that.

Some people (med-peds?) like both medicine and pediatrics equally and thus that may be the differentiating factor. But Peds cards, for example, is very different to adult cards in most cases, so I think you'll end up liking one or the other more, which makes the decision easy.

 

[arkdoc]

The advice above is true, but if your status is right and you have just been accepted at this point then there isn't much point in worrying about it. You will do book work for your first 2 years and need to do well on that. Then you will do both IM PEDS and others in your third year and you will see what you like and then can make an educated decision.

 

[superdoc2.0]

The advice above is true, but if your status is right and you have just been accepted at this point then there isn't much point in worrying about it. You will do book work for your first 2 years and need to do well on that. Then you will do both IM PEDS and others in your third year and you will see what you like and then can make an educated decision.

Yeah, I realize a lot could change between now and the end of medical school. I am just interested in others opinions. It doesn't help that I am 28 going into med school and have a family. Makes money stuff a little more important for me