physical demands of peds residency

[oracle2]

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Hi all,

Long story short, by the time I enter residency I'll be 32ish. I've heard peds can be exhausting for older residents since there's tons of running around the hospital, overnight call, procedures etc. Are programs friendly to older residents? Do you think this would be a disadvantage? I'm in shape but definitely get more tired more easily as I get older.

 

[Rutgers06]

Hi all,

Long story short, by the time I enter residency I'll be 32ish. I've heard peds can be exhausting for older residents since there's tons of running around the hospital, overnight call, procedures etc. Are programs friendly to older residents? Do you think this would be a disadvantage? I'm in shape but definitely get more tired more easily as I get older.

32ish is not that old to start residency. There were 4-5 ppl in my residency class who started residency right around that age. The average age of the people starting residency in my class was probably around 28. There isn't too much running around in peds because there aren't nearly as many codes on the floors compared to internal medicine. You shouldn't have any issues with dealing with peds residency, but when you start interviewing at programs, you should be able to get a feel for how busy/tired the residents are

 

[michigangirl]

First, agree with Rutgers, 32 is not even close to the far end of the spectrum. Second, I can't think of many residencies that are less physically taxing than pediatrics-- ICU and ER can be tiring, but really a drop in the pond. We're not talking surgical subspecialties (on feet all day long).

 

[Leo Aquarius]

Maybe a peds resident can elaborate on this, but residency in pediatrics is not for the faint-hearted. It's very tiring, not on the order of ObGyn, but the hours can be very early and long. I know of programs that make residents round at 5am and they're exhausted by the end of long days on inpatient. The further along you are in your 30s, the less your body tolerates these insults to nature.

 

[mvenus929]

Maybe a peds resident can elaborate on this, but residency in pediatrics is not for the faint-hearted. It's very tiring, not on the order of ObGyn, but the hours can be very early and long. I know of programs that make residents round at 5am and they're exhausted by the end of long days on inpatient. The further along you are in your 30s, the less your body tolerates these insults to nature.

The earliest my program has us come in is 5:30, and that's just one inpatient team for signout so that we can be done prerounding for PICU rounds at 7:15. Otherwise, they're 12 hour days--6-6, except on Fridays and Saturdays, when the night team comes in at 8 (and only one person has to stick around for those extra couple hours) and leaves after rounds the next morning. Doesn't seem terribly different from IM residents.

Residency is general is tough. But most peds programs I looked at had a very pyramidal structure, where the intern year was the hardest and it got progressively easier from there.

 

[Rutgers06]

I don't recall any program that I interviewed at that made residents come in at 5am consistently. In my program, we come in at 5am for PICU, but sign out at 4:30/5pm. For floors, the interns come in at 6am to get signout and we have a short call system, so half the interns stay until 7pm and the other half leave at 3-4pm. Intern year isn't easy, so it's important to choose the right specialty for you. The only specialties that I can think of that have an easier intern year in terms of hours are probably FM, EM and transitional years.

 

[oracle2]

I'm primarily interested in outpatient general/primary care peds. I have a friend who is a resident in a primary care track at a large academic center, and she says they have a fair amount of normal hours clinic work built into the curriculum, but obviously I guess that would vary by program since most programs still make you do the same amount of inpatient work.

 

[oracle2]

Maybe a peds resident can elaborate on this, but residency in pediatrics is not for the faint-hearted. It's very tiring, not on the order of ObGyn, but the hours can be very early and long. I know of programs that make residents round at 5am and they're exhausted by the end of long days on inpatient. The further along you are in your 30s, the less your body tolerates these insults to nature.

yeah, this definitely concerns me. I'm also interested in psych but I guess we'll see how things are when the time comes.

 

[michigangirl]

yeah, this definitely concerns me. I'm also interested in psych but I guess we'll see how things are when the time comes.

Again, I need to emphasize as many others have that the info from Leo Aquarius doesn't reflect what the vast majority of pediatrics residents experience. There may be a few programs out there that demand this but few and far between. The earliest I ever came in during residency was 5:30 when I was in the PICU. But that was a whole two months (for many 1 month) out of the entire 3 years. Residency is hard, but peds is on the lower end of the physically taxing spectrum.

 

[Leo Aquarius]

It's very program dependent. I'm completely open to being corrected here. I was just sharing what I know. I would agree with the statement that peds residency is less intense than many of the specialties out there. PICU is definitely demanding.

Oracle2, I loved Peds in medical school and almost went for it. What helped me decide was seeing what pediatricians do day in and day out. See if you're ok with doing things to screaming kids, the parents factor, and the financial factor as well.

 

[DermViser]

32ish is not that old to start residency. There were 4-5 ppl in my residency class who started residency right around that age. The average age of the people starting residency in my class was probably around 28. There isn't too much running around in peds because there aren't nearly as many codes on the floors compared to internal medicine. You shouldn't have any issues with dealing with peds residency, but when you start interviewing at programs, you should be able to get a feel for how busy/tired the residents are

It is when everyone else is entering at 26, if not younger.

 

[DermViser]

It's very program dependent. I'm completely open to being corrected here. I was just sharing what I know. I would agree with the statement that peds residency is less intense than many of the specialties out there. PICU is definitely demanding.

Oracle2, I loved Peds in medical school and almost went for it. What helped me decide was seeing what pediatricians do day in and day out. See if you're ok with doing things to screaming kids, the parents factor, and the financial factor as well.

👍👍👍

 

[oldbearprofessor]

Day in and day out I care for infants who are intubated or otherwise sick. They don't scream. Some babies cry. This is healthy and normal but not often heard in a Level 3/4 NICU anyway. Their parents are overwhelmingly grateful and appreciate of the care we provide, although like every human endeavor that is service oriented, this is not always the case. I get paid well for what I do. Choose or avoid pediatrics and its specialties based on discussions with those who do them, not those who chose not to do them before selecting a residency. I've known a large number of residents in their 30's. They survive fine. I am waaaay past 30's and still take in-house call. I survive it fine, but YMMV about that.

 

[oracle2]

yes well while I do wish I was 26 like those folks, I didn't decide I wanted to be a doctor until I was in my mid twenties... wish I came to it sooner but it is what it is. Will keep the cons in mind obviousl. Thanks Oldbear + Michigan for the words of encouragement🙂