Please Rank The Preceived Levels of Stress for the Following Careers...

[mickc]

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Hi Everyone,
I'm not quite sure where this thread should have been posted, but I would be interested to know where you stand with Stress Levels when comparing these professions:

Hospitalist, General/Vascular Surgeon, Dentist, Podiatrist, Registered Nurse (Medical-Surgical), Pharmacist

I love medicine, and I am applying for the Fall 2010 DO programs as soon as the applications become available. I realize that they are all stressful professions, but I'm curious to know how you would rank them from the most stressful to the least. I'd like to avoid burnout as much as possible when I enter any of these professions.

Thanks.

 

[Anita817]

Hi Everyone,
I'm not quite sure where this thread should have been posted, but I would be interested to know where you stand with Stress Levels when comparing these professions:

Hospitalist, General/Vascular Surgeon, Dentist, Podiatrist, Registered Nurse (Medical-Surgical), Pharmacist

I love medicine, and I am applying for the Fall 2010 DO programs as soon as the applications become available. I realize that they are all stressful professions, but I'm curious to know how you would rank them from the most stressful to the least. I'd like to avoid burnout as much as possible when I enter any of these professions.

Thanks.

Pharmacists (although there are a variety of settings one can work in with varying stress levels) generally have low stress careers with great pay--but I would argue that it's at the cost of having a BORING and mundane career.

Let me just throw out there that if you are looking for a "low stress" career, medicine might not be for you. Sure, there are low stress specialities in medicine, but the amount of stress you must undergo to get to those (undergrad, MCAT, med school, boards, redidency...) is phenomenal, and only worthwhile if it's the only thing you could imagine yourself happy doing.

 

[Instatewaiter]

Hi Everyone,
I'm not quite sure where this thread should have been posted, but I would be interested to know where you stand with Stress Levels when comparing these professions:

Hospitalist, General/Vascular Surgeon, Dentist, Podiatrist, Registered Nurse (Medical-Surgical), Pharmacist

I love medicine, and I am applying for the Fall 2010 DO programs as soon as the applications become available. I realize that they are all stressful professions, but I'm curious to know how you would rank them from the most stressful to the least. I'd like to avoid burnout as much as possible when I enter any of these professions.

Thanks.

Most--> least

Surgeon, Hospitalist, Podiatrist, Dentist, RN, pharmacist

 

[mickc]

Let me just throw out there that if you are looking for a "low stress" career, medicine might not be for you. Sure, there are low stress specialties in medicine, but the amount of stress you must undergo to get to those (undergrad, MCAT, med school, boards, residency...) is phenomenal, and only worthwhile if it's the only thing you could imagine yourself happy doing.

Hi Anita,
Yeah, I've thought that in the past, but I got used to handling academic stress; I'm looking ahead of those things. I'm applying soon and I got used to the idea of high loads of studying... I don't find it too stressful, compared to nursing. I've been working as a night-shift RN, so I threw that in to see where I stand. I'd love a medical office to work in, where I'm in charge, with a nice, big saltwater fish tank, and patients in the other room with medical problems I can eventually alleviate. I don't mind working extra hours, the night calls, or anything else, as I've been through a lot of that in nursing. The thing is, I'd rather not.

 

[Anita817]

Ok, I got it... sounds good. Well here's my list:

Hospitalist=surgeon (if we graphed it with error bars, they'd overlap---it TOTALLY depends on the location, the speciality, etc) > RN (med/surg--this can vary too!) > dentist > podiatrist > pharmacist

 

[Jamers]

Hi Everyone,
I'm not quite sure where this thread should have been posted, but I would be interested to know where you stand with Stress Levels when comparing these professions:

Hospitalist, General/Vascular Surgeon, Dentist, Podiatrist, Registered Nurse (Medical-Surgical), Pharmacist

I love medicine, and I am applying for the Fall 2010 DO programs as soon as the applications become available. I realize that they are all stressful professions, but I'm curious to know how you would rank them from the most stressful to the least. I'd like to avoid burnout as much as possible when I enter any of these professions.

Thanks.

Stress: Hospitalist > Vascular surgeon > General Surgeon > Surgical RN > Dentist > Medical RN > Podiatrist > Pharmacist

Since I never have had experience in like half of these careers this is all moot, of course. I put hospitalist first because they seem to be the most tired; less sleep = more stress in my book. Anyone working in surgery also has long hours but once they become attendings they can choose their own hours unlike the hospitalist. I have no clue what it is like to be a podiatrist or a pharmacist but I gotta imagine feet smell and that puts them up on the stress level...eww.

 

[wait4me]

many podiatrists do surgery... i would say thats pretty stressful, otherwise, it would probably rank with general practitioners

 

[BavarianMWE46]

1. General/Vascular Surgeon
2. Hospitalist
= Dentist
= Pharmacist
= Podiatrist
= Registered Nurse

The stress level can vary greatly depending on the specific job situation. You guys have obviously never been in the trenches, the corporate retail pharmacy (CVS, Walgreens).

Standing for 12 hours straight, no lunch breaks, the phone is constantly ringing, you are on hold with insurance companies for hours per day while still trying to verify orders, calling MD/DOs for clarification on rx, answering questions about what is the best shampoo or tampons, 10 people standing in line at the counter with 5 cars sitting at the drive-thru asking you to bring them some cigarettes with their rx, you're the only pharmacist there and your techs call out 10 minutes before their shift, corporate management is bitching at you about everything, etc...

Wait nevermind, pharmacists just count pills. 🙂

 

[punkiedad]

1. General/Vascular Surgeon
2. Hospitalist
= Dentist
= Pharmacist
= Podiatrist
= Registered Nurse

The stress level can vary greatly depending on the specific job situation. You guys have obviously never been in the trenches, the corporate retail pharmacy (CVS, Walgreens).

Standing for 12 hours straight, no lunch breaks, the phone is constantly ringing, you are on hold with insurance companies for hours per day while still trying to verify orders, calling MD/DOs for clarification on rx, answering questions about what is the best shampoo or tampons, 10 people standing in line at the counter with 5 cars sitting at the drive-thru asking you to bring them some cigarettes with their rx, you're the only pharmacist there and your techs call out 10 minutes before their shift, corporate management is bitching at you about everything, etc...

Wait nevermind, pharmacists just count pills. 🙂

I was going to post similaryly as well. Current drug rep here and see pharmacists every day. Good pay yes, but wow...I could NEVER do this job. So, OP, you need to also look at like what type of person you are and what things tress you out. Yes a vascular surgeon may be stressed, but when you are the smartest in the room and everyone knows it (or at least will not challenge you for the most part) and are staring at you, it is because they are learning or intersted, etc.....To me, that is not stressful, but to others that might make the crack..............Now, conversely, a pharmacist "just counting pills" (I know they do more, but I am dumbing down for perception here) and hanging out while in a fishbowl with many pairs of eyes waiting for you and you cannot humanly move any faster and people are waiting for their cholesterol medicine so they can pound down more doughnuts and they are getting hypoglycemic and mad.............NO WAY.....NEVER. no matter how much you paid me!. This would stress me out to the max. I give the pharmacists huge credit cause theyhave to do all this, while every pinhead customer is thinking the pharmacist should just hurry up cause it is not that hard and I could do it, and I know as much cause I have the internet, etc..........

Maybe a different perspective, but my thought is the OP, like many other pre meds, want a challenge and like change, etc.......good luck

 

[MossPoh]

This seriously has so many factors that it isn't even fair. Tell a podiatrist that runs a busy practice and is in the OR a couple times a week doing extremely complex surgeries that his or her job isn't stressful. My dad is a radiologist, one of the so-called "lifestyle" specialities and he still works 12+ hours a day quite often. It depends on your personality, where you are working, the personality of the people around you, the personality of your patients, etc.

Vascular surgery is often considered stressful because of the patients one experiences. They tend to be the ones that smoke a lot, drink a lot, and eat lots of very bad things.

 

[beckhunter116]

This seriously has so many factors that it isn't even fair. Tell a podiatrist that runs a busy practice and is in the OR a couple times a week doing extremely complex surgeries that his or her job isn't stressful. My dad is a radiologist, one of the so-called "lifestyle" specialities and he still works 12+ hours a day quite often. It depends on your personality, where you are working, the personality of the people around you, the personality of your patients, etc.

Vascular surgery is often considered stressful because of the patients one experiences. They tend to be the ones that smoke a lot, drink a lot, and eat lots of very bad things.

I agree with MossPoh, a lot depends on the personalities involved. Also, some thrive on the pressure of surgery, while others could not stand it. Same for dealing with the sickness that a hospitalist deals with daily. Literally I shadowed a doc who didn't do IM because he didn't want to work with 'sick' people. Whereas, I see the challenge of that or surgery is exciting (I am a pre-med so this could change to other specialties) and less stress b/c I would be happy and challenged at work.

 

[EChipouras]

From most stress to least: Surgeon > Hospitalist > Podiatrist > RN > Dentist = Pharmacist

 

[loveoforganic]

A lot are ranking dentist very low, but you need to keep in mind you're also likely going to have your own practice as a dentist.

 

[FlaMedic]

Can you guys expand on what the con's of hospitalist medicine are?

I was thinking of choosing this as a career for a few reasons. I really like internal medicine, but do not want to run an office.

Thoughts?

 

[TexasTriathlete]

I'd put being an RN potentially up at #1, depending on where you work. In a busy ED, the nurses are the ones doing all the patient care, and they have to deal with the asshat patients who are usually drunk, along with psych patients, along with asshat surgeons and other asshat specialists who are running around the department, and the asshat families of the asshat patients.

Pretty much everyone thinks that you're an idiot who doesn't know anything but how to take vitals and start a line, and the asshat patient usually pulls that out anyway, so it doesn't matter. But in reality, you know more than anyone else in the department about patient care, but you get no credit for it. However, everyone will bitch at you when you mess something up, or can't get a line, or can't get urine, or whatever, and when you're not getting bitched at, you chart. The only ones on your side are the actual ER docs themselves, who typically understand your value.

By the way, this is a strange post.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

Can you guys expand on what the con's of hospitalist medicine are?

I was thinking of choosing this as a career for a few reasons. I really like internal medicine, but do not want to run an office.

Thoughts?

If you like internal medicine, but you don't want to run an office, it sounds like hospital medicine may be right up your alley. The downside of hospital medicine is that you have to do a lot of internal medicine, and you don't even get to run your own office. Also, I think you're on the lower end of the spectrum as far as pay goes, but I don't think its that bad. Plus I think they'll typically pay all your medmal insurance and whatnot, depending on the nature of your employment. Don't quote me on any of this though, because I really don't know much other than what happens in the ED.

 

[FlaMedic]

The downside of hospital medicine is that you have to do a lot of internal medicine, and you don't even get to run your own office.

Haha, classic. Love it....

 

[Anita817]

If you like internal medicine, but you don't want to run an office, it sounds like hospital medicine may be right up your alley. The downside of hospital medicine is that you have to do a lot of internal medicine, and you don't even get to run your own office. Also, I think you're on the lower end of the spectrum as far as pay goes, but I don't think its that bad. Plus I think they'll typically pay all your medmal insurance and whatnot, depending on the nature of your employment. Don't quote me on any of this though, because I really don't know much other than what happens in the ED.

Actually, there are many who do both. Hospitalist implies the speciality, not the pay arrangement. Some hospitalists still see non-hospitalized patients in private offices. In cases when he/she is part of a group that does both forms of care, the pay scale definitely goes up. Being a hospitalist does not necessarily imply that the doctor is employed by the hospital either--perhaps in situations where they are employed by the hospital the pay might be lower-- but again, this is not always the case.

 

[FlaMedic]

What about Hospitalist lifestyle? I was under the impression that they have more predictable hours. I know you would take call and so forth, but it seems to me that you are either "at the hospital", or not.

Thanks for replies...

 

[MasterShakeDO]

Perhaps one can quantify amount of stress by suicide rates?

I always heard that dentists have the highest suicide rates, but it turns out to just be a self-perpetuating myth. Of all physician speciatlies, it's been reported that psychiatrists off themselves the most. I can buy that.

 

[Semicolon]

Perhaps one can quantify amount of stress by suicide rates?

I always heard that dentists have the highest suicide rates, but it turns out to just be a self-perpetuating myth. Of all physician speciatlies, it's been reported that psychiatrists off themselves the most. I can buy that.

So that's why there's so many residency spots open.

(Seriously, though...irony, anyone?)

 

[unitas4ever]

Perhaps one can quantify amount of stress by suicide rates?

I always heard that dentists have the highest suicide rates, but it turns out to just be a self-perpetuating myth. Of all physician speciatlies, it's been reported that psychiatrists off themselves the most. I can buy that.

I've heard this before too... from my dentist. He said that most dentists went to school intending to be physicians in "higher" fields (nothing against dentists, just general perception). A lot of them feel like failures from the beginning. He however had always intended to be a dentist and loves his job. I assume it's like anything else, if you're going to do it, you're going to it (off yourself that is).