Question about Neonatology?

[Lovelylove]

Later in life I plan on becoming a neonatologist. I also plan on starting a family and I want to know if this profession makes that possible. Also, what classes should I take in undergrad and what will residency and fellowship be like. As I am passionate about becoming a neonatologist because of helping the neonates, I will also like to know the salary. I've heard 75k a year, which I felt was completely wrong, so please elaborate.

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[JPodel]

Later in life I plan on becoming a neonatologist. I also plan on starting a family and I want to know if this profession makes that possible. Also, what classes should I take in undergrad and what will residency and fellowship be like. As I am passionate about becoming a neonatologist because of helping the neonates, I will also like to know the salary. I've heard 75k a year, which I felt was completely wrong, so please elaborate.

To answer your family question, yes. I know a ER doc that has a successful family, nothing stops you from having a kickass family. Or at least anything shouldn't. Take med school pre-reqs, some family development, sociology, psych, and whatever other child study classes they have.

Look up the salary, shouldn't be that hard.

Good luck

 

[QuizzicalApe]

I actually wrote a big response to this and then the computer destroyed it. Ugh.

I might try to comment on residency/fellowship stuff later, but what I tried to say boiled down to:

Yes, family is possible. You'll need to work at it, but you can make it work.

I googled the salary and it seems like the low end of the range is like 160k? I don't know. Numbers like these are useless because in the 14 or 15 years it will take you to become a board certified neonatologist things can change significantly. Your income will also vary dramatically with how much you're willing to work and where you live. If you live in Cowflop, Idaho, you'll make much better money (and with a way lower cost of living) than if you worked the same gig in Manhattan.

 

[styphon]

Later in life I plan on becoming a neonatologist. I also plan on starting a family and I want to know if this profession makes that possible. Also, what classes should I take in undergrad and what will residency and fellowship be like. As I am passionate about becoming a neonatologist because of helping the neonates, I will also like to know the salary. I've heard 75k a year, which I felt was completely wrong, so please elaborate.

Family: It is possible to get a family with any field of medicine. I had my child in third year of medical school, and he was in his "terrible twos" during my intern year. I lost more sleep than other interns, also I could not go out and "party" like the others. You just have to be willing to adjust other aspects of your life to include a family. Also, when you are done all the training, you will be able to set your hours either thru contract negotations, or setting your own practice

Now money is completely up in the air. By the time you would be done, 4+4+3+3= 14years in the future, medicine may completely change. Who knowns what the ACA will do to medicine? What if the law is repealed, what if further laws are made to establish a firm base of socialized medicine? What if we are a "one payer" system by then (in which specialists will face reduced incomes). All you can do is look online, and see the numbers as if you would finish this year..

 

[sonofva]

The national average is in the high 200k. This varies a lot by region and practice structure. The nice thing about neonatology is that it's shift work, long
Shifts, but shifts nonetheless. This is good in some senses as far as family life. Also, you can feel free to call "the neonates" babies. Haha. Where old bear professor at?

 

[PTPoeny]

Take whatever classes add up to a major that interests you plus the med school pre-reqs while in college.

Yes you can have a family as a medical student/peds resident/neonatologist.

Do you have any specific questions about residency/fellowship? Are you looking for facts like Peds residencies and neo fellowships are each three years long? Personal impressions like residency is awesome and slightly terrifying and very tiring all at the same time?

 

[oldbearprofessor]

The national average is in the high 200k. This varies a lot by region and practice structure. The nice thing about neonatology is that it's shift work, long
Shifts, but shifts nonetheless. This is good in some senses as far as family life. Also, you can feel free to call "the neonates" babies. Haha. Where old bear professor at?

You rang? I don't check this forum so I can miss a few things....

Neonatology is not always shift work in the sense of emergency medicine of working eight 12-16 hour shifts, etc per month. That is, many neonatologists do rounds for a few weeks to a month at a time. They then also may do night call. There are some NICU's that operate as true shifts but this is not the most common approach.

As far as having a family, come on, in this era is that really a question? I don't know of neonatologists who wanted a family and were able to have one that don't have a family due specifically to working too hard. Heck, I know more than a few who have kids and never married......About half of neonatologists are women and they do fine with raising kids.

Salary? Actually, neo is amongst the highest paid pedi specialties and the salary is quite reasonable. Don't do it for the money, etc.

 

[Lovelylove]

Sorry for posting so late and thanks for all the insight, but to clear things up, Will working in the NICU be like emergency medicine or not?

Also, Is residency competitive and hard to get admitted into, and what will fellowship years be like? Lastly, are you automatically board certified when you finish fellowship and begin working, or is that a whole different process?

 

[QuizzicalApe]

In what sense?

You could find commonalities or dissimilarities in any fields.

 

[Lovelylove]

I heard most E.R doctors are always on call. Is it true neonatologist are on calk like E.R doctors because they are working with critically ill babies

 

[styphon]

ER and NICU are much different in patient populations, procedures, and level of expertise.

ER usually do not have call, which is why people like doing it - it is "shift work", once you are off shift, you are totally off - no pt responsbilities or returning phone calls.

NICU requires a pediatric residency - in general peds is easy to get into if you don't care what program you get into - more popular programs will be harder to get into.

And for boards - it is like any speciality. You must past the boards for that speciality to be boarded, a residency allows you to be "pediatric board eligible" - meaning you now can take the boards.

 

[oldbearprofessor]

Sorry for posting so late and thanks for all the insight, but to clear things up, Will working in the NICU be like emergency medicine or not?

Also, Is residency competitive and hard to get admitted into, and what will fellowship years be like? Lastly, are you automatically board certified when you finish fellowship and begin working, or is that a whole different process?

Similarity is a subjective term, but generally, no, EM, even pedi EM is not that much like neonatology in terms of patients, job tasks, etc. There are a few things in common, but rarely have I seen someone debating between these two during pedi residency as they are different enough that the choice is clear.

The other questions are covered in detail in years of postings on the neo forum and I suggest you look there.