Quitting cardiology fellowship as first year

[rdheharoz]

Hello everyone,
I am extremely depressed and anxious due to my personal issues, constantly feel like quitting the cardiology fellowship i have started.
i cry everyday, cant sleep, get chills and sweating due to anxiety. None of this are related to fellowship itself. If i quit and can be with my loved ones, would make me better likely.
I am not sure if i even can quit as you sign 1 year contract of pgy 4, what would future IM job consequences

thank you

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[docimg]

Hello,

You should have minimal or no difficulty getting a hospitalist/internist job if you were to leave the fellowship.
Having said that I personally know two people who had left fellowship/residency due to personal circumstances and have regretted it since then.

May be consider taking good amount of time off/leave of absence to think this through thoroughly and see how you feel.

Hope things get better for you.
Best wishes.

 

[deleted980918]

Try not to make life changing decisions in the midst of chaos.

Take a deep breath, a break, and a step back and re-assess.

It may seem everything is not going your way but it will be alright at the end.

 

[mayn]

Hey man.

Things sound rough. Please give me a DM if you want to talk privately or on the phone. I just went through fellowship with a very rough first year and can maybe give you some advice.

 

[Sapien3]

I am sorry you feel this way, and it is NOT ok to feel so. I am not an expert so take my advice or anyone else’s advice here with grain of salt.

Before you quit

1) Reflect on why you feel this way right after starting - if it is to do with the schedule, new increases expectations, etc. this would be more if you start of as an attending to be honest.
2) talk to a confidant - in medical field - perhaps your mentor from or seniors in internal medicine about your thoughts.
3) May be read the SOP you wrote for fellowship about an year back. We tend to forget what drove us to a particular path especially.
4) give time - you don’t have to make decision now.
5) don’t be hard on your self - take a wellness day off. Talk to PD. Don’t worry about what others think if you are in a program where taking off during initial days is discouraged.


hope you feel better and make an informed decision like we always do in medicine you will still help people no matter if you are general practitioner or a cardiologist. All the best buddy.

 

[Polypill]

Sounds awful what you're going through and I'm sorry for you. Surely not the same but my 1st year of residency was hard with 2 kids and moving to an expensive city...but I'll still encourage you to reconsider not quitting. However if you are on the brink, it is not foolish to think about it. Be strong and, if you ever feel like no one wants to talk to you, DM me if you want to talk over the phone or Zoom or e-mail.

 

[JK31]

Hello everyone,
I am extremely depressed and anxious due to my personal issues, constantly feel like quitting the cardiology fellowship i have started.
i cry everyday, cant sleep, get chills and sweating due to anxiety. None of this are related to fellowship itself. If i quit and can be with my loved ones, would make me better likely.
I am not sure if i even can quit as you sign 1 year contract of pgy 4, what would future IM job consequences

thank you

 

[JK31]

So I took the other route and am doing a hospitalist year after residency and applying to cards now.

I don’t think quitting fellowship is going to solve any of your problems. You’re still going to eventually be an internal medicine doc and have your own set of problems in a field you probably don’t want to be in. I do LOVE being an attending but I would hate being a hospitalist forever. It’s just constantly dealing with bull**** all day. You’re essentially trapped in residency forever with a few perks. Not hard to find a job though unless you want to live in a major metropolitan area.

 

[NewYorkDoctors]

Not to make light of your seemingly serious situation , but please consider how good the career and life of a cardiologist is compared to oh say ... a nephrologist... maybe reading the Nephrology is Dead thread might make life seem not so bad . Check it out on the Other subspecialties sub forum .

 

[ROBINHO]

Hello everyone,
I am extremely depressed and anxious due to my personal issues, constantly feel like quitting the cardiology fellowship i have started.
i cry everyday, cant sleep, get chills and sweating due to anxiety. None of this are related to fellowship itself. If i quit and can be with my loved ones, would make me better likely.
I am not sure if i even can quit as you sign 1 year contract of pgy 4, what would future IM job consequences

thank you

Talk to your program director. He/ she can give you some time off for mental health care. That would give you time to re-think Cardiology. As you pointed out the problems are not cardiology related- so treating underlying depression can actually bring out your passion for cardiology. Fellowship is hard and those symptoms will get worse. Seek help now