Radiology vs Dermatology
Started by noncestvrai
Other than being known as lifestyle specialties, these don't have that much in common. Derm is more competitive to get, (diagnostic) radiology can have significantly less patient contact. Which you prefer depends more on you than on a list of pros/cons. It probably pays to do a rotation or shadow folks in each of these and see which seems more appealing.
B
Blade28
That's a very broad question. Are you torn between the two and are looking for pros and cons?
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Yes, I'd like to know pros/cons with respect to both.
Thx.
noncestvrai
Thx.
noncestvrai
I'll do some pros as I see them:
Rads:
-You can sip coffee on the job
-You can listen to the radio on the job
-The environment is relaxed
-You can take breaks when you want
-Little patient contact, and when it does happen, that usually means the patient REALLY needs you (a good thing).
-You're a doctor's doctor, meaning most other docs rely on you for their patient's health, disposition, etc. (could be a con as well)
-Great pay
-Little or no call after residency (or during for that matter)
Derm:
-Great pay
-Little or no call and it's almost always something that can be seen the next day
-Lots of easy procedures (Moh's, excisions) means big money
-You're a hero in the eyes of your patients because anytime you remove a teeny tiny non-invasion basal cell, you've essentially "cured" you patients of cancer. What other doctor gets to tell their patients they have cancer and cure it on the same day?
Just my observations based upon med. school rotations and limited contact during residency. By the way...I'd pick Rads hands down, but that's just me.
Boil it down to something simple....
Sit in the dark all day vs. pop zits all day (except for skin cancer!!!)
/personally I would go with Rads if I were in it for the $$.
Sit in the dark all day vs. pop zits all day (except for skin cancer!!!)
/personally I would go with Rads if I were in it for the $$.
I chose rads because I love pathologic processes. I like to see them manifesting themselves and altering the underlying anatomic architecture. (For the same reason, I nearly chose pathology. It was a tough decision that had little to do with money.)
I never considered derm because I find the skin to be the least interesting of the organ systems, and--to be honest--rashes kinda creep me out.
I never considered derm because I find the skin to be the least interesting of the organ systems, and--to be honest--rashes kinda creep me out.
Mebbie GI docs?
Oh, a plus you forgot about derm... hot female residents. 😳
That said, I want rads. I like to sip coffee when I please.
funkless said:
Rashes don't really creep me out. Pustulating masses on the other hand...
Yes! GI docs definitely. Good call.
You know, I really haven't noticed the Dermatology/hot female resident trend as of yet. Maybe its just where I've trained? Bummer.
B
Blade28
Really? It's definitely true here.
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Disagree.....GI docs don't cure their patients of actual cancer, but rather they can prevent it from happening. I assume you are referring to polyp excision via colonoscopy. If GI docs see a polyp, sure, they can take it out. But if they see a cancer in there, they take a biopsy and send the patient to the radiologist for staging, and the colorectal surgeon for right/left/sigmoid/transverse colectomy, LAR/APR, etc.
If you're talking about something else that I'm just totally not thinking of, then my bad.
And if it were cancer, it is unlikely a polypectomy would cure it, obviously. If you are a purist, a polyp is not really "cancer", depending on the type, size, etc... from the benign to the more "malignant" types...it may evolve...
Back to derm vs rads, thx.
noncestvrai
Back to derm vs rads, thx.
noncestvrai
Gunner
This thread reminds me of a wonderful comment I heard a classmate of mine utter during 3rd year. It was as follows, "Yeah if I wasn't going to do Derm I think I'd definitely do Rad Onc."
Let me give you some advice; if you're considering two fields that have NOTHING in common other than lifestyle and salary benefits you should do two things. #1 curse yourself for going into medicine when you could have made more money much more quickly doing almost any other thing a smart, capable person like yourself could have done. #2 just pick which ever one you think is the least amount of work.
Although serious food for thought, I always thought it was strange to build an entire subspecialty (not a fellowship mind you, but a straight out of med school residency) around a single treatment modality. What happens in 20 years if XRT falls out of favor? At least people will always have skin...
Let me give you some advice; if you're considering two fields that have NOTHING in common other than lifestyle and salary benefits you should do two things. #1 curse yourself for going into medicine when you could have made more money much more quickly doing almost any other thing a smart, capable person like yourself could have done. #2 just pick which ever one you think is the least amount of work.
Although serious food for thought, I always thought it was strange to build an entire subspecialty (not a fellowship mind you, but a straight out of med school residency) around a single treatment modality. What happens in 20 years if XRT falls out of favor? At least people will always have skin...
Future of derm is more stable.
I'm curious about what you mean. Even if the technology changes, wouldn't some other kind of imaging take its place? And presumably, the diagnosticians would adapt to the new modality?
I think velo was talking about rad onc, not rads.
I vote rads.
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B
Blade28
Common misconception about rad onc...
Rad onc = radiation oncology, the treatment of cancers with radiation therapy.
Has nothing to do with radiology.
yeah I went off on a tangent talking about my classmates rad onc vs derm dillema, sorry if that was confusing.
If it means anything to the OPs decision I think rads is a FAR less frivilous field than derm, and the radiologists I've interacted with really know their stuff with regards to ddx.
Torn between two lovers, feeling like a fool
Loving you both is breaking all the rules
noncestvrai
Loving you both is breaking all the rules
noncestvrai
Good lifestyle, high pay.
A simpler way to re-word the question is, "Which field offers me the most amount of money for the least amount of work?"
That's one vote for rads.
And now one vote for derm.
Who wants to play tiebreaker? 😛
In all seriousness, morality issues aside, I think if you were looking for high-paying non-surgical (read: lifestyle-friendly) fields, these two are probably at the top of the list.
If you're competitive for derm, you're probably very competitive for rads. I'm now starting to really wonder if anyone has applied to derm while very stealthily applying to 10-15 low-powered rads programs (at different institutions of course) as a backup plan? I mean, how can you lose?
(Edit: okay, I guess being caught could count as a biggie in the loss column
)
Well, the debate can continue, valid points were brought up, but I matched to rads, so I guess there goes my vote.
😉
noncestvrai
😉
noncestvrai
I can think of one answer to this: Psychiatry. My attendings on my rotation (inpatient psych) had such a great lifestyle...like, 10-3:30 with no weekends and no call... and their job was very little work...and I'm sure the money was fabulous too. Plus, most residents just do outpatient psych in their last 2 years of residency, which is great hours and no weekends or call. How come no one ever thinks of this? I guess it takes a special kind of person to want to do psych, though.
While Psych does have a great lifestyle here, they by no means make even CLOSE to what the dermies and rads guys do.
Oh i didn't know it was match day already.
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Derm residency is much easier.
With Rads, there is frequent overnight call, and the rads call resident is busy.
With Rads, there is frequent overnight call, and the rads call resident is busy.
Like?
Well for one, coworkers of the prostitute solicited by the ex-NY governor supposedly make up to $4500/hr, which is far better than I'll ever make as a doctor. Plan B?
Some people don't like that line of work. 😉
Although I'll be the 1st to say that intern year or even MS3 feels a lot like that.
..
I am friends with a pro-dominatrix (long story) and she charges 500 dollars an hour without even taking her clothes off...she isn't even that attractive. Nurse during the daytime, and then beats the hell out of you during the night. So, there you go. Another alternative.
I'd recommend taking Step 2 as your Step 1 score is fairly average.
Otherwise, the rest of the advice is routine:
-honor whatever courses you have remaining
-try to get some rads research between now and application time
-do some rads rotations, impress, pick up LORs
-do some rads aways, impress, pick up LORs
-apply and pray like crazy! (not meant to be an insult, I tell everyone to pray like crazy when dealing with something as screwy as the match process)
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Uggh...I find both mind-numbingly boring. Luckily my board scores meant I didn't have to worry about this problem.
If you held a gun to my head and forced me to choose something other than
(C) - Anything else
I'd pick derm, because at least I'd get to see patients on a regular and consistent basis...it's all clinic though, which is just one more negative on top of the pile.
If you held a gun to my head and forced me to choose something other than
(C) - Anything else
I'd pick derm, because at least I'd get to see patients on a regular and consistent basis...it's all clinic though, which is just one more negative on top of the pile.
When you respond to and bump up an old thread, please acknowledge that you are doing so, so folks don't waste time responding to folks who may no longer be on SDN. (There's a reason most of us stay on the top page). Thanks.
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