Road?

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Pegasus82 said:
How come Psych and ENT aren´t a part of the "ROAD"-concept?
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You try fitting the "P" and "E" into the already awesome ROAD acronym, I dare you!!

Seriously though, there are a few other specialties off the top of my head that seem to fit into the ROAD concept (rad onc, PMR, urology) that aren't included. ROAD is such an established acronym that it now represents more than the sum of its parts.
 
I think you have misinterpreted the ROAD acronym.

The ROAD specialties are specialties that are generally considered “lifestyle” specialties in medicine. Lifestyle specialties are those that offer good pay with minimum work hours, low patient loads, above average working conditions, and typically low on-call time.

So no surgical specialty has ever been included and while ENT may have better work hours than General Surgery, the training, the call and the long cases make it less appealing.

Psych may have good hours, but the pay isn't so hot in most cases.

Its not just about lifestyle but the perceived difficulty in getting to that lifestyle and how much reimbursement there is for the lower work hours. I agree that Rad Onc is probably missing from the acronym but would not include any surgical specialties.
 
Winged Scapula said:
I think you have misinterpreted the ROAD acronym.

The ROAD specialties are specialties that are generally considered “lifestyle” specialties in medicine. Lifestyle specialties are those that offer good pay with minimum work hours, low patient loads, above average working conditions, and typically low on-call time.

So no surgical specialty has ever been included and while ENT may have better work hours than General Surgery, the training, the call and the long cases make it less appealing.

Psych may have good hours, but the pay isn't so hot in most cases.

Its not just about lifestyle but the perceived difficulty in getting to that lifestyle and how much reimbursement there is for the lower work hours. I agree that Rad Onc is probably missing from the acronym but would not include any surgical specialties.
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I see. But isn´t ophto considered a surgical spec. in the US (it does here in Sweden?).
 
Rzarecta said:
You try fitting the "P" and "E" into the already awesome ROAD acronym, I dare you!!

Seriously though, there are a few other specialties off the top of my head that seem to fit into the ROAD concept (rad onc, PMR, urology) that aren't included. ROAD is such an established acronym that it now represents more than the sum of its parts.
Click to expand...

Totally unrelated to this thread, but I just had to say that your avatar's friggen hilarious. Made me lol...
 
Pegasus82 said:
I see. But isn´t ophto considered a surgical spec. in the US (it does here in Sweden?).
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Yes and No.

Ophtho is a surgical specialty in the sense that they are eye surgeons.

However, the hours worked during residency and after are nowhere near (in most cases) those worked by other surgical subspecialties.In addition, they are not required to do a surgical Intern year like all other surgical subspecialties, do not rotate on general surgery, trauma, etc. like the Ortho, ENT, Uro, Plastics, Neurosurg guys do, so most do not include Ophtho when classifying surgical subspecialties.

At any rate, really semantics - as I know that Optho do consider themselves surgeons (which they are) - but for classification purposes, no they generally aren't included in surgical subspecialties (which, IMHO, implies some general surgery training).
 
Winged Scapula said:
Psych may have good hours, but the pay isn't so hot in most cases.
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Give it time. Obama will either anhilate the other specialties salaries or increase psych's. Or both?

Psychiatry recently filled out an application for the ROAD club. It is currently under review.
 
Sneezing said:
Give it time. Obama will either anhilate the other specialties salaries or increase psych's. Or both?

Psychiatry recently filled out an application for the ROAD club. It is currently under review.
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In Sweden psych is the most well payed speciality. It is also the one with least prestige/status.
 
I think people tend to think of ROAD specialties as low-stress. Psych is not necessarily low-stress. I think one reason psychiatrists tend to work less hours than other docs is because you need time for yourself to recharge when you are dealing with other people's emotional problems on a daily basis.
I think most would consider having to evaluate the seriousness of suicidal gestures by borderline personality patients or having random obscenities screamed at you by a very psychotic patient to be a bit more stressful than doing cosmetic derm or cataract surgeries for patients who actually want your help.
 
Black Adder said:
Totally unrelated to this thread, but I just had to say that your avatar's friggen hilarious. Made me lol...
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Gracias. khalid sheikh mohammed + MSPaint + internet = Priceless
 
Winged Scapula said:
At any rate, really semantics - as I know that Optho do consider themselves surgeons (which they are) - but for classification purposes, no they generally aren't included in surgical subspecialties (which, IMHO, implies some general surgery training).
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Same idea goes for Ob/Gyn, they think they are surgeons but they really aren't - unless they are gyn-onc.
 
MCYan said:
Same idea goes for Ob/Gyn, they think they are surgeons but they really aren't - unless they are gyn-onc.
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I tend to disagree with this. Surgeries like pelvic reconstruction, even hysterectomies, or ex-laps for tubal pregnancy or endometriosis are surgeries... more technically difficult than some "general" surgery procedures (eg Lipomas, excisional biopsies, some hernias (like umbilical/ventral), lumpectomies, etc). What I disagree with is when some gastroenterologists refer to themselves as doing surgery
 
I would put ent into the "lifestyle" specialties. Anesthesiology is not only very high stress, but we take in house call as attendings, and generally have very busy and frequent calls as attendings.

Combined with the militant nurse threat, I would take anesthesiology out of the lifestyle section.
 
I had actually heard the acronym "UPROAD" before the ROAD one. It included Urology and Pathology (not Psych).
 
Looks like everyone whose not ROAD wants to add their specialty to the acronym.
 
I think the fact that rad onc has so few people is the reason why it was never included in ROAD. Also, the ROAD acronym may have taken hold well before rad onc became more well known.
 
Last edited:
I personally like ADORE more, makes more sense than ROADE.
 
Dont matter what ROAD you chose....as long as you like the lifestyle....

some people like to work hard...some dont

some people care about the money...some dont

some people just want whatever.....find what works for you and be happy!! 🙂

And that is the ROAD to success.....whether you ADORE it or not.
 
J DUB said:
Dont matter what ROAD you chose....as long as you like the lifestyle....

some people like to work hard...some dont

some people care about the money...some dont

some people just want whatever.....find what works for you and be happy!! 🙂

And that is the ROAD to success.....whether you ADORE it or not.
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You're better than this.

ETA - I meant the silly puns. Not the message.
 
I'm enjoying the new acronyms. Keep 'em coming. Ultimately though, I hope you guys find a specialty that provides you with Plenty of Money & Relaxation. 😎

Tongue in cheek, of course. 😉
 
Ludicolo said:
I'm enjoying the new acronyms. Keep 'em coming. Ultimately though, I hope you guys find a specialty that provides you with Plenty of Money & Relaxation. 😎

Tongue in cheek, of course. 😉
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I LOVE your avatar!


Anyway, I keep seeing how a bunch of people in anesthesia seem to want anesthesia out of ROAD, and if we take it out, among my favorite permutations of a new acronym could be FRODO (keeping family just because and adding ENT as asked about).
 
medicinesux said:
I think the fact that rad onc has so few people is the reason why it was never included in ROAD. Also, the ROAD acronym may have taken hold well before rad onc became more well known.
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Actually, when the ROAD acronym was developed, rad onc was still a part of radiology, so it technically is included in the R...
 
WholeLottaGame7 said:
I had actually heard the acronym "UPROAD" before the ROAD one. It included Urology and Pathology (not Psych).
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Urology is not a lifestyle field -- in many practices, residents are going to be calling you at 3am for emergency cystos. Neither is ENT. These are surgical fields. Optho is too but was less surgical when the ROAD acronym was developed.

You guys have to realize that ROAD is historic, not something you can just add to or subtract from. It was created at a time when these fields had a lot in common -- good lifestyle, high pay, and a high degree of competitiveness to entry. Most of the ones suggested on this thread lack in one of these categories. Either folks are raising surgical fields which have worse lifestyle, or folks are floating things like path, family or EM which haven't yet risen to the same level of competitiveness. Sure rad onc fits the pattern, but it already was part of ROAD when ROAD was coined -- it was a subspecialty of radiology that later broke off. ROAD works because these 4 fields meet the above 3 criteria than any of the others.
 
Blue Dog said:
I thought we were just kidding around. I know I was.
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Sure, but in a week you are going to read a post on pre-allo where somebody is throwing one of these new terms like it's actually part of the physician vernacular. Happened last time this discussion came up. Folks who don't know the history often get confused.
 
How 'bout an acronym for the best fields to go into if you enjoy whining on SDN? 😉

Dermatology
Internal Medicine
Anesthesiology
Pathology
Emergency Medicine
Radiology
 
Rzarecta said:
You try fitting the "P" and "E" into the already awesome ROAD acronym, I dare you!!
Click to expand...

I'll bite...

Wear the FEDORA of happiness:

Fixing Crazies
ENT
Derm
Ophtho
Rads
Anes
 
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