starting med school soon interested in Med-Peds?

[colaandcheese]

Interested in Med-Peds and doing some research. Was wondering if anyone had any insightful information? Maybe pros/cons, and competitiveness of the actual residency?

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[deleted407021]

Here's a helpful resource, for starters. I'm going in with a small interest in the field, as well.

 

[CopaceticOne]

Interested in Med-Peds and doing some research. Was wondering if anyone had any insightful information? Maybe pros/cons, and competitiveness of the actual residency?

Get through the your preclinical years. Rock COMLEX & USMLE. Learn about the various specialities while doing during your third year. Many people change their minds, so just focus on doing well and you'll find your niche.

 

[Tortelloni]

Get through the your preclinical years. Rock COMLEX & USMLE. Learn about the various specialities while doing during your third year. Many people change their minds, so just focus on doing well and you'll find your niche.

Agree 100% with this. I changed my mind multiple times just in the last year.

For others thinking about med-peds, why not just do family med? Makes more sense to me.

 

[FrkyBgStok]

Agree 100% with this. I changed my mind multiple times just in the last year.

For others thinking about med-peds, why not just do family med? Makes more sense to me.

Because med-peds is basically family med but inpatient whereas these days family med is entirely outpatient.

 

[deleted407021]

Because med-peds is basically family med but inpatient whereas these days family med is entirely outpatient.

And med-peds doesn't include OB or surgery like FM residency, correct?

 

[cabinbuilder]

Wait until you get on rotations. You may just hate what you think you love right now. You have to go in with an open mind and experience all aspects of medicine before being firm on a specialty.

 

[FrkyBgStok]

And med-peds doesn't include OB or surgery like FM residency, correct?

yeah that too.

 

[NurWollen]

Because med-peds is basically family med but inpatient whereas these days family med is entirely outpatient.

Wut?

 

[ArsèneLupin]

Because med-peds is basically family med but inpatient whereas these days family med is entirely outpatient.

Uh not really. Ill keep it short and sweet

Med-Peds and Family Medicine are similar in that they are a primary care field. But it is not just basically family med but inpatient. No required Ob rotation, no surgery rotation and many more months of ICU and pediatric inpatient rotations makes Med/Peds pretty different from family medicine. FM also just isnt outpatient clinic. At my school the FM program did scopes, lots of inpatient work, procedure clinics, full OB etc.

Many Med/Peds graduates go on to do primary care. Most of the programs boast something like >50% go into primary care because the specifically draws in people who love primary care. Most of the Med/Peds residency programs have a huge mission to primary care because its covering two needs in primary care.

Med/Peds might have more flexibility in the non-rural areas to work inpatient since by residency's end you are board certified in pediatrics and internal medicine meaning its easier to get into a hospitalist gig. Also being board certified in both specialties lends to the opportunity to specialize in either field. Programs boast like 1/4-1/2 of graduates go on to specialize. Med Peds also has niche areas and specialties such as transitional care, sickle cell patients, CF, adult congenital heart disease, survivors of child hood cancer and more.

OP: Med/Peds is a great specialty. I wouldn't have chosen it if it wasn't. I loved primary care, I loved adults and kids, i loved inpatient work and ICU, this was what Med/Peds training seemed to entail. I always tell M1's that its too early to decide on a specialty. Do well in class, find a mentor, try to find research, rock your USMLEs and rock your rotations. If by end of third year you end up really loving internal medicine and pediatrics and can't choose one, Med Peds might be the choice for you. Keep an open mind beyond the core clerkships as well as many 3rd year students don't get much exposure to fields such as Radiology, Anesthesia, Emergency Medicine, or subspecialty surgery.

 

[FrkyBgStok]

Ok, I wasn't saying that med-peds is literally family med but inpatient. Obviously anyone who is considering med-peds would look into that and see the difference. Didn't think the OP needed it completely spelled out for them. I give people the benefit of the doubt.

And rural FM is very versatile, but these days, if you are living in a city more than 500,000 people, you can't do more than family med. very few hospitals allow OB from FM, the EDs are staffed by boarded EM docs, the scopes are done by the GI group and surgeons, the pediatricians take over the newborns, etc. As my comments seem to be taken literally on this thread, obviously this doesn't apply to every single little thing, but if you enter FM thinking "eh I will live in Chicago and just do scopes all the time and make bank" you are going to be sadly disappointed.

 

[colaandcheese]

I really, really appreciate everyone's input! Thank you all for your opinions. Anything could happen, hopefully I make it through. Good luck to everyone.