Subspecialties with the best lifestyle

[mmmmaaaaahhhhhh]

Hi all
I'm a junior and have a sense of how things generally work lifestyle wise for the various subspecialties (at least at my midsize urban centre). Wanted to see what others more experienced than me think. Got kids and want to settle down in a fairly quiet call environment with good hours down the line. Academically minded and hoping to end up in academic setting but open to all settings.

Seems the surgical retina folks have the worst lifestyle when It comes to time with kids (of course that's offset by pretty good pay all things considered).

Based on my first few months on service seems the plastics folks are out of bed in the early hours too...

Glaucoma folks seem pretty happy, seems like a good balance... not too many glaucoma specific emergencies at 2am (most ACG handled by residents here at least)

Is there a specific subspecialty that's known broadly to have the best lifestyle (ie not just pay but time away from work, as well)?

Regards

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[Rhexis]

Hi all
I'm a junior and have a sense of how things generally work lifestyle wise for the various subspecialties (at least at my midsize urban centre). Wanted to see what others more experienced than me think. Got kids and want to settle down in a fairly quiet call environment with good hours down the line. Academically minded and hoping to end up in academic setting but open to all settings.

Seems the surgical retina folks have the worst lifestyle when It comes to time with kids (of course that's offset by pretty good pay all things considered).

Based on my first few months on service seems the plastics folks are out of bed in the early hours too...

Glaucoma folks seem pretty happy, seems like a good balance... not too many glaucoma specific emergencies at 2am (most ACG handled by residents here at least)

Is there a specific subspecialty that's known broadly to have the best lifestyle (ie not just pay but time away from work, as well)?

Regards

I think any speciality besides surgical retina and plastics would be your best bet. It mainly depends on the call situation where you live. I take call for a few hospitals 3 weeks per year, that's it. I'm home by 5:30 most nights with very few emergencies. (Cornea). But those 3 call weeks are busy. I have colleagues that take more call and are much more busy at night/weekends, but a lot of them are compensated for that and chose it.

 

[LightBox]

LASIK only is #1 .... then LASIK and cataract only is #2

 

[docdoc2012]

This all depends on your situation. Plastics and retina do have more call. But this doesn't translate to a worst lifestyle, especially in an academic setting where there are fellows. Even in private retina groups call is like q7-q10 weeks, most are done with their normal day by 5. Go with your interest and find the practice setting that fits you. Its the rest of your life, and no matter how good the lifestyle you still have to be there 8 hrs a day and be engaged

 

[mjohnsonets]

This all depends on your situation. Plastics and retina do have more call. But this doesn't translate to a worst lifestyle, especially in an academic setting where there are fellows. Even in private retina groups call is like q7-q10 weeks, most are done with their normal day by 5. Go with your interest and find the practice setting that fits you. Its the rest of your life, and no matter how good the lifestyle you still have to be there 8 hrs a day and be engaged

This x 2. You can find a position that suits you. Retina docs don't always have to cover hospital call/trauma, in an academic center you will. In private practices with their own surgery centers, retina docs can avoid hospital call in some areas.

Overall easiest lifestyles are probably cataract/refractive as already pointed out and 100% medical retina.

 

[linevasel]

Can't speak for the other specialities, but Retina can vary. Call3x a year is nice. Some groups give partners 12 weeks of vacation. Other groups give 8 weeks of vacation and every other friday off. A few groups work 4 days a week. I look at the available Retina lifestyles and the lifestyles of ophthalmologists in general and in general think we are very fortunate as a specialty to have this degree of flexibility.

 

[RetinaDude]

Solo retina------life would suck. There are a lot of problems that referring docs want seen NOW and you would have to just keep adding to your schedule. Same with surgeries. Do them at the end of clinic? Weekends?

If you have partners, all of this is taken away. When the referring docs call and want a pt seen NOW, we have one of several docs the pt can go to so one doc is not being overwhelmed, or having to work late. Same with surgeries. If we have something urgent, we operate five days per week, at multiple surgery centers, so just put it on my partner's schedule that day (or the next). It makes for a very nice lifestyle