The Most Chill/Happy Doctors you've met

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muhali3

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There have been a few threads on this maybe. But I wanna ask, from your PERSONAL experience (I've already read all those studies), who are the happiest and most chill doctors you've met? And in what specialties? Many people seem to choose a specialty because they feel that they "fit in" among the types of people in that specialty. Chime in if this was the case for you or if that factored into your decision.

Edit: I think I should clarify that I mean in what specialties do you find the most chill/relaxed personalities in. Obviously there are satisfied/happy people in every specialty, but these may not be "chill" people if you naw' mean. But great answers so far.
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Derm, pm&r. Family and ortho (personality-wise) are usually pretty chill, but can vary. I've suprisingly also met awesome and "chill" critical care guys, I assume this is an anomaly though.

I chose PM&R for a variety of reasons, but like that at most places you are on a first name basis with your attendings.
 
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The chillest I've met were in Cardiology - probably an anomaly. But most of the docs were albeit stressed, really good at making light of the acute conditions they often had to work under. I knew them all on a first name basis, and they were really good at teaching even during emergent situations.

They were amicable with patients, staff, and students, fascinated by the nature of their work, and were just so chill overall.
 
Guess it depends on random interactions. I would put cards and IM towards least chill end of the spectrum. I've met some awesome ones, but they were more the exception than the rule.
 
I've met "chill" (I hate that word), happy neurosurgeons and met unhappy, strung out dermatologists.

I think picking a speciality based on the personality of a few attendings you work with is dumb. My residency program has a completely different culture and personality than the department at my med school. If I had made a decision on speciality based on meeting "chill" people, I could've been disappointed.
 
Ortho, Intervential Rads, EM, Neurosurgery, and A+I. Happy people are all over the place.
 
muhali3 said:
There have been a few threads on this maybe. But I wanna ask, from your PERSONAL experience (I've already read all those studies), who are the happiest and most chill doctors you've met? And in what specialties? Many people seem to choose a specialty because they feel that they "fit in" among the types of people in that specialty. Chime in if this was the case for you or if that factored into your decision.
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Cardiac surgery, SICU, ER, and OB/GYN.
 
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giantswing said:
Ortho, im, neuro.

Worst were peds.
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There are a good amount of happy docs in peds--even working in the hospitals. It's just tough to be chill, b/c sick kids often make for very anxious parents.

I've liked a lot ED docs--more fun to work with, in general, but there are fun and crazy people in every field--except rads--lol. Those people are way too serious. 🙂-
 
mimelim said:
Happiest are by far the people that choose their specialty for the single reason that they love doing it.

Most unhappy are the ones that selected primarily based on salary and prestige. To a lesser extent, "lifestyle".

Largely independent of specialty.
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...and I was just about to say that all the vascular surgeons I know/worked with seem perpetually pissed off. :angelic:
 
Male Ortho Resident: 'Sup Bro!? Dude, you see Bridgewater get hit yesterday!? Man, he got straight f-cked up on that sack! Clay Matthews is a f-ckin' monster! Whoo Hoo!!!! Who's ready to start drilling sh-t!!!!!!???

Female Ortho Resident: No of course I didn't watch the Superbowl! I have an in-service exam coming up in 10 months I have to study for!!! Why would I waste precious studying time for that? That game is far too long anyway. I haven't watched a sporting event since I finished my lacrosse career at Dartmouth!

/is friends with a surprising number of female ortho residents... I just wish they didn't fit this stereotype so often.
 
WingedOx said:
Male Ortho Resident: 'Sup Bro!? Dude, you see Bridgewater get hit yesterday!? Man, he got straight f-cked up on that sack! Clay Matthews is a f-ckin' monster! Whoo Hoo!!!! Who's ready to start drilling sh-t!!!!!!???

Female Ortho Resident: No of course I didn't watch the Superbowl! I have an in-service exam coming up in 10 months I have to study for!!! Why would I waste precious studying time for that? That game is far too long anyway. I haven't watched a sporting event since I finished my lacrosse career at Dartmouth!

/is friends with a surprising number of female ortho residents... I just wish they didn't fit this stereotype so often.
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Meh. All the female orthos I've met, save maybe one, were as chill as the guys. And were better at fantasy football.
 
Psych

For real though I think physicians who are in fields that they love are the happiest
 
I would definitely doubt the existence of the "chill neurosurgeon". It may be the exception to the rule of "physicians who do what they love are happiest".
 
Jabbed said:
I would definitely doubt the existence of the "chill neurosurgeon". It may be the exception to the rule of "physicians who do what they love are happiest".
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I won't speak in absolutes, but I think the neurosurgeon bit might have some truth to it...in that, for fields where there is "so much" riding on every move and/or every second of their procedure, it is likely to be harder to achieve 'chill status'. Prob not impossible, but definitely a hurdle to chill mode that other specialties might not walk around with.

All that said -- if I'm a patient -- I don't think I would want a chill neurosurgeon.

FM, Peds, Psych, PMR, Derm, A&I, Rheum, etc....Okay, let's chill out and talk about sports and cars and TV shows and vacations during the visit...but I guess it depends on the condition I'm seeing them for.

Surgeons...Nah, you guys/gals need to be stoic and give me the impression you're 100% focused and ready to kick the ass of whatever malady I'm going under the knife for (while still being nice and having good bedside manner, of course).

Just my opinion if I was a patient.

PS: I'm talking about in the hospital settings. My hypothetical neurosurgeon can be chill as he wants outside clinical settings, as long as I don't see a story about him/her on the 11 o'clock news. 😉
 
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Jabbed said:
I would definitely doubt the existence of the "chill neurosurgeon". It may be the exception to the rule of "physicians who do what they love are happiest".
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I see your point
 
I think I should clarify that I mean in what specialties do you find the most chill/relaxed personalities in. Obviously there are satisfied/happy people in every specialty, but these may not be "chill" people if you naw' mean. But great answers so far.
 
From my experience the ENT guys are pretty cool. OB/GYN and peds surgery are the worst typically.
 
Ortho, ENT, Emergency Medicine, Family medicine and Psych
 
Psych, A&I, derm, urology, rads, and anesthesia all seemed to have chill people back where I worked. Least chill specialties were hospitalist IM, trauma surg, every critical care specialty, and of course OB/GYN.
 
You're asking who's chill in a process that actively recruits A-type personalities while operates under stressful and hectic conditions. Call me cynical but medicine doesn't seem "chill" to me. Even the most laid back students in my class get pressured by tests, busy schedules and the "workload".

Chill to a lot of people of people in medicine may mean an outward appearance of happyness, or someone who's positive. I don't think there's many physicians with nonchalant attitudes (for the most part).
 
Peds has to have the widest range of personalities, outpatient pediatricians are some of the lost laid back doctors I've worked with. Inpatient and particularly peds specialists are a completely different story. Granted peds specialists are so under supplied forcing a portion of them to essentially be on call for years at a time so its forgivable for them.
 
I shadow a neurosurgeon and he lives like a baller. His wife is an ENT so they are locally notorious as being a power couple. He was a FMG, soI think that gave him some perspective. Also, this guy has an incredible story. This guy is pretty much my muse:
 
^
1) Scalpel as sig is kinda questionable, taking the obvious assumption that you want to do surgery but still
2) What happened to Derm, per " FREE DERMVISER" under your sig


The most nonchill doc I've ever met was a med-peds doc who loved it so much he thought it was insane why we weren't like rabidly acquiring knowledge so his pimping sounded like an auction
 
PL198 said:
^
1) Scalpel as sig is kinda questionable, taking the obvious assumption that you want to do surgery but still
2) What happened to Derm, per " FREE DERMVISER" under your sig


The most nonchill doc I've ever met was a med-peds doc who loved it so much he thought it was insane why we weren't like rabidly acquiring knowledge so his pimping sounded like an auction
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Derms account is on hold; I do not know what happened. But, I miss him.
I like my scalpel. :happy:
 
PM&R and Psych. Residents and attendings were really relaxed, really loved their work, and seemed to really enjoy being around each other. I learned real quick that, for me, being in a healthy and friendly environment matters much more than the paycheck I'll be pulling in, or even (gulp), what I find myself interested in the very most. I plan on pursuing my #2 or 3 interest, over my #1, based on the professional atmosphere of the fields. People say "do what you love", but I plan on doing what I "like". It's an unpopular opinion, but it's mine, and I embrace it.
 
I think the one thing I've learned from this thread is that chillness and happiness are almost completely unrelated to specialty. Except for Ob/Gyn.

My personal experience (more chillness than happiness):
-General IM, urgent care practice: Went to a bar together after a 12 hour shift, took shots in the break room during another shift
-Rads: Had me bring my girlfriend in with me one shift
 
Haha I'll add to the OB/GYN hate
 
Re: chillest, gotta plug for EM docs in CA

From Highland Dept. of EM's official residency website:

banner_group_above.jpg



Yes, they are on the hospital roof drinking PBRs after a shift.
 
literally 0 of those people look like douches, working there might actually be fun
 
neurology definitely, there is something about it i dont know.
IM has the largest variance. Surgery, they cant be naturally chill, the ones who are (like 1 out of 5) are people with good personality that handle stress very well.
 
Kahreek said:
this thread is about being chill, not lazy.
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This is also about doctors. Not glorified massage therapists. (Referring to OMM)
 
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