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ultimate lifestyle specialty
- Thread starter nmbutah
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maybe EM doing three 12 hour shifts/week?
If you don't care about pay, almost any specialty would work. You can be a trauma surgeon working for <40 hrs/wk if you're willing to be paid <100k.
But avoiding such extremes, I think pathology would be the best option for you. There are also many IM subspecialties that are nice like Gastro and Allergy/Immunology. EM and PM&R could also work. There are numerous options, you aren't as limited as you think.
But avoiding such extremes, I think pathology would be the best option for you. There are also many IM subspecialties that are nice like Gastro and Allergy/Immunology. EM and PM&R could also work. There are numerous options, you aren't as limited as you think.
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Drop out and do dentistry before it's too late
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Em sounds perfect. Can work 3 12 hr shifts like another poster mentioned, relatively easy to change locations compared to most specialties, only moderately competitive, and when you want to have free time to vacation or do mission trips you can stack your shifts and get 2-3 weeks off at a time
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Is this a serious suggestion?
I'm a first semester MS1 right now, and the thought of at least another 6.5 years of training seems like a huge task.
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If you're still an MS1 and know you want the touchy-feely elements of a medical career with good income and "lifestyle," it is sort of a serious suggestion. Even if you dropped out now, you'd be practicing sooner.
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How is it at least 6.5 more years of training? Dental school is 4 years and you don't have to do residency if you don't want to specialize.
You would have to take the DAT but the pre-reqs are pretty much all the same.
You would have to take the DAT but the pre-reqs are pretty much all the same.
yeah general dentistry will give you close to a derm lifestyle without requiring you to be an academic superstar. The problem is, at least for me, is that dentistry is almost purely surgical with little diagnostic work. That is the deal breaker for me. I like thinking/solving problems more than consuming my time with manual work.
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. . . that and you have to be a dentist. Not to disparage what dentists do, but there is no way in hell I could be up in people's mouths all day.
Lifestyle is great, but you have to like your job too.
Yeah, I admit I wouldn't like probing people's mouths for a career either but I also feel like its a profession that primarily just tests your manual dexterity and business skills. that's just 
for me. i do find omfs interesting though, but that's it.
for me. i do find omfs interesting though, but that's it.- Joined
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I would seriously consider doing either Anesthesiology or PM&R (Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation) then do the 1-year fellowship in Pain Medicine.
I would do anesthesiology if you enjoy being in the OR or ICU, like physiology and pharmacology, and an early bird (be at the hospital by 6am).
But if you're more interested in musculoskeletal medicine and EMG (electrodiagnostic studies), interacting with patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings, I would do PM&R.
Either Anesthesiology or PM&R will make you eligible to apply for an ACGME accredited 1-year fellowship in Pain Medicine. Even with decreased reimbursements from Medicare/Medicaid, the salary is MUCH higher than primary care (see on salary.com) and you can still work just 50 hours/week with most free weekends (home call).
I would do anesthesiology if you enjoy being in the OR or ICU, like physiology and pharmacology, and an early bird (be at the hospital by 6am).
But if you're more interested in musculoskeletal medicine and EMG (electrodiagnostic studies), interacting with patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings, I would do PM&R.
Either Anesthesiology or PM&R will make you eligible to apply for an ACGME accredited 1-year fellowship in Pain Medicine. Even with decreased reimbursements from Medicare/Medicaid, the salary is MUCH higher than primary care (see on salary.com) and you can still work just 50 hours/week with most free weekends (home call).
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Put another vote down for Emergency Med. You're asking for flexibility more than stability or routine...so anything that's merely office based clinic (or similar in nature) is still less than ideal. Emergency is by far the most flexible option.
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What I don't like about anesthesiology is they don't make any diagnosis. They don't own any patients and so I don't see why their salaries are not going to plummet in the future.
As for PMR, I dont like that many of their patients are chronically ill. It seems outpatient Neurology beats PMR in every way. They get to do the same procedures as PMR and they focus on diagnostics and dont have to take care of MS or ALS or dystrophy patients for many years.. And there are neurology jobs in every city. But PMR is really saturated in big cities.
I think Pain is no good because it is chronic pain and patients never get better.
So which field has the better lifestyle: neurology or anesthesia?
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I also equate flexibility with lifestyle. But from everything I've seen on TV and in a hospital it seems like I would not make a good ER doctor.
Many people in the anesthesia forum have been saying that the specialty will be way overstaffed and borderline non existent due to many mid level providers who over saturated the marketplace. They are saying pay could cut in half and many will be in supervisor roles of mid levels.
Pathology. Seriously, you can work 9-5 and take call from home. There's plenty of time for research/teaching/social life, and it's not a wildly competitive to enter (I think the average score is below USLME average). Plus, it's awesome!
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Out of all the doctors I worked without through medschool, psychiatrists had by far the most laid back, easy, low work hour lifestyles. Hence a big reason I chose psych and I can vouch that both residency and practice is pretty cushy hours wise and flexiblity. Psych is also really in high demand and jobs anywhere, small or big is not a problem. Lots of flexibility in type of patients and type of practice you do such as all outpatient, all inpatient, a mix, just therapy, just meds, or a mix etc.
Pay for hour wise its probably one of the better ones. You can work 40 hours for 200k which is pretty nice.
Pay for hour wise its probably one of the better ones. You can work 40 hours for 200k which is pretty nice.
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Psychiatry. Pathology. Outpatient Peds.
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First, none of this "under 40 hours/week", lots of time to travel, etc is possible until after residency. You are going to work hard for at least 3 years period, probably more if you take a longer path or one that requires a fellowship to attain your lifestyle goals. Second, other than in EM, if you plan to work fewer than 40 hours/week, you will be taking a serious hit to your income and career progression. Most professional who work less than 40 hours/week (outside of shift work) are considered part time employees. I know a few pediatricians and family docs who managed to land 35 hour work weeks for family reasons, but they are considered part timers and not on path to partnership and will be the first ones let go if there's any business hurdles.
I second the dentistry suggestion for the OP, actually. Jumping from early med school to dental school and avoiding residency gets you to practice faster, and I know more than a few dentists who are working 40 hours/week or less and making nice fat 6 digit salaries right out of school while maintaining good career trajectories. Sure, you have to mess with gingivitic gums and halitosis all day, but for those folks recommended ED shifts, is this really any worse than having to examine the unwashed homeless or doing pelvic exams and rectal exams on everyone complaining of lower abdominal pain? Plus you can keep it under 40 hours/week exclusively working during the daytime hours.
Honestly OP, you seem to have done a poor job of scoping out the medical profession before you started -- none of this should be a surprise to you. But yeah, there are still windows open to you but they all come with a cost. You either have easy hours in medicine but (1) have to endure residency first, (2) may end up damaging earning potential, and (3) may end up damaging career trajectory, or alternatively, you can probably jump ship to something like dentistry but then have to deal with (4) having to be a non-physician.
Now, I would suggest that if you changed your tune a bit, and were willing to work 50-55 hours/week and call it a lifestyle field (because in medicine it kind of is), then yeah, there are lots of options. Your "under 40 hrs" limit (but not smart enough for derm) makes other professions seem like a better option.
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I did a whole year of research when choosing the right health-care profession by shadowing/talking to people/internet research etc.
What I gathered was that pretty much most people are envious of others (the grass is greener on the other side syndrome).
I talked to an osteopathic vascular surgeon and he said "If I knew the kind of reimbursements dentists get before I went to osteopathic school I would have gone to dental school." Then I replied with the classic, "But I wouldn't want to deal with teeth all day." To which he replied, "What? You don't think you can learn to like teeth?"
I spoke with an optometrist and he said, "Sometimes I think I should have went to med school."
I spoke with an ophthalmologist and they are getting raped with lowered reimbursements from obamacare at one front and scope of practice expansions from optometrists on the other front. The reimbursement for cataracts hasn't gone up for 30 years. Also, in almost all states optometrists can prescribe oral medications and they can treat ocular disease in all states. Recently, new legislation has allowed Kentucky to be the second state that allows optometrists to do eye surgery.
So ultimately I chose optometry because I feel it is better to be one of the best in a certain field that may not have as much prestige/be as lucrative as others rather than be mediocre in say medicine for example. Also it seems to be the fastest growing health-care profession in terms of scope of practice along with nice hours, 6 figure salary, and looking at beautifully complex eyes. Most of my friends however are in medical school.
Almost any speciality you choose you will have issues with other health-care professionals stepping on your toes. Dentists are battling with otolaryngologists for facial surgery, anaesthesiologists are battling with anaesthesiology assistants (anaes equivalent of PA's) and CRNA's (certified registered nurse anaesthesists), podiatrists with orthopedic surgeons, optometrists (ODs) with ophthalmologists (OMDs), psychologists with psychiatrists and the list goes on.
I however know mostly about OMDs vs ODs for obvious reasons.
What I gathered was that pretty much most people are envious of others (the grass is greener on the other side syndrome).
I talked to an osteopathic vascular surgeon and he said "If I knew the kind of reimbursements dentists get before I went to osteopathic school I would have gone to dental school." Then I replied with the classic, "But I wouldn't want to deal with teeth all day." To which he replied, "What? You don't think you can learn to like teeth?"
I spoke with an optometrist and he said, "Sometimes I think I should have went to med school."
I spoke with an ophthalmologist and they are getting raped with lowered reimbursements from obamacare at one front and scope of practice expansions from optometrists on the other front. The reimbursement for cataracts hasn't gone up for 30 years. Also, in almost all states optometrists can prescribe oral medications and they can treat ocular disease in all states. Recently, new legislation has allowed Kentucky to be the second state that allows optometrists to do eye surgery.
So ultimately I chose optometry because I feel it is better to be one of the best in a certain field that may not have as much prestige/be as lucrative as others rather than be mediocre in say medicine for example. Also it seems to be the fastest growing health-care profession in terms of scope of practice along with nice hours, 6 figure salary, and looking at beautifully complex eyes. Most of my friends however are in medical school.
Almost any speciality you choose you will have issues with other health-care professionals stepping on your toes. Dentists are battling with otolaryngologists for facial surgery, anaesthesiologists are battling with anaesthesiology assistants (anaes equivalent of PA's) and CRNA's (certified registered nurse anaesthesists), podiatrists with orthopedic surgeons, optometrists (ODs) with ophthalmologists (OMDs), psychologists with psychiatrists and the list goes on.
I however know mostly about OMDs vs ODs for obvious reasons.
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People say that about FM and IM too, but I don't see it happening.
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psych
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EM, Psy, Path, A/I, PM&R
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What does this have to do with anything? Why are you even in the allo thread? "thinking" about medschool one day does not really mean you fit in the forum, let alone commenting on which MEDICAL speciality is the best. By the way you would have to do something incredible in optometry to get any respect-they are basically viewed as worse than people who couldnt get into med school-along lines of a chiropracter or worse.
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No way, I think opto is a great way to go!! One of my residency friend's wife does opto...amazing lifestyle, good $$$ (~130k?), cute office...who cares, pts respect u, get a nice staff, get called a doc, be done and out in half the time. I think you are choosing wisely with opto! There will always be some MD trying to put down a 'lesser' health care prifessional due to their own feelings of inadequacy - do what works for your lifestyle.
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Many people say that in the Pathology forum, the Optometry forum, the pharmacist forum, the psychiatry forum (psychologists getting prescription rights) the radiology forum and so on...
Wow, I can't wait to work with residents like you in the future...
Feelings of inadequacy much?
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lol Optometry is not viewed as worse than chiropractors. He gave a valid piece of information. Oh no someone from another field posted in the allo boards
Also about the respect thing why are you so obsessed with the fact that a professional student from profession contributed to the topic?
Psychiatry isn't to well respected on the prestige totem pole.
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You don't have to discredit an entire field. He is free to share his opinion and openly stated his background.
And I think his point, "the grass is greener," is actually pretty relevant although not all his examples were great (i.e. ortho vs podiatrist).
I guess if I believe everything on SDN then there won't be any doctors in 2040.
Hard thing is, I can no longer tell the difference between good predictions and panic.
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This guy spends all his free time trying to make the Allo forum more exclusive. Cigarette?
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Almost too funny
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Go after a specialty that you actually enjoy. You will be doing it for a large chunk of your life. An easy, lifestyle specialty for one person may be slow torture for someone else. Keep an open mind and pay attention to what makes you happy.
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Cardiac surgery lets you do all of these things. And more.
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I respectfully disagree.
You truly believe that optometrists are as high level as ophthalmologists?
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Sarcasm.
You're totally missing the point. Just because you have more formal education doesn't mean you can be an ***hole.
Nothing technically gives anyone the right to be an "*******" to someone else though right? Am I missing something?
In the workplace *******s are common unfortunately. Usually it's the highers being *******s to subordinates.
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Skydiving hospitalist
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJVuxpYeKqM
You could always be like him
You could always be like him
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