pathdoc68 said:
As a 4th year path resident I miss patient care very much. However, I have not lost a nights sleep in my entire residency and I am thankful for that. I really need a solid 6-7 hrs nightly to function. But I still dream what life would have been like as
1. IM
2. IM/Heme-ONC
3. Rad Onc
4. Psych
5. ENT
6. FP
I'll just give you a little insight on what life would be like in those above listed fields (with the probable exception of rad onc): It would suck. Just a few thumbnail sketches:
1. IM: glorified fp/gp. A general internist works like a dog, has major liability issues, and is paid very meagerly. I have friends who are internists and partners in private groups and you'd be horrified at what they make.
2. hemeonc: again, they don't get paid anywhere near enough considering how sick their patient's are. Tough job.
3. Rad onc: again, not a bad gig.
4. psych: please. There is a reason why nobody (sane) goes into psych.
5. ent: if you're lucky enough to get into a decent practice, this is tough because you're dealing with a difficult patient population and high malpractice insurance. Again, not worth the pay (which isn't as good as it should be).
6. gp/fp: If an internist is a glorified gp, then a gp is a glorified social worker. Insanely low pay to go along with a bad job. Not a good combo.
So, save for rads, you haven't done so badly in path. Something to be thankful for.