What's a good resource to understand the lifestyle of physicians in each specialty?

[456432]

I understand that the lifestyles of different physician specialties can drastically vary (e.g. the life of a neurosurgeon drastically differs from family medicine). Is there one location where I can find the pros and cons of each specialty from physicians in those specialties? Like a series of podcasts or articles maybe? Or do I have to manually search this for each specialty?

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[Angus Avagadro]

I would check out the specialty sections on SDN. Hang out there for awhile. Lifestyle depends on many factors, private practice vs employed physician, specialty, etc.. I think the bad ones are obvious, so if lifestyle is your major concern, I would avoid those

 

[LizzyM]

Frankly, I think that it is a waste of time until you are admitted to medical school and have some opportunity to see the specialties up-close. Also, within specialties there are the more and less "lifestyle friendly" subspecialties. A bit of critical thinking will help you discern which specialties require a physician to provide services at any time of the day or night vs those that are by appointment, during daytime hours, and seldom or ever on weekends.

Aside from getting bit of inspiration, your time as a pre-med is better spent learning the academic material, doing some research and getting involved in community service. The time to think about a specialty is M2 and M3 year, IMHO.

 

[gyngyn]

You can find just about any "lifestyle" in every specialty.
It's not usually the specialty that results in ferocity of daily life, it's the folks that choose it.
I'm alleged to be in one of the worst lifestyle specialties and it has been a great life.

 

[Dr.K124]

I understand that the lifestyles of different physician specialties can drastically vary (e.g. the life of a neurosurgeon drastically differs from family medicine). Is there one location where I can find the pros and cons of each specialty from physicians in those specialties? Like a series of podcasts or articles maybe? Or do I have to manually search this for each specialty?

I know a Neurosurgeon who works 40 hours a week. I also know Dermatologists and Ophthalmologists that work more than 60. You can find a huge range of lifestyles in any specialty or subspecialty.

That being said, there are indeed specialties in which it is easier to have a great lifestyle. Since you are pre-med, I suggest you worry about this later. Just know that entering the medical field does not have to mean working long hours your entire life (outside of residency).

 

[jhmmd]

You might be interested in this

 

[Goro]

I understand that the lifestyles of different physician specialties can drastically vary (e.g. the life of a neurosurgeon drastically differs from family medicine). Is there one location where I can find the pros and cons of each specialty from physicians in those specialties? Like a series of podcasts or articles maybe? Or do I have to manually search this for each specialty?

Better to focus on getting into medical school first.

 

[deleted555445]

check out The Undifferentiated Medical Student podcast. a med student interviews physicians in a wide range of specialties about their work and lifestyle. should be exactly what you're looking for.

 

[jhmmd]

check out The Undifferentiated Medical Student podcast. a med student interviews physicians in a wide range of specialties about their work and lifestyle. should be exactly what you're looking for.

Granted I found this on the internetz

 

[JAK2-STAT3]

Check out Dr. Ryan Gray's Specialty Stories podcast. He has a variety of specialists on, and they discuss the ins and outs of their particular specialty, including what the lifestyle is like.