wheres the sense of community/belonging?

[ALTorGT]

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explain this to me fellas..

if you need to leave ur hometown to goto college for 4 years, then at the age of 22 head off to some other place for another 4 years to do med school, then a further 4 years elsewhere to do residency and then possibly somewhere else again to complete fellowship, and then pick some area for practice, how does anyone who does medicine develop a sense of community/belonging or a kind of homebase with a social network? Is it true that your colleagues become your friends?

Don't get me wrong. But, exactly how feasible is it to "start all over again" at 30-32 years of age? And don't forget, even then all your doing is working 70-80 hour weeks as an attending.

thanx.

 

[Tazmaniac]

That's why you flirt with the good-looking drug reps in the sad hopes of some social reward.

Cheer up...once you're working in your practice, reach out and meet the locals, or find your med school / residency / fellowship pals. I've always been amazed how many attendings "know" other attendings all over the country.

-Todd MSIV USC

 

[DR]

It's actually quite true that you develop a new set of friends when you go to these places for a few years. Your colleagues definitely become your friends (not all, obviously). However, everyone is different. For some, the prospect of leaving their friends from home, or their family, is traumatic, and they try to stay in the area. I know many people who did this, though I live in NY where this is easier, because of the many choices of programs. Plus most people tend to try to practice where they trained, so you don't necessarily need to move. If you're lucky, and you wanna stay, you may be able to do fellowship within the same program, too. For some though, the idea of moving a lot is exciting. And being 32 is not really an issue unless, again, you're the type who does not like change. I went to med school out of state, and while I was gone all my friends got married and had kids. Now I am back home where I wanted to be, and they are all in a different world. So there's no telling how things are gonna pan out.