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why Medicine?
- Thread starter Icewoman
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I for one am interested in Cards, and maybe GI, but I am also interested in Pulm. I happen to like those fields and can't imagine myself going through 3 years of IM and then 3-4 years of fellowship just so my ego will be satisfied, to become an egotisitcal MD at the end. Same thing can be said of other specialties, I for one can't figure out why people want to look at rash/acne, hunched over to look at eyeballs, or taking about impotence/doing DREs, all day long (other than lifestyle), or OB/GYN and surgery (with the brutal hours). But if they like it for some reason, then by all mean go for it.
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Icewoman. I think you are a bit stressed. Your question is phrased in a way that is a bit offensive. You previously attacked another poster in the ophthal thread saying "You are a DO. Consider other fields." Then, you lied about having interviews until you were found out. I think the fact that you started this thread says something about your own self-esteem. Please stop the madness.
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I agree with Christiangirl.
Your question could have been phrased better - it comes off as "why in the hell would you want to do internal medicine?" People have all different interests. And - gasp - for a lot of people that is internal medicine.
And I'm guessing that Cards and GI are just a couple of the more popular IM subspecialties, so that's the reason everyone is giving you that answer. I doubt that they say it because they are concerned about what you will think of them or need an "ego boost."
And I agree that the one that may be looking for an ego boost is you.
Your question could have been phrased better - it comes off as "why in the hell would you want to do internal medicine?" People have all different interests. And - gasp - for a lot of people that is internal medicine.
And I'm guessing that Cards and GI are just a couple of the more popular IM subspecialties, so that's the reason everyone is giving you that answer. I doubt that they say it because they are concerned about what you will think of them or need an "ego boost."
And I agree that the one that may be looking for an ego boost is you.
i hate to humor these type of posts (but i will). so icewoman, what type of responses did you want to hear? with your condescending tone, you obviously wanted to incite some sort of controversy. if you weren't aware of the arrogance permeating throughout your post, then i truly am sorry for you and will pray that you gain some self-awareness.
anyway, i'm not defending medicine and i'm not attacking ophthalmology. in fact, i'm trying to decide between the two, and serious answers to your question would be much appreciated. i just would have been a little more tactful.
anyway, i'm not defending medicine and i'm not attacking ophthalmology. in fact, i'm trying to decide between the two, and serious answers to your question would be much appreciated. i just would have been a little more tactful.
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Medicine is the thinking doctors' specialty. It's for the scientist, the detective and the person that is interested in the whole body and person. Finding the answer to the puzzle and if necessary turning the treatment over to a technician when warranted, but hopefully finding the solution without using a knife.
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I agree with Christiangirl. We are all needed to help the patient totally! Can't we just all work together and heal people!
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Well Said, Hop Toad! I think its funny how you think of "Do'ers" as technicians!
In fact, in England, Surgeons are not even called doctors.
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icewoman, why so cold?
i think internal medicine is one of the most challenging specialities...not in terms of matching...but in terms of what it takes to be a good general internist in terms of the decision making, problem solving and shear knowledge (it so vast)...i'm sure this appeals to many people...
furthermore, i think a lot people when they envisioned becoming physicians, envisioned a pictured using a stethoscope, doing a physical exam, treating systemic illnesses...that usually why most people get interested in medicine....i certainly did not envision doing 45 cataract cases...one after the other...
finally, this is such a moot debate....whats the point of criticizing?
some where all the line, we as medical students were all searching for something that appealed to us...some of us like cardiology, some of us like heme-onc...some of us liked working with kids...some of us like path slides...some of us like radiology...
thats how the process works...we all have different priorities, and i'm sure that plays a large role...
hell i tried out optho, was bored out of mind....i derived no sense of satisfaction...
i don't think its "insecurity" when people say they like cardio, instead its setting a goal to do something you are interested in...whats wrong with that?
i'm sure tons of optho wannabee want to do retina or occuloplastics...is this because they want to inflate their own egos ?
finally, icewoman, we can't all do optho, you'd be out of a job...
i mean if you notice the people applying to medicine, especially at some of the best places, have pretty strong stats, in line with matching in optho...so you should be happy
i think internal medicine is one of the most challenging specialities...not in terms of matching...but in terms of what it takes to be a good general internist in terms of the decision making, problem solving and shear knowledge (it so vast)...i'm sure this appeals to many people...
furthermore, i think a lot people when they envisioned becoming physicians, envisioned a pictured using a stethoscope, doing a physical exam, treating systemic illnesses...that usually why most people get interested in medicine....i certainly did not envision doing 45 cataract cases...one after the other...
finally, this is such a moot debate....whats the point of criticizing?
some where all the line, we as medical students were all searching for something that appealed to us...some of us like cardiology, some of us like heme-onc...some of us liked working with kids...some of us like path slides...some of us like radiology...
thats how the process works...we all have different priorities, and i'm sure that plays a large role...
hell i tried out optho, was bored out of mind....i derived no sense of satisfaction...
i don't think its "insecurity" when people say they like cardio, instead its setting a goal to do something you are interested in...whats wrong with that?
i'm sure tons of optho wannabee want to do retina or occuloplastics...is this because they want to inflate their own egos ?
finally, icewoman, we can't all do optho, you'd be out of a job...
i mean if you notice the people applying to medicine, especially at some of the best places, have pretty strong stats, in line with matching in optho...so you should be happy
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Originally posted by Icewoman
I'm going into Ophthalmology... and it confuses me to no end why people choose Internal Medicine as a profession. Therefore, I was wondering what your rationales (or irrationales
And another question: why does every Medicine person I know say that they are doing either Cards or GI? Are there that many spots in these sub-specialties? Or do they feel compelled to say that they are not "just going" into Internal Medicine and need something to inflate their egos?
Personally, I spent some time with a private practice opthamologist and was bored out of my skull after the 2nd procedure. Just as some people like building ships in bottles, some like stamp collecting, some like basketball, and some like skydiving etc, etc, etc. (Not trying to associate the above activities with any partictular medical specialty
)Lets just say different strokes for different folks and leave it at that, K?
Cards and GI are the $$ leaders in medicine, so I think people without significant experience plan to pursue them. Personally, I tried 2 cardiology rotations and couldn't get enough.
Also, go you if you're that confident you're going to for sure match in optho. Even the "strong" candidates I know are making backup plans. You must be very qualified.
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I struggled between Medicine and Ophtho as a medical student.
I actually matched in an Ophtho spot but decided not to do Ophtho, and turned down my spot -- hard to believe, I suppose, but if you think about it, how surprising is that? I thought about Ophtho purely because it offered a procedural field with a great lifestyle. But when I sat down to consider the clinical issues that I would be "seeing" every day and the fact that I would be "limiting" myself to the eye (lots of pathology there, don't get me wrong, just not involving other parts of the body), I honestly got a little scared. To me, the idea of not ever using a stethescope or never examining a patient's heart, lungs, or abdomen seemed, well, odd. I felt the field was limiting, though others would disagree with me. One person's opinion
I also have to admit that when Ophthalmologists tell you that their own field is overcrowded, that practice opportunities are limited, and that you should consider other fields, it has to make you think. 12+ years of school and training to not have some choice in practice location and not be in demand was not attractive to me. There are great Ophtho jobs around, but where are these jobs? Not in the major metros, or even 2nd or 3rd tier cities. Most opportunities for good paying jobs in Ophtho are in the boonies, unless you've got a parent or sibling already in practice. And if you get a job in the cities, many of these don't offer a partnership option, from what I understand.
When I told GI docs I rotated with as a med student that I was thinking about GI, they said "Great, come on in, we need more, and we'd love to have you". I NEVER heard the same sentiments from practicing Ophthalmologists I met or rotated with.
I did Medicine because I like the lessons about clinical care and patient management that you are imbued with in IM training. I really feel there is no better trained "Doctor" than a well trained internist. Biased, yes, but somewhat justified. In residency, we learn to stabilize and manage all sorts of patients with medical and surgical issues, and prioritize their care and treatment. I decided to do GI (thought Cards initially) and will start fellowship next year because I do enjoy procedures, find the subject matter and pathology diverse and multifaceted and involving more than just one organ system, still wanted to be an internist first, and quite honestly because it is a field in great demand.
I do think a lot of students going into IM name GI or Cards first in terms of interest because these are high visibilty fields with lots of clinical issues relevant to IM training and practice, and because they are fields in demand and that make $$$. However, I think it depends at which med school you are asking these questions. Med schools with strong IM residency programs that influence many of their students to go into IM tend to have a broader variety of answers to "why are you going into IM" including gen med, renal, heme-onc, endo, ID, etc. I know plenty of people in my own residency program (Parkland) that said GI or Cards during intern year but are now doing Pulmonary, ID, Endo, Heme-Onc, etc. People's tastes, interests, and passions change during residency.
I actually matched in an Ophtho spot but decided not to do Ophtho, and turned down my spot -- hard to believe, I suppose, but if you think about it, how surprising is that? I thought about Ophtho purely because it offered a procedural field with a great lifestyle. But when I sat down to consider the clinical issues that I would be "seeing" every day and the fact that I would be "limiting" myself to the eye (lots of pathology there, don't get me wrong, just not involving other parts of the body), I honestly got a little scared. To me, the idea of not ever using a stethescope or never examining a patient's heart, lungs, or abdomen seemed, well, odd. I felt the field was limiting, though others would disagree with me. One person's opinion
I also have to admit that when Ophthalmologists tell you that their own field is overcrowded, that practice opportunities are limited, and that you should consider other fields, it has to make you think. 12+ years of school and training to not have some choice in practice location and not be in demand was not attractive to me. There are great Ophtho jobs around, but where are these jobs? Not in the major metros, or even 2nd or 3rd tier cities. Most opportunities for good paying jobs in Ophtho are in the boonies, unless you've got a parent or sibling already in practice. And if you get a job in the cities, many of these don't offer a partnership option, from what I understand.
When I told GI docs I rotated with as a med student that I was thinking about GI, they said "Great, come on in, we need more, and we'd love to have you". I NEVER heard the same sentiments from practicing Ophthalmologists I met or rotated with.
I did Medicine because I like the lessons about clinical care and patient management that you are imbued with in IM training. I really feel there is no better trained "Doctor" than a well trained internist. Biased, yes, but somewhat justified. In residency, we learn to stabilize and manage all sorts of patients with medical and surgical issues, and prioritize their care and treatment. I decided to do GI (thought Cards initially) and will start fellowship next year because I do enjoy procedures, find the subject matter and pathology diverse and multifaceted and involving more than just one organ system, still wanted to be an internist first, and quite honestly because it is a field in great demand.
I do think a lot of students going into IM name GI or Cards first in terms of interest because these are high visibilty fields with lots of clinical issues relevant to IM training and practice, and because they are fields in demand and that make $$$. However, I think it depends at which med school you are asking these questions. Med schools with strong IM residency programs that influence many of their students to go into IM tend to have a broader variety of answers to "why are you going into IM" including gen med, renal, heme-onc, endo, ID, etc. I know plenty of people in my own residency program (Parkland) that said GI or Cards during intern year but are now doing Pulmonary, ID, Endo, Heme-Onc, etc. People's tastes, interests, and passions change during residency.
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I agree. It's sad, because people unknowingly actually wrote intelligent replies to what appears to be another sad attempt at starting a flame war.
Icewoman, your level of immaturity is staggering.
