Work/Life Balance

[justanotherapp]

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I am a resident, love cardiology. Think its fascinating and rewarding career.
I go to a top IM program and have decent research/CV, but I am questioning whether this is worth it or not.

I keep working thinking the end is year and it will be better as a fellow/attending. I do not want to work 60+ hours as an attending or be on call for most weekends. I am beginning to resent my choice in IM (versus radiology/derm) but I am not interested in any other subspeciality but cardiology. Other options I am- healthcare consulting, preventive cardiology fellowship, integrative medicine.

Should I reconsider? Or is there a viable option in the future. Not sure if anyone else has been in this position.

 

[sacrament]

I work about 60-70 hours a week, but only 1 in 8 weekends and I get ten weeks of vacation a year.
One of my general cardiologist friends works about 50 hours a week and rarely takes weekend call. She doesn't make fantastic money but has a very nice home life.
My practice is hiring somebody who will only be working about 30 hours a week, only seeing patients in clinic and reading studies. This is an unusual scenario but obviously it exists.
So there are a variety of career trajectories after training, even in cardiology. The tendancy, however, is that in most cards jobs you're going to be working 60+ hours a week.

 

[EPADHA]

I work about 60-70 hours a week, but only 1 in 8 weekends and I get ten weeks of vacation a year.
One of my general cardiologist friends works about 50 hours a week and rarely takes weekend call. She doesn't make fantastic money but has a very nice home life.
My practice is hiring somebody who will only be working about 30 hours a week, only seeing patients in clinic and reading studies. This is an unusual scenario but obviously it exists.
So there are a variety of career trajectories after training, even in cardiology. The tendancy, however, is that in most cards jobs you're going to be working 60+ hours a week.

Agree. As a cardiologist in a busy academic medical center, I think I was more protected as a fellow.
The hours are not horrible; I do average about 50-60 hours when I am not on service.
My other interest is in healthcare policy and administration: it's not compatible with being a clinical cardiologist in the institution I am in; so may do this gig for a year or two.

 

[joejabjab]

I work about 60-70 hours a week, but only 1 in 8 weekends and I get ten weeks of vacation a year.
One of my general cardiologist friends works about 50 hours a week and rarely takes weekend call. She doesn't make fantastic money but has a very nice home life.
My practice is hiring somebody who will only be working about 30 hours a week, only seeing patients in clinic and reading studies. This is an unusual scenario but obviously it exists.
So there are a variety of career trajectories after training, even in cardiology. The tendancy, however, is that in most cards jobs you're going to be working 60+ hours a week.

If you don't mind me asking, are you non-invasive, invasive or interventional? What kind of salary, if you know, do these lower hour setups go for?

 

[sacrament]

If you don't mind me asking, are you non-invasive, invasive or interventional? What kind of salary, if you know, do these lower hour setups go for?

I'm interventional. Most interventionalists you talk to are taking substantially more call than I have to... I just happen to be in a particularly nice set-up so far as that goes. So don't expect to go interventional and only work 1 in 8 weekends.
I have no idea what the practice is going to pay this new "part-time" cardiologist... presumably about $200K or something, but I don't know. I should also say that I have personally only known one other person who worked "part-time" in cardiology, so I do believe this is a highly unusual circumstance. But then again, I've never looked into it myself.

 

[muzzlenose]

I am in private practice in some small hospitals without cath labs. They needed cardiologists so badly that they offered a schedule with no weekends and no call coverage. If patients get sick over night, the tertiary care center cardiologists are contacted. Same on the weekends. The pay is excellent. I have been here 3 years already, hopefully it will last. If you look hard enough you can find a cardiology job with good hours. The VA frequently has positions with good hours as well that can still give a rewarding cardiology career. Also, the need for outpatient cardiology is great. Some big groups may set up a special deal with Mon-Fri clinic only (with some imaging of course). Our group of about 50 cardiologists has 2 such physicians at the main tertiary care center.