x

[throwaway902100]

deleted

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[DrMetal]

I really just want to finish the shortest residency possible, pay off my loans as hospitalist, and get a MBA and get out of clinical medicine.

Well going into Internal Medicine and becoming a hospitalist is not the way to do it, especially if you're not that much of a people person (seems to be what you're alluding). Thought about IR, like procedures? You'll definitely get more patient contact there if you really want it.

You have 4 more years of training in Rads. If you jump ship and go to IM next academic year, you'll have 2 more years (maybe more, if you have to repeat any part of your internship year). You're probably better off staying in Rads and just finishing, you'll make more money and achieve what you want (paying off your loans, then GTFOing out of medicine) faster. Sorry, you're in a tough spot.

Everyone like the 'humanities'. It's human, that's why they call it the humanities. I love reading history/music. It's ok to be in medicine and be more into the 'humanities'. Some would even say it's desired. Try to find a silver lining and ride it.

 

[rokshana]

This time of the year brings on these feelings of grass is greener, why did I go into medicine, my friends have so much more at this point in life...

You need to decide if the short term difficulties are worth the long term goals...and exactly what are the long term goals.

It sounds like your rads pd is supportive and willing to see if there are some aspect of rads that could be appealing
to you...if you were competitive enough to get a DR spot then you should be able to get a decent IM spot in the match next year...though you may need to redo a pgy 1 year if you go into the match next year. Are you willing to do that though to get to IM?

The decision to do long distance is between you and your SO... is this a spouse? Or g/bf? The level of commitment will play a role in whether your relationship can withstand the distance and if the change in specialty is worth it.

And if psych or law school is a true love, why are you not perusing that? What on earth do you plan on doing with an mba?

 

[rokshana]

does the caliber of the residency matter if i want to become a hospitalist? i just want the quickest option to get board certified at this point for paying back loans so i can possibly leaving medicine altogether and doing something in business while having medicine to fall back to. my relationship is very strong and SO is actually heavily encouraging me to change residencies bc they can see that i'm unhappy every day and feeling unfulfilled.

If your goal is to leave medicine as soon as possible and enjoy what you do, then you are going to be unhappy anyway you look at it...so why then rock the boat? Your earning potential will be much more as a radiologist than as a hospitalist for you to get out of debt and move on.

Why makes you think you won’t be miserable in an IM residency? Or enjoy being a hospitalist over being a radiologist...attending life is different from resident life.

You need to think about what your long term goal is and what you are willing to do (or put up with) on the short term to achieve the long term goal.

Everything has its BS and issues...you have to be able to find enough joy/satisfaction in what you do that overcomes the crap...

And no not really...some places make easier to learn and others make it harder, but most come out competent physicians... but will your ego take a hit going from a top radiology program to a community IM program? Again only you can decide if the external things like how others see you are more important than internal issues like happiness, job satisfaction and maintaining your relationship.

 

[DrMetal]

I don't mind social work dilemmas and enjoy learning about the patient's lives and families. ..... I would actually enjoy reading MKSAP books...

Jeez, where have you been all my life?!

so i can possibly leaving medicine altogether and doing something in business while having medicine to fall back to.

You're saying some contradictory things. You're stating your love for people, you want to deal with social dilemmas, etc, but then you're saying to want to leave medicine altogether? If your ultimate goal is the latter, I'd stay in Rads. If you really like Internal Medicine, then pursue the change. If you're confused, stay put and think about it more.

 

[GastriqueGraffin]

Most hospitalist don’t strike me as humanities people. PCPs and some subspecialists can be but it’s definitely not a requisite. My advice is to be a good radiologist, do breast or IR for patient interaction, then maybe stay academic and become a PD or something to teach and deal with people’s personal issues.

 

[Chemist0157]

I would finish radiology unless you are absolutely miserable. The patient contact doesn't matter if you are using medicine as a back up anyway.

 

[IMGASMD]

There is another thread similar to this recently. But he had more conviction about switching to IM.

If you are at a top program, you maybe able to switch into your currently institution’s IM program with your PD support. You won’t be the first nor the last.

 

[deleted950463]

This is a practicing rad. I can tell you right now I use zero physics in my day to day work.

My day to day is either plumbing related / handskill / craft / surgery or looking at pictures and describe them.

 

[pgy0246]

don't do hospitalist; you are practicing medicine as glorified pgy-3, except your census is 19-21, which prevents you from taking good care of the patient compared to seeing 13-16 patients as a resident.

I could have matched into a field that pays 400k+ per year, but picks general medicine because it's well rounded; while hospitalist medicine does have a fair share of complex patients, you often won't have enough free time to definitely work them up.

if you must go internal medicine for the intellectual challenge, consider fields such as rheumatology or hematology/oncology, or infectious disease.

Also, life is not always about "work"; if you found your significant other to be the one you want to marry, consider cold calling program near your city to find a spot so you can be closer to him/her.

 

[pgy0246]

You can cold call programs within 1 hour drive of your city.
email, follow by cold calling will work; also try to talk to your prelim PD and see if he's aware of any opening near your city.

 

[itsabigworld24]

If your goal is to leave medicine as soon as possible and enjoy what you do, then you are going to be unhappy anyway you look at it...so why then rock the boat? Your earning potential will be much more as a radiologist than as a hospitalist for you to get out of debt and move on.

Why makes you think you won’t be miserable in an IM residency? Or enjoy being a hospitalist over being a radiologist...attending life is different from resident life.

You need to think about what your long term goal is and what you are willing to do (or put up with) on the short term to achieve the long term goal.

Everything has its BS and issues...you have to be able to find enough joy/satisfaction in what you do that overcomes the crap...

And no not really...some places make easier to learn and others make it harder, but most come out competent physicians... but will your ego take a hit going from a top radiology program to a community IM program? Again only you can decide if the external things like how others see you are more important than internal issues like happiness, job satisfaction and maintaining your relationship.

I don't understand this whole ego taking a hit if you're in a community IM program. Neither of my parents graduated college, and I've struggled to make it through college and medical school. But I kept fighting and now I'm going to hopefully match into a community IM program this month. I'm very close to practicing medicine in the USA where I have the potential to make around 300k . That's crazy. Ya I could be at a more prestigious residency but I have more opportunity than 99% of the world.

 

[rokshana]

I don't understand this whole ego taking a hit if you're in a community IM program. Neither of my parents graduated college, and I've struggled to make it through college and medical school. But I kept fighting and now I'm going to hopefully match into a community IM program this month. I'm very close to practicing medicine in the USA where I have the potential to make around 300k . That's crazy. Ya I could be at a more prestigious residency but I have more opportunity than 99% of the world.

Uh... did you actually read the OPs posts? It’s a theme that runs through his posts...

 

[IMGASMD]

I don't understand this whole ego taking a hit if you're in a community IM program. Neither of my parents graduated college, and I've struggled to make it through college and medical school. But I kept fighting and now I'm going to hopefully match into a community IM program this month. I'm very close to practicing medicine in the USA where I have the potential to make around 300k . That's crazy. Ya I could be at a more prestigious residency but I have more opportunity than 99% of the world.

No one is saying being in community hospital/program/training is bad. If you have the opportunity to go to an academic place, wouldn’t you want to?