Advice needed...SurgOnc vs MedOnc

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I understand your frustration. And I will admit there are some bad "old-school" IRs out there that aren't living up to the current standard. But you also have to understand that lazy doctors exist in all specialties, and it's not fair to generalize.

As good as the surgeons are where I work, I can name numerous instances where I've been asked to perform a procedure because the patient "is not a surgical candidate," which is oftentimes code for "I don't want to touch this trainwreck." So, it goes both ways.

Again, the experiences noted here by myself and others are not unfair generalizations, they are personal experiences which seem to be shared by all of us at many different locations and practice environments.

And I trust I do not have to defend, in a surgery forum, why train wrecks are frequently NOT surgical candidates.

And with that if you would like to discuss further on this topic I am available by PM. Otherwise returning to the original post topic as requested by our illustrious mod.

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Let's be frank, even surgery will very commonly consult medicine to manage insulin orders and other "medical issues." As well they should. They have bigger issues to deal with. And so do other specialties (like IR).

Moreover, you don't need a surgical training to manage simple admission orders. Hospitalists, physician assistants and nurse practitioners regularly take on this role in many practices. My residents do the same.

So to clarify, yes we both admit and manage our patients in IR.
You seem a little bit defensive, but at the very least, you should be aware through your training and just by communicating with other doctors how uncommon this is, right? Fine, you guys admit patients, you are in the tiny, tiny minority, which should be obvious to you as every single surgeon, surgery fellow and surgery resident posting on here has responded with "Ive never seen IR admit patients in any hospital I've ever worked at." It seems a little weird to try to pretend your fringe experience is somehow common when you must know otherwise.
 
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A large proportion of any IR practice is based on managing surgical complications. Whether it's postop abscess drainage, ureteral or biliary ductal injury, postop thromboembolic disease, internal bleeding postop, etc. I bail out my surgical colleagues multiple times a day.

As a resident, I become very close with our IR guys. They remain good friends of mine. Helped us out routinely.

That said- between medical school, residency, and now fellowship, I have yet to work at a hospital where IR has admitting privileges. (Quick count in my head... at least 12 different hospitals in multiple cities). It is definitely not the norm and I applaud you for managing your own service.
 
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