GI Attendings / Fellows Are you Happy?

[mtb702]

Simple question from a medical student trying to figure out what I want to do with my life. I am on GI right now and am enjoying it so my question is simple. Are you happy with your decision? Why or why not?

Thank you for responding.

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[1Cor1557]

I love GI because I feel it's the best of all worlds and gives the best balance. I didn't want to commit completely to surgery but I didn't want to give up on procedures altogether either, I wanted a more reasonable lifestyle but I didnt want to go completely the whole way to do something cush or boring like rheumatology or endocrine, and I didn't want to get into a really intense brutal lifelong specialty like interventional cardiology taking stemi call. Emergencies in GI are usually on the order of within 12 to 24 hours not 60 to 90 minutes. I wanted to have reasonable pay so I can pay off my student loan debt to not be paying off my student loans at the age of 65 and renting until the age of 50 and I can have my elderly immigrant dad not have to keep working his minimum wage job in chronic pain. I love GI because I feel like gives the best overall balance between procedures intellectual consultative and cerebral skill as well as overall balance of lifestyle with reasonable pay. You'll love it too. Good luck

 

[Gastrapathy]

Yup.

 

[Elixir6]

I think work environment (particularly pressure to make RVUs) and personal temperament have more to do with being happy than the specialty. So keep that in mind as you decide what a future that makes your happy looks like.

 

[Sunshine1025]

Definitely happy! GI is an excellent field, but keep in mind you will find happy and unhappy people in every field. There's great work-life balance (in my opinion), procedures AND complex medical decision making (great mix of the best parts of surgery and medicine in my opinion), and the pay is excellent. It's a long and competitive road to get to attendinghood, but I wouldn't have chosen anything else.

 

[ChessMaster3000]

GI the best