Since finishing up my 3rd year clerkships last week, I've found myself in quite a dilemma. Throughout my 3rd year I had believed PM&R was where I was headed, and I even scheduled two away rotations in PM&R early during my 4th year. However, after recently finishing my family medicine clerkship, and getting to spend a lot of time with a sports medicine family doc, I'm more confused now than I ever was.
I attend a med school without a PM&R department, and there is only one physiatrist affiliated with the school, and he does 90% inpatient rehabilitation. My true interests in PM&R are the musculoskeletal and interventional aspects, which is why I found the sports medicine family doc very intriguing. I have 2 weeks of vacation now, and I've been hanging out with the physiatrist at his rehab hospital to try and convince my mind that PM&R is still the way for me to go. However, I have not found it to be very helpful-- the one day I did spend with him in the outpatient clinics, he had patient after patient complaining about legal issues and worker's compensation. He even told me that these patients are the exact reason why he does not have more outpatient physiatry in his practice.
My dream job as a future physiatrist was to work in an ortho/neuro/physiatry center and manage patients conservatively on a pre-op basis, and manage their rehabilitation post-operatively. I have been unable to spend time with this type of physiatrist, and I believe this is what is hurting me the most right now.
I could not get my away rotations in PM&R until September and October, and this is why I'm freaking out so much right now. I feel like I need to be making my mind up very soon so I can write my personal statement and get my ERAS application moving-- but I'm just having an awful time trying to decide right now with a lack of PM&R exposure.
Anyone out there (drusso, axm, etc) who has any good advice for me? Just when I think I've got everything all figured out, that darn family medicine rotation throws me for a loop : ). Thanks for listening!
- APDoc
I attend a med school without a PM&R department, and there is only one physiatrist affiliated with the school, and he does 90% inpatient rehabilitation. My true interests in PM&R are the musculoskeletal and interventional aspects, which is why I found the sports medicine family doc very intriguing. I have 2 weeks of vacation now, and I've been hanging out with the physiatrist at his rehab hospital to try and convince my mind that PM&R is still the way for me to go. However, I have not found it to be very helpful-- the one day I did spend with him in the outpatient clinics, he had patient after patient complaining about legal issues and worker's compensation. He even told me that these patients are the exact reason why he does not have more outpatient physiatry in his practice.
My dream job as a future physiatrist was to work in an ortho/neuro/physiatry center and manage patients conservatively on a pre-op basis, and manage their rehabilitation post-operatively. I have been unable to spend time with this type of physiatrist, and I believe this is what is hurting me the most right now.
I could not get my away rotations in PM&R until September and October, and this is why I'm freaking out so much right now. I feel like I need to be making my mind up very soon so I can write my personal statement and get my ERAS application moving-- but I'm just having an awful time trying to decide right now with a lack of PM&R exposure.
Anyone out there (drusso, axm, etc) who has any good advice for me? Just when I think I've got everything all figured out, that darn family medicine rotation throws me for a loop : ). Thanks for listening!
- APDoc
