must decide

[Fei]

Hi everyone,

I hope someone out there can help me with my question. I'm an MS4 at an allopathic institution. Well, the residency application deadline is quickly approaching and I can't seem to figure out what I want to do. I also have a lingering, nagging feeling that medicine as a whole is not for me but have accrued sooo much debt that have to finish it. Is there a field out there with not much patient contact and good opportunities for research with decent pay? Oh yeah and throw in a good lifestyle too? I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I'm starting to regret going to medical school...

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[Jamezuva]

i think what you're looking for is pathology

 

[Careofme]

Fei,
you might want to consider the pharmaceutical industry. i often see job openings for people with MD or DO degrees, however, i'm not sure if they prefer you finish a residency first. some might not really care either way.
good luck with your decision.

care

 

[UseUrHeadFred]

Preventive Medicine = Desk Job > $100,000/year

 

[doc05]

I say go for Rads. Path isn't a bad choice either. good luck.

 

[U4iA]

I say go for Rads. Path isn't a bad choice either. good luck.

rads would be great... until your job goes to india..

edit: also, radiology is very competitive.. i'm assuming that if someone doesn't know what they want to do, they may not have set themselves up as a distinctly competitive applicant...

 

[HomerSimpson]

A friend of mine in med school asked me the same question. He also regretted going to med school. He ended up doing radiation oncology. residency is mostly classroom work with very little patient contact. Most practicing radiation oncologists can have as little patient contact as they want. My friend usually lets the nurses and techs handle patient care while he fries the turmor or whatever he is doing. Unlike radiology the future looks very bright for these speciatlists and the pay is great too. It may be something you want to consider.

 

[pikachu]

Anesthesia is the other classic NPC specialty - after you do the preop H&P the patient goes to sleep and you only have to deal with their vital signs. It's not as difficult to get into as radiology or path either (but still somewhat competitive).

 

[fourthyearmed]

A friend of mine in med school asked me the same question. He also regretted going to med school. He ended up doing radiation oncology. residency is mostly classroom work with very little patient contact. Most practicing radiation oncologists can have as little patient contact as they want. My friend usually lets the nurses and techs handle patient care while he fries the turmor or whatever he is doing. Unlike radiology the future looks very bright for these speciatlists and the pay is great too. It may be something you want to consider.

I've heard that rad onc is more competitive than radiology or derm due to the limited number of positions offered. So not really an option for most of us med students.

 

[roja]

Advice here seems solid.

Rads
Gas
Path

You could also add in Industrial/Nuclear Medicine
Get an MBA and go into administration.
Go into Law and do various medico-legal things.

The great thing about having your MD behind you is that it still opens a lot of doors, even if you dont' want to go the traditional route.

 

[VentdependenT]

Go for rads buddy. Gas and Path as back ups are fine as well, just make sure you know what these fields are about (rotate).

 

[j_sde]

regarding applyin to more than 1 speciality as 'backups':

i always thought it was an easy process, jus apply to 2 or more programs. but now that i'm doing my eras, you realize that there is only 1 application that you can send to all the progs. sure , you can send diff LOR or diff essays... but there is only 1 central application you can send. thus, if you apply to like rads and path (as example).... on yoru application , are you gonna list all your relevant rads research? wont your path PD see this? similarly, are you gonna list that you are member of path society of america? and if you dont list these, then that will dilute your application strength. just something to consider for those who are applyin to more than 1.

 

[GeddyLee]

Radiology.

• Zero patient contact -- unless you want, for which there's IR.
• Astronomical pay -- think 500K for 26 weeks/year... don't believe the naysayers (sour grapes IMHO)... we on the inside see these kinds of offers everyday for the senior residents.
• Unbeatable lifestyle -- flexibility is the key here... work your a$$ off at a large center and you can clear >700K... or do telerads nighthawking from a beach house in Maui working every other week for a cool 350K. The take-home point is, you decide what kind of lifestyle you want to lead. It's a seller's market for the Rads grad today... let's hope it stays this way for a while.
• Amazing technology -- you will on the cutting edge of imaging technology and be playing with 5 million dollar "toys" on a daily basis. IMHO we're just seeing the beginning of an explosion of new medical technology... most of which will be controlled by Radiologists.
• Clout -- Imaging studies make hospitals oodles & oodles of money. Radiologists control them and by doing so wield a heavy sword in the political arena.
• Expertise -- Other docs really value a good radiologist and need your help... by and large they are polite and treat you with a lot of respect.
• Neat & clean -- no blood on your shoes, no urine on your hands, no feces aroma surrounding your head, no pimples to pop, no rectums to molest. No filth. No risk of contracting anything.
• NO GOMERS.

You can't go wrong with Radiology. There are other good fields there's no doubt... but in my opinion nothing even comes close to Rads. Good luck to you.

Once again, Dr. Cuts has managed to overstate things a bit. You won't make 500K per year working a radiology job 26 weeks out of the year. I think Dr. Cuts may be setting himself, and others up for disappointment.

Dr. Cuts, I'm curious, if radiologists really are taking 26 weeks of vacation per year, doesn't that seem to contradict the notion that there is a shortage of radiologists in the country?? Or maybe, their is a shortage because radiologists take too much vacation?

At any rate...things change quickly in medicine, today's high pay may turn into tomorrow's average. Pretty soon, pay cuts will strip radiology down to a much more average income level for physicians.

 

[VentdependenT]

They still don't have to put up with all the hell which the wards can be. I'd take a paycut for that.