Neuro vs IM

[eutychus]

Hi,
I was wondering..in general, after residency, is the neurology lifestyle better than an internist lifestyle? I know the lifestyle is flexible and there are many variables, but let's say the average private neurologist in or near a major city. I've heard of managed care and insurance companies causing a lot of problems and headaches in IM. I don't know what the details are but do neurologists face these problems just as much? Thanks!

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[Faebinder]

Hi,
I was wondering..in general, after residency, is the neurology lifestyle better than an internist lifestyle? I know the lifestyle is flexible and there are many variables, but let's say the average private neurologist in or near a major city. I've heard of managed care and insurance companies causing a lot of problems and headaches in IM. I don't know what the details are but do neurologists face these problems just as much? Thanks!

Huh?! You question the beauty of neurology vs the other inferior specialties such as IM? This is a grave sin and an act of repentence is a must.... A 100 lashes and the drawing of 5 spinal tracks will redeem you before the Great Neuron.

But to answer your question.... neurology has very wide extremes of life styles... the super laid back epiliptologists vs the adrenaline rush stroke/interventionalists. Most are of course in the middle..

 

[neurologist]

Hi,
I was wondering..in general, after residency, is the neurology lifestyle better than an internist lifestyle? I know the lifestyle is flexible and there are many variables, but let's say the average private neurologist in or near a major city. I've heard of managed care and insurance companies causing a lot of problems and headaches in IM. I don't know what the details are but do neurologists face these problems just as much? Thanks!

"Lifestyle" is entirely in the eye of the beholder. Both neuro and IM have a significant degree of variability depending on the interests and priorities of the individual physician. In both specialties, there are docs who work, for example, seeing only outpatient clinic 4 or 5 days a week with no call; there are others who are strictly hospitalists; there are others who do both in- and outpatient who work 18 hour days and every weekend but make well into 6 figure salaries to compensate for it. Also, both specialties (IM moreso that neuro) have sub- and sub-subspecialties with widely divergent work demands and salaries.

With regard to managed care and insurance, neurologists have all the same problems as everyone else.

 

[eutychus]

haha..thanks for the replies. actually, i'm not considering IM..I don't want to do it because everyone tells me about their bad lifestyle and how managed care causes so many problems, especially with reimbursement. I'm really interested in neurology and I hear their lifestyle is decent and "controllable" according to the JAMA study. However, it appears to me that neurology is almost like an IM subspecialty and can face just as many problems in lifestyle and managed care hassles. That's my concern.
I'm actually debating between neurology and radiology. I like the intellectual stimulation in both but I'm more interested and adept in the subject matter of neurology. However, I have a feeling that no matter how interested I am in a specialty, I'll eventually get bored of it and maybe I should just pick something with a better lifestyle and less paperwork/managed care hassles. Any additional input would be appreciated. Thanks!