Many believe that PM&R (plenty of money and relaxation or physical medicine and rehabilitation depending upon your point of view) is an up-and-coming field. The pros are has you have mentioned: Relatively easy to match into, good hours, **potential** for cool and lucrative procedures with the right training, good income, reasonable hours, diverse patient population.
On the con side: Many students think that PM&R is boring. The bread and butter of rehab is basically the leftovers from the neuro, ortho, and trauma services: Okay, so say you're a T9 paraplegic with a severe traumatic brain injury. "We can't do anything more for you," say the neurologist. "The spine column is stable, you're not an ortho case," says the orthopod. Psych. has already given you an SSRI for you PTSD, but frankly feels like you SHOULD be depressed---I mean you're a wreck! Your primary care doctor audibly groans every time you roll in the door...so off to rehab you go. Most student feel like there is little satisfaction working with a patient population that "you can't do anything for." Others feel uncomfortable around the disabled or don't like the "touchy-feeliness" of rehabilitation medicine. Rehab doctors have a reputation for being optimistic, good team players, and "treating the whole patient." A lot of people and other physicians don't know about the field so it kind of suffers from an "invisibility syndrome." On the other hand, "physiatry" is a great scrabble word.
I personally think that the field rocks. I like working with a variety of health professionals, don't mind "whiney" patients, and don't have to be "Johny-on-the-spot" when the new MVA's or strokes roll in. Also, PM&R is good match for D.O.'s because it is the only specialty with such comprehensive training in musculoskeletal, neuro, and pain management. Many PM&R programs offer their residents (MD and DO alike) opportunities for training in manual medicine.
Here's some info to get you started:
http://www.physiatry.org/education/index.html
Roadmap to Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Answers to Medical Students' Questions About the Field
ABSTRACT
Ogle AA, Garrison SJ, Kaelin DL, Atchison JW, Park YI, Currie DM: Roadmap to physical medicine and rehabilitation: answers to medical Students' questions about the field. American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation 2001; 80: 218-224.
Medical specialty training has undergone dramatic changes in the last 5 years. This article was prepared by the Undergraduate Education Committee of the Association of Academic Physiatrists in an attempt to help guide medical students who are considering a career in physical medicine and rehabilitation. This report is an update of two previous articles addressing medical students' questions to assist them in making educated decisions about residency training and medical practice.
Key Words: Specialty Training, Residency Training, Physiatrist, Physiatry, Graduate Medical Education, Career, Rehabilitation.
Reprints:
All correspondence and requests for reprints should be addressed to:
Abna A. Ogle, MD
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine
University of Kansas Medical Center
3901 Rainbow Boulevard
Kansas City Kansas 66160-7306
This is also a good link:
http://www.aapmr.org/medstu/article.htm