Why the spike in competitiveness?

[intmed2014]

I have rotated through ICU and I definitely see the appeal of critical care medicine. I was wondering why it has jumped so high in competitiveness in recent years? From what I've read, it was considered mediocre in competitiveness before. Is it more exposure to the field? Changes to structure? More demand? From speaking with residents and reading with forums, it seems as if the shift work model has gotten popular among residents. Thanks for your input.

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[gutonc]

It's like being a hospitalist but on pressors.
- Shift work
- Good pay
- (Relative) lack of dispo issues (Out of Bed to Floor vs D/C to JC)
- Excitement of managing sick folks
- Procedures

A lot of the same stuff that draws med students to EM but without having to deal with all the work notes and drug seekers.

 

[bashwell]

Broadly speaking I think it likewise gives you the option to practice both inpatient (cc) and outpatient (pulm) medicine, and you can gradually do more of one (usually pulm) and less of the other (usually cc) as you have a family, want to slow down, change pace, crave less excitement and/or more routine, whatever.

 

[timbuktu]

Broadly speaking I think it likewise gives you the option to practice both inpatient (cc) and outpatient (pulm) medicine, and you can gradually do more of one (usually pulm) and less of the other (usually cc) as you have a family, want to slow down, change pace, crave less excitement and/or more routine, whatever.

Curious about others' thoughts about this. One of my PulmCC faculty said that this model is almost impossible to maintain nowadays; out our center, only two out of the almost two dozen PulmCC attendings still work both the units and a true pulmonology clinic.

He also mentioned that doing 10-15yrs of CC and then trying to go back and do (read: be good at) outpatient Pulm would be very difficult.

 

[jdh71]

Curious about others' thoughts about this. One of my PulmCC faculty said that this model is almost impossible to maintain nowadays; out our center, only two out of the almost two dozen PulmCC attendings still work both the units and a true pulmonology clinic.

He also mentioned that doing 10-15yrs of CC and then trying to go back and do (read: be good at) outpatient Pulm would be very difficult.

I think your pulm cc faculty is wrong. I work both very easily. I do about 60% ICU and 40% out patient pulmonary.

 

[Doc Doc Doc Goose]

I think your pulm cc faculty is wrong. I work both very easily. I do about 60% ICU and 40% out patient pulmonary.

Can you go more in depth into your schedule? 1 week/7 days of icu? How many weeks / hours of clinics? how many hours / week / month?

 

[jdh71]

Can you go more in depth into your schedule? 1 week/7 days of icu? How many weeks / hours of clinics? how many hours / week / month?

You are quoting an old post and necrobumped a dead thread. But not much has changed for me. We’ve added a few partners and my mix is now pretty close to 50/50. Basically I spend about 90 12 hour shifts in the ICU. Some of these are night. And I spend about 90 8 hour days in clinic. I’m contracted for 180 shifts per year. The icu is covered in week long blocks. The ICU schedule is made first. Then after that schedule is finalized I have to come up with days to see patients in clinic.