Category Archive: Specialties

Spotlight Interviews: Why did you choose general surgery?

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Choosing a Specialty, General Surgery, General Surgery Rotation, Why did you choose....?

May 31, 2012

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A General Surgery Resident’s Perspective: From an interview with a general surgery resident at Orlando Health, in Orlando, Florida.

Part of an interview series entitled, “Specialty Spotlights“, which asks medical students’ most burning questions to physicians of every specialty.  See what doctors from every specialty had to say about why they chose their specialty and how to match in their residency.

 

  • What attracted you to General Surgery?

I appreciate the combined operative and medical management of patients. Surgeons make definitive management of patient issues. There is a great variety of operative procedures. As a general surgeon I am able to care for both long and short term patient management scenarios. There is a great deal of job opportunities and availability. I enjoy team-based patient management.

 

  • Describe a General Surgeon’s typical work day?

I usually wake up at 0400,I am at hospital by 0500 to round on patients until about 0700. I will be in the OR from 0700 until about 1600 with intermittent 30-60 minutes breaks between cases to eat, follow-up on patients, and see new consults. From 1600-1800 we follow-up on outstanding patient issues and setup for following day. On good days, I return home and from 1800-2000 I study for following day cases and current patient problems. On non-operative days, simply change the OR times  to clinic from 0800-1600.

 

  • What type of lifestyle can a General Surgeon expect?  

As a general surgeon I work weekends at least 2-3 times per month. The amount of free time you will have is extremely dependent on your sub-specialty choice. Private practice surgeons enjoy significantly more free time while surgeons in academic practice spend more time with research and have less operative/clinic time generally. Call is usually taken for 24 hours periods and you will be working most of the day and night. Some surgeons have a tendency to scheduling elective cases during their call days, but this depends on how difficult your call is.

 

  • What is the average salary of a General Surgeon?

The overall salary of a surgeon is highly variable amongst sub-specialties, typically  between $250,000-$500,000.

 

  • What is the job market like for General Surgeon?

There is no lack of general surgery positions. I would say they are extremely available for both private practice and academic positions. There is some variability among sub-specialties. However, overall, we are one of the most high recruited specialties.

 

  • What can you tell us about General Surgery Sub-specialties?

Residency for general surgery is 5 years mandatory and more commonly 1-2 years research years during PGY2 or 3. Therefore, many general surgery residencies last 6-7 years before fellowship. Fellowships typically last 1-2 years. Subspecialties have more call and higher salary. Additionally, sub-specialties are generally in more demand than general surgeons.

 

  • What are the potential downsides of General Surgeon that students should be aware of?

The schedule is less flexible due to emergent surgical problems. Surgical shift hours are not reliable and typically cases will be delayed or run over and require staying at the hospital beyond a call or shift. This leads to a schedule that can be variable. Training programs are not as “intense” as they were historically, although there are still high expectations of surgical residents. There are not many other residents/doctors who work as hard as general surgeons.

 

  • What else would you tell medical students who are considering General Surgery?

One thing students should realize is that there is more peri-operative management being handled by hospitalist services for elective surgical problems. Therefore, some of the duties and responsibilities of a surgeon 20 years ago and being placed in the hands of non-surgeons. Additionally, surgical critical care services are beginning to  limit the medical management requirements of general surgeons.

 

 

Editor's Note: For more help choosing a specialty in medicine, I highly recommend one or both of these two great books. I found both very useful.

 

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Spotlight Interview: Matching in Psychiatry

Categories:

Choosing a Specialty, How to match in....?, Psychiatry, Psychiatry Rotation, The Match

May 31, 2012

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 A Psychiatry Resident’s Perspective:  From an interview with Dr. Frazier a psychiatry resident at UC Irvine Medical Center in Irvine, California

Part of an interview series entitled, “Specialty Spotlights“, which asks medical students’ most burning questions to physicians of every specialty.  See what doctors from every specialty had to say about why they chose their specialty and how to match in their residency.

 

  • How competitive is the psychiatry match?

Overall, it is not a very competitive specialty.

 

  •  What must a student do to match well in psychiatry?

Mainly, you must show interest in the field. Let people know you’re interested when you’re in your rotation. Doing some research also helps you know if you like the field. Research may also help to get a good letter from someone at your university.

 

  • What are residencies looking for in a psychiatry applicant?
Solid letters of recommendation, a good personality (more important here than in many other specialties), to a lesser extent good board scores (not as important, but they will definitely help you!)

 

  • What should students look for in a psychiatry residency?

Look for a program that trains physicians in what you want to do. Are you interested in research? Choose a program that supports that. Are you interested in clinical work? Choose one that focuses more on that. Also, make sure you get along with the residents. I recommend an away rotation to your top school(s) if you can.

 

  • Do you have any advice on the application, letters of recommendation, personal statements, or how to rank programs?

Identify your letter writers early on. A few from psychiatry, one from medicine, one from family medicine or something else. For ranking, just choose the place that you want the most. Don’t try to game the system!

 

  • What do you wish you knew before application/interview season?  

Interviews are generally very laid back. Still prepare, but don’t stress them too much. Have a few questions for the interviewers.

 

  • What other advice do you have for students applying to psychiatry residency?

Again, identify letter writers early. They mean a lot for residency in general, but maybe even more for psychiatry. Other than that, enjoy your career!

 

Editor's Note: Applying for residency or preparing for your interviews? I highly recommend First Aid for the Match, The Successful Match: 200 Rules to Succeed in the Residency Match, and The Residency Interview: How To Make the Best Possible Impression .


 

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Spotlight Interview: Why did you choose psychiatry?

Categories:

Choosing a Specialty, Psychiatry, Psychiatry Rotation, Why did you choose....?

May 31, 2012

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A Psychiatry Resident’s Perspective: From an interview with a psychiatry resident at UC Irvine in Irvine, California

Part of an interview series entitled, “Specialty Spotlights“, which asks medical students’ most burning questions to physicians of every specialty.  See what doctors from every specialty had to say about why they chose their specialty and how to match in their residency.

 

  • What attracted you to Psychiatry?

I like the idea of working with the whole person. I feel like in psychiatry you address a person’s social, financial, and relationship concerns, which in my mind are the most important part of life.

 

  • Describe a Psychiatrist’s typical work day?

There are different fields in psychiatry, but what I’m interested in is private practice. I’ll probably end up splitting my days between therapy and medication management appointments. Therapy appointments usually go an hour, med management about 15-20 minutes. In those visits the person already has a therapist but consults a psychiatrist for medications.

You can also work in an inpatient setting in a hospital, work for the prison system, do telemedicine (something else I’m interested in), work with children, geriatrics, forensic, or almost anything else you want. I like the variety of the specialty.

 

  • What type of lifestyle can a Psychiatrist expect?  

Psychiatry has the big advantage of being a less demanding specialty. Depending on your working situation, you might be on call once a week or so. Even the psychiatry residency usually has weekends off! Most private practice psychiatrists work around 30 hours per week.

 

  • What is the average salary of a Psychiatrist?

Again depends on your situation, but you’ll see something like $200,000 as an average. In California, psychiatrists generally take cash only and charge around $300 an hour.

 

  • What is the job market like for Psychiatrist?

There’s a big need for psychiatrists. In particular, child psychiatry needs more people.

 

  • What can you tell us about Psychiatry Sub-specialties?

Child psychiatry: 2 extra years after residency (but you can eliminate your 4th year of adult and make it 5 years total for adult and child). There is more demand for this field. The salary is generally higher. The lifestyle is about the same for this and all the others.

Forensic psychiatry: 1 extra year. Harder to get a footing in this one, but pays very well once you do ($1000 per hour for testifying in court). Custody hearings can be part of this specialty.

Geriatric psychiatry: 1 year. Not too sure about the job market. I imagine it’s in high demand. Probably similar salary to adult.

 

  • What are the potential downsides of Psychiatry that students should be aware of?

It definitely takes a certain personality to do the job and do it well. You need to be able to separate yourself from some of the sad stories you’ll come across. You also need to be able to set boundaries well with people.

 

  • What else would you tell medical students who are considering Psychiatry?

It’s a great job and something to definitely consider. Some people say there’s not much medicine involved, which is as true as you make it. You can definitely go a more therapy-centered route if you prefer. But, if you love the medicine and research side, there’s plenty of opportunity for that as well. The brain isn’t very well understood.

 

Editor's Note: For more help choosing a specialty in medicine, I highly recommend one or both of these two great books. I found both very useful.

 

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Physician Satisfaction by Specialty

Categories:

Choosing a Specialty, Dermatology, Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Ophthalmology, Pathology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Radiology, Urology

April 26, 2012

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The most recent installment of the Medscape Physician Compensation Report was recently published. Along with some of the best information on the web about physician salaries by specialty, the new Medscape report also reports which specialties are the most satisfied with their jobs (click here to view the entire Medscape Report). The results may surprise you. There is no correlation with salary and satisfaction.  The highest paid specialties (orthopedics and anesthesia for example) are found in the middle of the list while pediatrics, ID/HIV, and pathology are all found at the top of the list.  Interestingly, plastic surgery is–by far–the least satisfying specialty. So, the most competitive specialty is by far the least satisfying…that’s odd!

 

From the 2012 Medscape Compensation Report

 

My conclusions from the Physician Satisfaction Survey:

  1. The age old adage is correct: Money does NOT buy happiness.
  2. Just because a specialty is desirable to match into does not mean it is desirable to practice in [plastics].
  3. I can find only one thing that links the most satisfying specialties: LIFESTYLE.  If you look at dermatology, psychiatry, emergency medicine, infectious disease, pathology, and ophthalmology they have a great lifestyle in common. They all have minimal call, good salary (but they are not the big earners), and few emergencies.  They all lend themselves well to family, recreation, and other hobbies outside of medicine.

 

My unsolicited advice:

  • I am sure there are my internists and plastic surgeons who are very satisfied with their jobs. I would bet that they knew exactly what there were getting into before they choose their specialty. Satisfaction in the workplace has lots to do with managing your expectations (and the expectations of your family and friends!)  If you really love some of the specialties that do not have the best lifestyle, that is great, just make sure you know that this will be an issue before you go into he specialty. Once you have made that decision, you will not be shocked (and neither will your family/friends) when you work a lot more than those around you.

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Allied Health Salaries

Categories:

General, Choosing a Specialty, Compensation, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics

April 25, 2012

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The new Medscape Physician Compensation Report identified internal medicine, family medicine, and pediatrics as the lowest earners in medicine (each with an average of less than $165,000 per year).  I wanted to compare these results to the updated information from the Cejka Search group who publish data on the salaries of allied health professionals. The Cejka Database is the best place I have found for reliable information about the salaries of allied health practitioners. The list of allied health workers is long and includes:

  • Nurse Practitioners (NP)
  • Certified Nurse Aneasthatists (CRNA)
  • Physicians Assistant (PA)
  • Podiatrist (DPM)
  • Occupational Therapist (OT)
  • Physical Therapist (PT)
  • Optomotrist (OD)
  • Psychologist (PhD)
  • Dentist (DMD or DDS)
  • Midwife

Cejka reports the following salary information for these allied health professionals.  As you can see, CRNAs and Dentists earn more money than our country’s primary care physicians (pediatricians, family physicians, general internists).  This is just the yearly salary information, not taking into account the number of hours worked. Very few allied health professionals work the average hours per week worked by primary care physicians in the US (60 hours is a very conservative estimate for our PCPs). This means the dollars per hour is vastly different between some allied health practitioners and our primary care doctors. How do you feel about this?

From Cejka Search

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The Most Recruited Medical Specialties

Categories:

Residency, Choosing a Specialty, Dermatology, Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Ophthalmology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Radiology, The Match, Urology

April 25, 2012

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Now that I am in the first year of residency I am beginning to think about landing that first real job.  As a Transitional Year resident I am heavily involved with the Internal Medicine residents at my hospital.  I found out very quickly that these internal medicine residents are HIGHLY sought after. In fact, many of them receive job offers on a weekly, or even daily basis.  The jobs that are in highest demand for internists are outpatient primary care and inpatient hospitality.  Many of my senior residents are being offered salaries between $200,000 and $300,000 along with many benefits including loan repayment. There are even some offers higher than $300,000 for less desirable locations! This is in a stark contrast to the ophthalmology job market that I will face, where starting salaries are low and it is terribly difficult to get your foot in the door.

Recently, I came across the Merritt Hawkins database.  Merritt Hawkins obtains information about starting salaries and benefits for newly graduated residents. I speak about their great physician salary database in my Ultimate Guide to Physician Salaries. However, their database also contains a list of the 20 most recruited specialties in medicine. The list may shock you!  The ability to find a well paying job right out of residency is NOT AT ALL correlated with the competitiveness of the specialty.  Case in point: family physicians and general internists are the two most highly recruited specialists in medicine!

From Merritt Hawkins

 

This list represents the Top 20 most ‘requested physician searches by medical specialty.’ The numbers represent the number of times Merritt Hawkins was used to recruit a person from the respective specialties (Merritt Hawkins full PDF including physician compensation data is available here for free). So, when you are deciding on a specialty, don’t forget that competitive does not equal good job placement.  In fact, many of the least competitive specialties are very high on this list (pediatrics, psychiatry, family medicine)

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The Ultimate Guide to Physician Salaries

Categories:

Choosing a Specialty, Compensation, Financial, Specialties, eResources

April 25, 2012

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In light of the new Medscape Physician Compensation Report 2012 that was just released, I thought it was time to compile all the data on physician salaries into one place. There are many resources online that report average physician salaries, and many of them offer very different results. I recently wrote an article detailing the pros and the cons many of these online physician salary and compensation databases.  However, it can be a bit tedious to go through all the work of visiting each website to compare results.  So, I have done all the work for you. In this article I will present the physician salary by specialty data from all the reliable and relevant online physician salary databases.  Feel free to compare and contrast the information presented by each different company.

Medscape Physician Compensation Report

In my opinion, the Medscape average physician salary report is the most reliable data on the internet. It represents more than 20,000 physician surveys answered by doctors in every specialty in every part of the country. See my article about the 2012 Medscape report to learn about all the great information they report in their results.

 

Careers In Medicine: Specialty Pages

Careers in Medicine (CiM) is a great resource for medical students and medical residents (link to my previous article about Careers in medicine). One of the greatest tools it provides is a list of salary information for each specialty.  Careers in Medicine separates the compensation information using two very important distinctions: academic vs. private practice and starting salaries vs. established salaries.  CiM obtains the academic salary information from the Association of American Medical Colleges AAMC Report on Medical School Faculty Salaries. The data about private practice salaries comes from the MGMA Physician Compensation Survey.  Below, I have compiled a table of the salaries reported for each specialty. (Click here to download the formatted table) On the CiM website you can also see salary data for every sub-specialty; this is especially important for internal medicine, pediatrics, and general surgery where the sub-specialty choice results in very different salaries.

Compiled from the Careers in Medicine website, AAMC

 

Allied Physicians: Old Salary Survey

Many students use the alliedphysicians.com resource to learn about physician salaries by specialty. However, you should know that it has not been updated since 2006, so the information is likely a bit off now but the trends are still the same.

From alliedphysicians.com

 

Cejka Search

The Cejka Search Group is a great resource for salary information but also for job openings and employment information. Their physician salary survey is up-to-date and updated frequently. They freely publish their salary information in order to advertise the many physician job openings they have available.

Physician Specialty

Median Physician Compensation Data
Allergy & Immunology

$249,674
Anesthesiology

$370,500
Cardiac & Thoracic Surgery

$533,084
Cardiology

$402,000
Colon & Rectal Surgery

$394,723
Critical Care Medicine

$264,750
Dermatology

$375,176
Diagnostic Radiology – Interventional

$478,000
Diagnostic Radiology – Non-Interventional

$454,205
Emergency Care

$267,293
Endocrinology

$218,855
Family Medicine

$208,861
Family Medicine – with Obstetrics

$209,565
Gastroenterology

$405,000
General Surgery

$357,091
Geriatrics

$187,602
Gynecological Oncology

$413,500
Gynecology

$232,075
Gynecology & Obstetrics

$275,152
Hematology & Medical Oncology

$320,907
Hospitalist

$215,716
Hypertension & Nephrology

$259,677
Infectious Disease

$227,750
Intensivist

$313,152
Internal Medicine

$214,307
Neonatology

$280,771
Neurological Surgery

$592,811
Neurology

$236,500
Nuclear Medicine (M.D. only)

$331,000
Obstetrics

$275,152
Occupational / Environmental Medicine

$223,750
Ophthalmology

$238,200
Oral Surgery

$380,500
Orthopedic Surgery

$500,672
Orthopedic Surgery – Hand

$476,039
Orthopedic Surgery – Joint Replacement

$605,953
Orthopedic Surgery – Pediatrics

$425,000
Orthopedic Surgery – Spine

$688,503
Orthopedic-Medical

$297,348
Otolaryngology

$368,777
Pathology (M.D. only)

$354,750
Pediatric Allergy

$198,458
Pediatric Cardiology

$233,958
Pediatric Endocrinology

$187,957
Pediatric Gastroenterology

$240,895
Pediatric Hematology / Oncology

$212,577
Pediatric Infectious Disease

$209,680
Pediatric Intensive Care

$272,000
Pediatric Nephrology

$198,686
Pediatric Neurology

$219,561
Pediatric Pulmonary Disease

$201,841
Pediatric Surgery

$419,783
Pediatrics & Adolescent

$209,873
Perinatology

$394,121
Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

$237,628
Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery

$390,142
Psychiatry

$214,740
Psychiatry – Child

$216,360
Pulmonary Disease

$306,829
Radiation Therapy (M.D. only)

$447,250
Reproductive Endocrinology

$317,312
Rheumatologic Disease

$224,000
Sports Medicine

$231,540
Transplant Surgery – Kidney

$365,125
Transplant Surgery – Liver

$454,287
Trauma Surgery

$424,555
Urgent Care

$222,920
Urology

$413,941
Vascular Surgery

$413,629

Profiles Database Physician Salary Data

Profilesdatabase.com is another online physician recruitment company. They also publish their physician salary data freely in order to publicize their many job openings. Like the Cejka Search, these numbers are updated frequently and seem to be very reliable.

Specialty

National Average, Six Years in Practice

Median Starting Range
Allergy & Immunology

$246,000.00

$190,000.00
Anesthesiology

$360,000.00

$265,000.00
Cardiac & Thoracic Surgery

$522,875.00

$360,000.00
Cardiology

$402,000.00

$272,000.00
Colon& Rectal Surgery

$389,700.00

$290,000.00
Critical Care Medicine

$258,750.00

$198,000.00
Dermatology

$365,450.00

$234,000.00
Diagnostic Radiology – Interventional

$469,800.00

$335,000.00
Diagnostic Radiology – Non-Interventional

$444,850.00

$330,000.00
Endocrinology

$214,550.00

$165,000.00
Family Medicine

$199,850.00

$138,000.00
Family Medicine – with Obstetrics

$207,900.00

$142,000.00
Gastroenterology

$398,800.00

$272,000.00
General Surgery

$350,000.00

$225,000.00
Gynecological Oncology

$402,000.00

$300,000.00
Gynecology

$233,000.00

$210,000.00
Gynecology & Obstetrics

$279,750.00

$200,000.00
Hematology & Medical Oncology

$314,800.00

$222,000.00
Hospitalist

$210,950.00

$165,000.00
Nephrology

$252,000.00

$180,000.00
Infectious Disease

$225,000.00

$158,000.00
Internal Medicine

$208,790.00

$145,000.00
Neonatology

$275,400.00

$196,000.00
Neurological Surgery

$589,500.00

$395,000.00
Neurology

$237,000.00

$190,000.00
Ophthalmology

$248,000.00

$210,000.00
Orthopedic Surgery

$485,500.00

$315,000.00
Orthopedic Surgery – Pediatrics

$395,420.00

$318,000.00
Orthopedic Surgery – Spine

$625,000.00

$465,000.00
Otolaryngology

$350,000.00

$222,000.00
Pediatric Cardiology

$230,900.00

$189,000.00
Pediatric Endocrinology

$187,600.00

$170,000.00
Pediatric Gastroenterology

$230,500.00

$175,000.00
Pediatric Hematology / Oncology

$210,000.00

$175,000.00
Pediatric Infectious Disease

$205,00.00

$173,000.00
Pediatric Intensive Care

$252,500.00

$195,000.00
Pediatric Nephrology

$196,000.00

$172,000.00
Pediatric Neurology

$218,200.00

$182,000.00
Pediatric Pulmonary Disease

$190,000.00

$162,000.00
Pediatric Surgery

$401,000.00

$295,000.00
Pediatrics

$202,500.00

$162,000.00
Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

$233,300.00

$178,000.00
Plastic  Surgery

$382,000.00

$273,000.00
Psychiatry

$211,000.00

$165,000.00
Psychiatry – Child

$218,300.00

$159,000.00
Pulmonary Disease

$298,000.00

$191,500.00
Rheumatology

$220,500.00

$163,500.00
Trauma Surgery

$400,000.00

$298,000.00
Urgent Care

$215,000.00

$142,000.00
Urology

$400,000.00

$250,000.00
Vascular Surgery

$405,000.00

$259,400.00

Merritt Hawkins: Physician Salary By Specialty

Merritt Hawkins is a physician salary survey that reports the average starting salary offered to new residency graduates.  The entire report for the year 2011 is available for free in PDF (click here). Remember, because these data represent new hires, the are STARTING SALARIES and should be compared to other reports accordingly. I will reprint the starting salaries of the 20 most highly recruited specialties below. The Merritt Hawkins PDF also reports the average signing bonus and average income guarantees. (If you are interested, I discuss the Merritt Hawkins report on the salaries of allied health professionals in another post)

 

From Merritt Hawkins Free PDF

 

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Spotlight Interview: Matching in Family Medicine (Ohio Resident)

Categories:

Family Medicine, How to match in....?, The Match

April 5, 2012

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A Family Medicine Resident’s Perspective:

From an interview with a family medicine resident from Columbus, OH

Part of an interview series entitled, "Specialty Spotlights", which asks medical students' most burning questions to physicians of every specialty.  See what doctors from every specialty had to say about why they chose their specialty and how to match in their residency.

 

  • How competitive is the family medicine match?

Not so much.  If you want to go out West you'll need a higher score on USMLE Step 1, but matching in Family Medicine is much less stressful than some fields.  It's more focused on determing where you fit well in terms of residency.

 

  • What are residencies looking for in a family medicine applicant?
Good work ethic, intelligence, compassion, and passion for the field they've chosen.

 

  • What do you wish you knew before application/interview season?  

Family Medicine interviews are more like wining and dining.  Residency programs have one real goal, and that is to figure out if you would be a good fit for their program.  With this in mind, the best thing you can do is be yourself.  Wherever you interview, ask yourself, "Would I be happy living here and working with these people for the next three years?"

 

  • What should students look for in a family medicine residency?

It depends on if you know what type of Family Physician you want to be.  If you want to practice OB when you're finished with residency you should find a program that emphasizes OB/GYN training.  If you want to work in a rural area than a rural FM residency would likely be a good fit because that's where you'd be most likely to be "the only doc in town."  Location is a very important consideration and should not be discounted either.  You need to find a place where you will be happy living.

 

  • What other advice do you have for students applying to family medicine residency?

Be excited.  Family Medicine is a great field that will provide you with incredibly rewarding experiences on an almost daily basis.  You will also be able to make a very respectable living and have a great lifestyle.  What more could you ask for?

 

 

 

Editor's Note: Applying for residency or preparing for your interviews? I highly recommend First Aid for the Match, The Successful Match: 200 Rules to Succeed in the Residency Match, and The Residency Interview: How To Make the Best Possible Impression .


 

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Spotlight Interview: Why Did You Choose Family Medicine? (Ohio Resident)

Categories:

Family Medicine, Why did you choose....?

April 5, 2012

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A Family Medicine Resident’s Perspective: From an interview with a family medicine resident from Columbus, Ohio.

Part of an interview series entitled, "Specialty Spotlights", which asks medical students' most burning questions to physicians of every specialty.  See what doctors from every specialty had to say about why they chose their specialty and how to match in their residency.

 

    • What attracted you to Family Medicine?

I grew up wanting to be a doctor because of the influence of my own family doctor in my life.  I love the emphasis that Family Medicine places on developing long term relationships with patients.  This provides a daily reminder that behind every disease is a person with hopes, dreams, and fears.  I also have a passion for nutrition and fitness and I have found that developing great rapport with my patients is an essential step before they will trust me enough to make dramatic and important lifestyle changes.  I really enjoy the breadth of knowledge that my field requires.  It excites me to realize that, of necessity, I will be learning for the rest of my life.

 

  • Describe a Family Physician's typical work day?

This depends on what type of work you choose to do.  Family Physicians can choose to work in an outpatient setting only, as a hospitalist, in an ER, or in an urgent care center just to name a few possibilities.  A typical Family Physician who works in an outpatient setting will work from 8:00 or 8:30 am until 5:00 or 5:30 pm, M-F.

 

  • What type of lifestyle can a Family Physician expect?  

Again, this largely depends on how you choose to practice.  Call responsibilities range from no call at all to one weekend in 8 to call every other day.  If you're interested in providing OB care or in working in a very rural area your call responsibilities are likely going to increase.

 

  • What is the potential salary of a Family Physician?

There's a lot of regional variation, but across the country most FPs make somewhere between $130k and $350k with the average being somewhere around $200k for most FPs in their peak years.  That being said, I know one FP that makes $50k per year and one that makes $500k per year.  Again, there's a wide amount of variation.  Also, many locations will offer loan repayment to family physicians that practice in their communities.

 

  • What is the job market like for Family Medicine Doctors?

In a word, excellent.  Family physicians are needed everywhere and residents are recruited heavily starting in their first year of residency.

 

  • What are the potential downsides of Family Medicine that students should be aware of?

There are some negative misconceptions about Family Medicine that come out strongly in most academic institutions (e.g., you can't go into FM if you rock the USMLE because it would be a waste of your talent, FM offers very little opportunity for research, etc.).  Also, your compensation can depend in large part on how business-savvy you are and how efficiently you organize your office.  This is becoming less of an issue as more FPs are employed by hospitals or HMOs, but is still a consideration for most small groups.

 

  • What else would you tell medical students who are considering Family Medicine?

Family Medicine is a wonderful field.  As a Family Physician you will have the opportunity to impact the lives of your patients in ways that almost no other physician can.  You will see your patients at some of the best and worst moments of their lives, and they will come to greatly trust and value your advice.  Daily patient encounters as a Family Physician can be incredibly rewarding.  Family Physicians have almost limitless career opportunities both in terms of where they want to practice and in terms of how they set up their practice.  This amount of freedom is amazing.

 

 

Editor's Note: For more help choosing a specialty in medicine, I highly recommend one or both of these two great books. I found both very useful.

 

 

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Spotlight Interview: Matching in Radiology

Categories:

How to match in....?, Radiology, The Match

April 5, 2012

by

From Hartford Hospital

 
 
A Radiology Resident’s Perspective:

From an interview with an radiology resident from New York City, NY

Part of an interview series entitled, “Specialty Spotlights“, which asks medical students’ most burning questions to physicians of every specialty.  See what doctors from every specialty had to say about why they chose their specialty and how to match in their residency.

 

  • How competitive is the radiology match?

Last year (2011) it wasn’t even specified as “competitive” by the NRMP. However, in general, radiology is a popular choice. I considered myself a consistent but average medical student, and had no trouble getting plenty of interviews. Be realistic with your choices, and don’t think about of the cost of your application. If you are feeling insecure, cast a wide net and spend some time asking yourself what really matters in a program.

 

  • What are residencies looking for in a radiology applicant?
Well first of all, board scores. It is the first screen they put all candidates through. But you were already going to do your best, weren’t you? Once you have the interview, just try to be amiable and show good communication skills. Don’t be too forward, arrogant, or serious. This is all opinion but I don’t think your potential as a radiologist can be divined by an interview. They are just looking for someone they wouldn’t mind sharing space with for 4 years! Try to relax and enjoy it.

 

  • What do you wish you knew before application/interview season?  

If you know you are going to rank a place at the bottom of 10 or more programs, consider cancelling your interview.

 

  • What should students look for in a radiology residency?

I will only mention what is most important: Find the residents, talk to all of them, and ask yourself if you would enjoy seeing them every day. Sure, the upper levels will be gone by the time you get there, but the environment you see will not be much different.

 

  • What other advice do you have for students applying to radiology residency?

You have made the right choice. You will match. Anyone who says anything different (e.g. co-interviewees) knows nothing about it and is probably just trying to get inside your head for petty reasons. Don’t let them succeed… spend your time talking with positive, supportive friends and family. Use advisors. If yours is unhelpful or cannot answer your questions, find an ‘unofficial advisor’ who can cheer you on. They need not be radiologists. They should not be hard to find, the good ones are usually very involved with students.

 

Editor's Note: Applying for residency or preparing for your interviews? I highly recommend First Aid for the Match, The Successful Match: 200 Rules to Succeed in the Residency Match, and The Residency Interview: How To Make the Best Possible Impression .


 

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