<p>Again, very rarely. The vast majority of what physicians do is controlling the progression of diseases that have no cure. Most diseases cannot be cured or healed, and very few of them are immediately life-threatening and those that are often have no recourse. Healing, curing, saving lives -- all this is the minority of medical practice.</p>
<p>That's not to say it's not rewarding; it is. But if you go in expecting to save lives and heal illnesses and cure people, you're going to be in for a very sad surprise.</p>
<p>digamma
Medicine is not for you.
I am a trauma surgeon. My hours are sometimes 36 on and 8 off. Most of my patients are drunks or hit by drunks and less than 1/2 have insurance or money (I have been paid with moonshine and fresh corn).</p>
<p>I have met Bush 1. in oval office with youngest surviving cervical neck injury (superman type). I have taken care of a guy who killed 6 cops and raped 5 young girls. I don't get speeding tickets (have taken care of many cops with gsws). After overhead, I get a little more than 100k which I also have to spend on CME trips, etc.</p>
<p>I have not been sued and don't worry about it. Would I do anything else NO, I love being "hawkeye" and "god".</p>
<p>But, it sounds like you want to know the $$ amount. If that is so, go into business or law.</p>
<p>Yeah, trauma's one of the few fields where you're really on the front line of life and death on a routine basis. Intensivist training also really interests me. Trauma seems like it would be an awful lot of exhaustion -- but also a lot of fun.</p>
<p>BDM
has it been your experience that the intensivist track leads to mostly time in the ICU? This might just be my inexperience, but is there a difference in the CCU and ICU anyway? The complaints I've heard from doctors who spend alot of time in the ICU's is that so many of the people are (not to be insensitive) almost futile cases (I.E. 89 year old with multiple problems who came from nursing home, doesn't speak, and family wants everything possible done).</p>
<p>Hm. I don't really know. This is my speculation:
1.) Yes, intensivist track leads mostly to ICU.
2.) No, CCU (Critical Care Unit) is just what they call it at some hospitals.
3.) A lot of the cases are definitely futile -- but actually not all. A lot of them are there for life-threatening and urgent but (sometimes) treatable situations like diabetic ketoacidosis, bacterial sepsis, etc.</p>
<p>Again, all three answers are just my speculation.</p>
<p>Thanks, Princess' Dad for a proper citation for critical care medicine.</p>
<p>Speculation has no place among future physicians when information abounds.
Lay articles, ACGME sites and even wikipedia should be consulted before soliciting or offering speculation.</p>
<p>i've read through this entire thread over the course of the last couple of days and let me say WOW this has been really helpful. Thank you guys for just laying it out like it is, because i'm sort of in a dilemma myself about whether or not to go into medicine.
Right now, i just finished my first year at Northeastern in their pharmacy program, which is a direct 0-6 year program.
Since I am missing only one course (physics 2) from my curriculum for pre-med, i was considering going into medicine, with specific interest in anesthesiology.
After reading through everything, not much was said about anesthesiology. I do know, however, that their salary is among the highest for specialties and the malpractice is relatively low (about 20k per year premium). Does anyone have knowledge about this subject?
It's a big choice, since it means double the amount of school to become an anesthesiologist. Pharmacists in retail make six figures fresh out of school, and the lifestyle is definitely more friendly to one's own sanity and family, at least from what i've heard. However, i would like to do critical care pharmacy, because i am more interested in the clinical, helping patients part of these two professions.
Now, I can't sit here and lie and say that money is not a big motivating factor for me in my choice, but I think it would be awesome to be able to learn a school that I could use to help people in a way that no other profession can match. I want to be able to interact with people along with being able to utilize the knowledge that I worked long and hard to gain, with either choice i make.
I just can't decide which is the better path for me. I have this part of me always telling me to challenge myself, which is one part of the reason i would go to medicine. I have a high gpa now, and if i maintain it, im pretty sure i can make it into a good med school. Question is, do i want to, especially given the good program i am in now, which also includes co-op education, where i can make good foundations at top hospitals in boston.
Since these two career paths weren't discussed much in this thread, i would like to know what you guys think .</p>
<p>this source talks about the malpractice premiums for anesthesiologists. Isn't around 20-25k per year relatively low as compared to other specialties?</p>
<p>See the MIEC rate calculator for real rate quotes by specialty. The fifth year premium (multiplied by four) represents a "mature" premium. 1M/3M limits are typical. So yes, anesthesiology premiums are in the 20ish K area. Medical</a> Insurance Exchange of California - Rate calculator</p>
<p>Suicide rates for anesthesiologists, perhaps due to drug access, are higher than for some specialties (peds), but lower than for others (psychiatry).</p>
<p>The practice of anesthesia requires close cooperation with surgeons, a tolerance for not being completely in charge, and the ability to make decisions based on incomplete information.</p>
<p>Suicide rates for docs in general may be higher than for the general public. See the recent AP story.
[quote]
There's a grim, rarely talked-about twist to all that medical know-how doctors learn to save lives: It makes them especially good at ending their own.</p>
<p>An estimated 300 to 400 U.S. doctors kill themselves each year - a suicide rate thought to be higher than in the general population, although exact figures are hard to come by.
<p>I was always told that Anesthesiologist malpractice premiums were among the highest, not lowest... they're often the first to be blamed, and sued, when something goes wrong during surgery. Although some of the sites presented suggest otherwise...</p>
<p>The problem is where you are looking. In California anesthesiology is a "low-risk" while in Florida it is high. It is generally considered one of the high risk after ob and surgery. As noted, it has the 8th highest average payments.</p>
<p>Relative Income Expectations, Expected Malpractice Premium Costs, and Other Determinants of Physician Specialty Choice
B. F. Kiker and Michael Zeh
Journal of Health and Social Behavior, Vol. 39, No. 2 (Jun., 1998), pp. 152-167</p>
<p>ps
Psych has the highest drug and suicide rate (I would be depressed too after listening all day...)
Anesth is second highest (as noted above, possibly secondary to ease of drugs)</p>
<p>But to go back to the gist of this discussion.</p>
<p>Malpractice premiums should not be the basis of making one's decision of which specialty in medicine. Nor should salary. (If you want salary, go into plastic surgery - all elective and cash paid prior to doing and where the malpractice premium is the highest)</p>
<p>The premium is simply part of overhead. It does make academic medicine more attractive to some. </p>
<p>Do what one enjoys.</p>
<p>As a surgeon who has been out of school 30 years, it is depressing to see so many looking at salary. Perhaps a change in society.</p>