bluedevilmike

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.

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.

Princess'Dad

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).

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.

I have not been sued and don't worry about it. Would I do anything else NO, I love being "hawkeye" and "god".

But, it sounds like you want to know the $$ amount. If that is so, go into business or law.

Princess'Dad

ps
bluedevil.
I save lives every day (and loose them)

bluedevilmike

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.

fried rice

I think clearing 100k and having an interesting and rewarding job like that is pretty much what I'd consider an ideal situation.

GoldShadow

Intensivist is a relatively new specialty, right? Is it a branch of IM?

bluedevilmike

To be honest, I'm not really sure. I think it might be IM --> CCU?

chaz90

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).

bluedevilmike

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.

Again, all three answers are just my speculation.

chaz90

It's more than what I knew, so thanks.

Princess'Dad

Intensivist via internal medicine (usually pulmonary), anesthesia or surgery.

Eighty some percent of patients who enter icu do die, but 20ish % do not.

CCU is more "post heart attack" - 95%+ survival.

Go to SCCM - Society of Critical Care Medicine

my$0.02

Thanks, Princess' Dad for a proper citation for critical care medicine.

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.

Critical Care Is a Rising Med School Specialty - US News and World Report

koolsidez

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 .

Princess'Dad

malpractice among anesthesiologists is one of the highest.
suicide rate is one of highest.
drug abuse rate is one of highest.

If you are going for the $, go to pharmacy

koolsidez

Average Malpractice Premiums for Anesthesiologists Drop in 2007 at MDsalaries - The Physician Salaries Blog

this source talks about the malpractice premiums for anesthesiologists. Isn't around 20-25k per year relatively low as compared to other specialties?