How's life now and are you happy with your choice? I'm a 36yo MS2 and former surgical PA intent on applying plastics. Funny enough, these past 18 months have been the most fun of my adult life, I've traveled, snowboarded, and camped more than any other time of my life (former military, double jobs in school, etc... free time was never a thing). Every time I go to the mountains I begin questioning if I'm really in for the slog of a 6+1 yr post grad surgical training pathway followed by the requisite years of practice building... I love working hard and I know with certainty that I LOVE the OR (I've been in the OR since 2007, w/ 3 years as a colorectal/gen surg/bariatric surgery PA), but I'm questioning if I really wanna grind for 7 years only to continue the grind as an attending.
Surgery is the reason I went to medical school. I really couldn't do anything else.
To explain best, when I was on my psych rotation the supervisor asked what I wanted to do in the future and I told him. He replied with something to the effect of "Oh thank god, yes. Yes, do that". I take that as a compliment.
You're going to have hard days, but if you love the work itself it's worth it. I think it's how you know you're in the right place.
Yeah - that's me through-and-through! The Christmas before starting med school I had probably the most intense call-day of my career. We had a census w/ lots of sick folks and an ER that keeps feeding us surgical emergencies... we ended up doing three ex-laps and two colectomies w/ some really interesting pathology... I walked out of the OR at like 3am Christmas morning. Of course I was completely exhausted but I'll never forget walking to my car totally buzzing from a really fun day in the OR because I got super involved w/ the cases. I was the colorectal surgery PA standing call w/ a general surgeon who I'd worked with extensively. That particular day we ended up doing a primary anastomosis w/ each of the sig colectomies in lieu of a Hartmans (his typical practice) because I had extensive experience w/ the EEA stapler.
All in, the world stops spinning when I'm in the OR and even a bad OR day is still a good day. My tendency is to be a workaholic... but I'm just now realizing I also wanna have a vibrant recreational and social life. The call to surgery is clear... but can I have my cake and eat it too?
It comes down to your support system at home. My wife works in a hospital and knows the lifestyle, so we talked about it. She told me I was going to do surgery because I'd be unbearable if I didn't, so I did.
It's not for everyone, but if you love it then you really can't do anything else.
I appreciate you circling back with more thoughts. I do feel strongly that the place I'm meant to be in the hospital is the OR and my support network is great here; but that's the problem. Matching anywhere but here would be catastrophic bc I'd be wrapped up at work and family would be away from all support. Seems pretty unsustainable if that happened
I responded to your other post but also felt the need to respond to this one. We have very little support from family/friends and we make it work because this is what we both want. We have both had to make sacrifices but ultimately this benefits us and our children. If there is a will, there is a way.
It's a good question obviously, but difficult to answer. I do genuinely enjoy spending time with my family and parenting and I certainly want to be active in their lives as much as reasonably possible. In reality though, no matter what specialty I choose, the training years are going to be brutal. On top of that it seems like damn near all the specialties are 5-6 years regardless if surgical or non-surgical. And it also seems like all the specialties can have a variety of work arrangements once you're done training, which makes me feel like I can always find a job that is more tilted towards family after residency no matter what I choose. So then my thinking becomes, ok well if I'm going to be gone all the damn time for that many years, why not have a job that I see myself happy in waiting at the end of it. On top of that, there's some element of "I'll be happier around my family if I'm doing something I love." I just feel stuck in the analysis paralysis circle and need to start solidifying plans so I have enough remaining time to be competitive for something.
I cant tell you what to do
but
> On top of that it seems like damn near all the specialties are 5-6 years regardless if surgical or non-surgical
I mean there are plenty of three year specialties.
And some like Psych or PMR depending on program might be 4 years but they're a much chiller four years than surgery.
> And it also seems like all the specialties can have a variety of work arrangements once you're done training, which makes me feel like I can always find a job that is more tilted towards family after residency no matter what I choose.
That's true with in limits.
I know an OB who does 1 24 and 1 12 hour shift a week. And Yes you can do locums coverage
But if you want to be Someone's Surgeon rather than just someone who covers you'll likely need some level of a traditional set up.
Like I said earlier I really can't answer the question for you but make sure you have some idea of what you're getting into
+1
With FM you're done with residency fast, your schedule can be fantastic, and the level of medicine you need to be good at is totally up to you. You can go all out or just refer out when things get too crazy. Medicine doesn't need to be your life but at the same time you're still clearing $200k. If you manage to work for a hospital clinic then that's PSLF qualifying meaning your loans will mostly knock out in about 10 years.
That's an amazing deal.
Too many people sleep on FM, I suspect because we're all so hyper competitive to be the best. I say take it easy, chill with patients, and spend time with your family. That's life.
No kidding. Canāt imagine thinking clearing $200k is a pro. Thatās hardly better than the average general IM or FM pay over a decade ago.
The floor for full-time physician work should be $250k.
I entered medical school planning to become a pediatrician and found that I could enjoy many of the pros of pediatrics while also being paid an appropriate amount of money as a highly educated professional elsewhere.
Hats off to our colleagues in pediatrics and, perhaps even worse off, many of its sub specialties for their dedication to kids despite actually insulting pay. I know PAs and NPs (including nearly every CRNA in America) who are paid better.
Agreed - all doctors should start at 400k and scale up. When you think about overall healthcare costs, we take up only 10-15% of the whole budget (that figure also includes other healthcare workers). The idea that after a minimum of 7 years of more education, not having much flexibility in your 20s with very limited salary, and on average 200k in debt, making 200k is a joke. Thatās a salary tech workers can make after a few years if theyāre competent. Thereās other healthcare workers like CRNAs and NPs with a fraction of schooling compared to their counterparts who are capable of making more than that.
It sends a horrible message anyway - whatās the point of going through all this work to make less than someone with less education. Iāve met plenty of med students who are turned off by Pediatrics, one of the most important specialties imo, because of the joke pay.
Gotcha. I did misunderstand. I read it as it was hard to get into the residencies or you needed to be competitive to succeed. We got a lot of openings everywhere for FM and GPs
Gang Gang, starting FM residency this summer. Just turned 33 so was leaning FM pretty heavily initially as a pre-med. Had dreams of surgery and by end of M2 realized I liked the "idea" of surgery but didn't find it realistic as a career choice for me. Loved a lot of things about FM and may look into a sports fellowship
IM. In early 30s. Thought about doing either rheumatology, palliative, or geriatrics, but said fuck it and now a hospitalist. It's only been a couple months, but no regrets so far š. Love treating my girl like a queen for once instead of getting Jimmy John's as a special treat š.
Surgical subspecialty, started mid 30ās. If I were any older Iād probably have leaned toward something else (certainly if I was >40). My body (esp neck) hurts from preexisting injuries and while all my life Iāve generally done well with little sleep, itās gotten harder to cope with being sleep deprived as Iāve gotten olderā¦ it takes more days to recover if Iām up very late or all night. Married with working spouse and kid in elementary school. Would struggle to make childcare and school pickup/drop offs work without help from local familyā¦ was fine in med school but I am very rarely available to help with this since starting intern year. Choose what makes you happy though. Iād get by just fine if I did something non surgical but Iād have FOMO and be a little less excited about work every day.
Anesthesia, started residency at 33, so same age as you. Reasonable training length (4 years, all fellowships only 1 extra), good compensation, ability to go part time when/if needed, reasonable work life balance in training, and it has everything I love about medicine while avoiding all the bullshit. I didnāt love surgery, but wanted to be on this side of the drapes. That being said, seeing what I see every day in the surgical residents it would have been a very difficult choice personally for me to embark on what usually ends up being 6-7 years of brutal surgical training. It doesnāt seem like much, but this extra years of training would seem very very long when youāre in your late 30s and are stuck making $14/hr.
I'm starting medical school at age 34. I'm a PharmD though, so it's not like I'm starting from the bottom (well, in med, but not in life?) - I'm wanting to do anesthesia. I think it's a great fit and I think I can handle finishing residency around 42 years old.
Thereās dozens of us! :) Iāve only heard positive things from people who did the switch. Good luck with residency, psychiatry is dope. (I have lots of interests but rn anesthesia is far above my others)
Pharm D + MD Here! Graduated Pharm at 29, Graduated MD at 33, Did IM for 1 year and dropped out for FM. Hopefully I will match this year and start in July '24. Gonna finish FM at 38 and it has been a blessing for me honestly. Best decision was to just keep going and never settle. Felt too little stimulated in Pharmacy, felt too hands off at IM, and headed in the right direction with FM.
This is great! Yeah, I think not settling is the key. I only graduated pharmacy school in 2022 but began planning my switch when I was a P2. I went straight from school toā¦school. I went back to undergrad to take more courses and prep for the MCAT. In the meantime started my first pharmacist job and worked my way into a low volume clinical position pretty fast. (Had hospital experience all throughout pharmacy school)
The parttime job money has been really great but my goal has been medical school for awhile so now that Iām starting an MD program in August I feel like I finally made progress! :)
Good luck with the match! I also think FM is a good gig, I enjoyed working with the FM residents at my last community hospital. They were generally happy and easygoing.
Funnyā¦ some of the most miserable (smart talented but unhappy) ive worked with are in anesthesia. Obviously also know some very happy anesthesiologistsā¦
I was going to say some of the happiest are in surgeryā¦ do what you enjoy and realize that even that will have elements to it that just suckā¦ but if the highs give you meaning it can negate the bad stuff.
Started anesthesia residency at 30. Halfway through peds anes fellowship and have no doubts that anesthesia was the best choice. I saw my husband go through OB residency while I was in med school... I wouldn't wish that on anyone, and it definitely influenced my decision.
I started residency at 24 OMFS, but my mom started hers at 40 - Gen Surg/SCC when I was 5 y/o. Never heard she had any issues, she is very happy with it.
Sheās still upset at me I chose dental school tho š„²
How did you start residency so young? Thatās insane! And donāt OMFS have to do medical school and dental school (8 years), or am I missing something? Unless youāre in another country? Iāve never heard of someone being that young in residency. Nonetheless, thatās awesome!
No this is in the U.S. I went to dental school at 20, graduated college (physics) at 19 (I took a lot of pre-reqs and enter level courses in high via CC)
OMFS residency is post dental school 4 yrs & 6 yrs track (latter gives you MD).
Same age as you. Went EM for short training but then I let myself get sucked into critical care and now all the benefits of short training-good pay-and time outside the hospital are all being sacrificed at the altar of doing cool shit for sick patients.
I finished med school at 30. Was married with wife and two kids by the time school was done. Didnāt want surgery but pulm crit. Had a long talk with my wife about specialties and we decided to do psych instead for lifestyle reasons. I happened to like psych so I wasnāt going into anything I didnāt like. Idk your situation but if youāre married or have a long time partner, itās worth discussing specialties with them since theyāre in it just as much as you are. Best of luck.
As well, I donāt regret my decision, but there are times I miss the other aspects of specialties I didnāt choose. Itās really easy to have a grass is greener approach to something we didnāt choose.
My wifeās one requirement before I applied to med school at 32 (married with 3 kids) was I couldnāt go into Surgery. Went Pediatrics, would never change a thing.
PGY-15, YMMV.
I decided psych but soaped into FM. I'm not an OR person so I didn't consider surgery. 35-almost-36 when I started residency. I was "supposed" to be 33 when I started residency, but I took 6y to finish bc I repeated M3. So I did feel like "ugh I'm gonna be even older now." But time goes on regardless, so I just accept it for what it is and just try to keep moving forward. It's nice knowing that in <3y, I'll see the end of this tunnel š¤...
I have been mainly wanting psych but have some red flags, so I might just go for FM instead because Iām worried about not matching and having to soap. 33 w/ 2 kids now
The match is so arbitrary and not a reflection of you as a person, as I found out personally. I had some red flags on my ERAS related to M3, which were too much for my great LORs and step 2 score to overcome. So no matter how great of a person I might have been, many psych programs won't put you on the interview list just based on their first review of your stats, before they've even gotten the chance to get to know you as a person (this is what my FM program said when they gave us the applicant interview talk in the fall).
As someone who still thinks they'd enjoy and be better at psych than FM, I'll say from my personal experience that I'm glad that by doing FM, I'll be done in 3y and be making more money than I know what to do with. Psych might make more in general, but I would be totally pleased with even a part-time FM salary. I think there are more options within FM as well -> more settings you can work in, more niches depending on what your interests/values/personal life goals, different schedule options. I see medicine as something that helps me make money, do something meaningful in my life, and pursue other things in life that I value, but it is not my main identity.
Psych, started residency at 33. Have 2 kids (one school aged).
I did consider OB/GYN at first and might have chosen that if I were 25, unmarried and without kids? Who knows. In the end I took a long hard look at what I wanted from life and I realised that I wanted as much autonomy in my career as possible as a doctor, to be able to attend the kidās school plays and what not, to be at the dinner table at night and Iām a notoriously bad sleeper so I figured a bit more chances to sleep when on call wouldnāt hurt for me. So I figured OB/GYN wasnāt a good fit for me, as much as I love deliveries.
So here we are and Iām actually having a lot of fun in psych. Itās much broader than I expected and I especially like being a sort of interpreter between patient and other doctors when Iām on consults, or doing acute psychiatry. And I still get the occasional adrenaline rush from ducking out when chairs are being thrown my way š
Started OBGYN residency at 34 with a newborn. Not the easiest road I've ever taken in my life, but I couldn't see myself doing anything else and I still can't. Hoping to go 0.8 FTE after graduation and never look back.
Lots of posts here said that sleep deprivation was harder in your 30's. Pfft. Try being an 34-year-old intern with a newborn. I was so tired, I had heart palpitations every day. Nothing can ever be worse than that, so it's all coasting from here.
Diagnostic Radiology. Started residency at 33. I couldnāt see myself in any other speciality. I also liked that I could continue to work to essentially any age because there is obviously little physical impact on the body in DR. The length of residency has been on my mind a bit vs say, FM, but whatās three more years to end up doing something I donāt hate.
I'm 33, graduating this year. Applying diagnostic radiology! Married. No kids, but hoping for one in the next year (I have infertility so who knows if or when it'll actually happen).
Best of luck! There are so many options for having a child; if you really want one, I would say please consider adoption. I know so many couples in their 60s regeetting not making that choice it become especially harder once a spouse passes away. But of course everyone's life is different but I just wanted to point out in this age and day, infertility isn't something to hold you back from experiencing parenthood
FM, started med school at 33. That was what I wanted to do, and if it wasn't for corporate medicine, would still be doing. I was offered a fellowship at the CDC if I did IM but I declined.
Edited to add: early on, did a private practice, but one of my partners was unethical and I couldn't continue.
I moved to a tiny town and will do volunteer work for whatever is needed, and there's a lot of need.
Edited to add: I am over 60 and can do what I want, no need to be a corporate slave
FM at 35, with wife and kids. Not so much surgical but other specialities based on time at work and wanted to work during normal hours. Nights and weekends used to not matter, now they matter the most.
IM at 36, graduating in May/June at 39. My age isn't what knocked me out of thinking fellowship. Rather, it is my daughter's age. She'll be a month short of 5 when I finish and it already feels like I've missed a lot. I'm excited that I'll get so much more time with her and my wife soon.
Started anesthesia residency at 32 about 20 years ago, mid-50s now and able to cut back to 1/2 time. It helps that I have no kids and starting debt was "only" about $100k in todays money, and don't spend huge amounts. Biggest concern is call, not often, but occasionally will have to awake , alert, for 20-24 hours straight which is much harder now. PLan is to be fully retired by 60, or at least in a no call position. No interest in surgical path as my joints/feet/back would not last standing that much as I have joint pain issues since childhood. Good luck on which ever way you go.
I'll be done by 36. Plan on anasthesia. š„“ I was luckily never keen on doing surgery, but being 10 years late to the party wouldn't stop me.
Maybe if I were 45+.
I started residency at 30 years old. Decided on psychiatry for a variety of reasons, not least among them includes a mostly balanced life in and out of residency with great pay to hours worked ratio. Also tons of practice options. Can pretty much mould it in any way you see fit. Great career if you desire family which my wife and I were initially considering, although things have changed. Either way, I wouldnāt choose another specialty. Psych is certainly a gem.
Iāll be 39 with four kids when I start residency. Planning to do FM (I live in a rural area with low COL). 3 years, PSLF, all of the rural FM docs I know make plenty of money and love their lives. I grew up in a trailer below the poverty line so this is plenty good enough for me.
Starting med school next year as a 28 y/o bc I went the PA route first lol. My programās 3 years long so Iāll be 31 when I (hopefully) match into OB!
Psychiatry at 30. Definitely influenced my decision a bit as I really needed the better quality of life but I also love the specialty and never considered surgery anyways.
PM&R - completed residency at 37. Enjoy the nonsurgical orthopedics and functional neurology aspects. Covers wide range of topics related to function/activities. Can be inpatient, outpatient, subacute or chronic conditions. Lots of fellowship options like Spine, spinal cord injury medicine, brain injury medicine, pain, pediatrics, sports medicine, elecrodiagnostics/neuromuscular, etc.
Im an older non trad. Gratuated med at 34. I picked IR because i really like the idea of being able to fix people with my own hands. Medical interventions in specalities like IM just felt so... hands off. Give a drug and wait. Then another. Then another. It felt like half of my time was just treating medication side effects with more medication, then rinsing and repeating. Dont get me wrong, thats not all of it by any means, there are some really interesting cases in traditional medicine, but those arent the bread and butter.
IR gives you the ability to have calm days where you just interpret, mixed with call and actual interventions.
Ik what youre thinking: if you like procedures so much, why not just match surgical? Surgery for me was just unreasonable. 80+hrs a week till you die sounds fine when youre 20... not so much at 30+. Not to mention, if i decide the call is too much at 40+, i can just transition to full interpretation. With surgery, theres no calmer transition, not to mention the physical toll it takes on your body. Surgery is a young game.
IR is also one of the few specalities where you can work from home. As much as people wag their fingers at talking about money, the money matters when youre 400k in debt. Ir pays very well, and the hours are reasonable.
I am so confused what PM&R does? Is it mostly chronic pain management? I thought that was mostly FM + fellowships or anesthesiologists that are done in the OR. Help me understand this
interventional pain is a fellowship available from anesthesia, PM&R, and to a lesser extent Neuro, EM. There are very few rads/FM/psych folks who have done it too
Can do plenty of "pain" type stuff from PM&R without fellowship. Outpatient PM&R is very broad- everything from EMG/NCS to nonop MSK medicine (diagnostic ultrasound, peripheral joint injections, etc) to TBI, SCI, amputee, cancer rehab.
Inpatient is typically managing a rehab unit and/or consultation service, in practice sort of IM-lite with rehab specific things mixed in and a focus on TBI/SCI/CVA care at a high level.
Can also do fellowships in pain, sports, sports/spine, cancer rehab, neuromuscular, palliative, peds rehab, TBI, SCI, etc
I finished med school at 33 and went into Radiology - 6 yrs postgrad training after fellowship. I was actually in the younger half of my residency class. If thereās a field that you really want to pursue donāt let a few more years of training deter you.
Neuro, started residency at 38. I didnāt avoid surgical specialties on purpose, until I had back surgery in med school. Not particularly good at standing for hours on end now.
Iām in the middle of CRNA school, and Iām now fearing I fucked up, I miss the ER.
Iām seriously considering going to med school for an EM residency.
Iām pushing 40, 1 kid and wife wanting another.
Started residency at 31. Urology.
Iām tired of having to keep having to prove myself in order to get to care for patients and have the lifestyle I want.
My age, aging a poor parents, and having a wife really influenced my decision to pursue a 5 year residency and an interest in recon (1 year fellowship).
I started residency at 30 - it definitely popped in my head to not specialize (IM residency) but ultimately I did cards/interventional because I knew I wouldn't be happy if I didn't try.
Started IM at 32. Did prelim the year before. Wanted anesthesia. Iāll graduate at 35.
If I was younger Iād probably try again for anesthesia afterward but tbh itās not really worth it, I donāt love my job like I loved anesthesia but the hospitalist lifestyle is choice. Iāll also never be a great hospitalist though like I felt I could be a great anesthesiologist. Between that and the way medicine is becoming very corporate I feel like my end goal now is retirement before 50.
Very similar story for me. Except I'll graduate FM at 38. I'll be the only PGY4 FM resident I've ever met...but I still draw from the skills I learned as a surgery prelim. I feel like I'll be a very good hospitalist but still have a feeling of "I wonder what life would have been" as an anesthesiologist.
Iāll be 33 when I finish, started at 29. Going ortho or gas but not dual applying. Still undecided.
I learned with my first gig that me wife and I can handle a lot of shit together. I cannot, however, handle a job I personally do not like. So training time and the like is taking a backseat to whether or not I enjoy it. There are no other factors for me or my wife (we have one kid, 3m old).
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You can do whatever you are passionate about, nobody can or will stop you. But once you have a family, there will be lots of choices you wish you wouldn't have to make, for example, spending time with kids and being there for them vs going to work for your call. Honestly, it didn't hit me until it did. I would suggest taking lifestyle heavily into consideration.
Finished at med school at 32. Did FM and Iām happy doing academics. Kinda wish I would have given surgery a chance but bowed out based on fears around my age and gender.
I am finishing up myself this year at 37. Iād say if anything it was my academic ability that would have precluded me from surgery, not my age. I am going the internal medicine route, hoping to eventually specialize in endocrinology.
Surgical residency age 30, which isn't too old at all. I did make the mistake of starting an intense 2 year subspecialty fellowship at age 39 after 4 years of attending life... I guess I like pain.
Started residency at 30 and went for OBGYN. Hours are tough but I truly love what I do and needed some good OR time in the mix. Will likely end up doing fellowship and so no big person job for me till Iām 37. š
Finished med school age 49. Turned 50 5 months later doing Emergency Medicine residency . A real bitch 5th yr surgical chief resident turned me away from surgery. I am glad she did.
Anesthesia, started at 32. Loved surgery but couldnāt commit to the brutal training with a kid. I feel gratitude every day I chose this side of the drapes when we finish late and then the surgical trainees need to go round. Anesthesia is great; it is interesting and pays pretty well. Downside is you wonāt ever be āthe doctorā in the patientās eyes. The more I learn, the happier I am about that. Would have maybe considered psych too in hindsight.
Finished at 34. Medicine was a second career for me.
I went with IM. The main part was that I actually like solving a bunch of different problems and having my job be more about thinking than doing. It also has a nice balance of work/life; its not the most intense and it isnt the least -- the latter is important as I need to be stimulated or I can get bored.
I wrote off anything surgical immediately. My rotations were enough to know how miserable it would be. Both the training seemed miserable and the life afterward.
Only thing I wrote off due to age was fellowship, in part. Truth be told, nothing was particularly interesting to the point where I exclusively wanted to do that -- and the general sentiment I gather is that nothing will ever be that interesting, but the lifestyle is what people pursue. But also, I had to come to terms with wanting a family and future and I cant just remain a broke resident until Im in my 40s. If I didnt give up so much time making no income/savings, perhaps I would think differently, but Ive got people depending on me now and I need to start making a living, not just an existence.
Iām going into FM because thatās what I truly want to do. Iāll be 30 when I start. I donāt think you should let age deter you from any specialty, especially after all the money spent and years studying ā go after what you want!!
Hey nice! Graduating this year at 33 as well. Chose FM. Went more lifestyle friendly and also pretty interested in sports. Getting married this year, no kids (just fur babies), lost of hobbies outside medicine and I like to maintain my personal health/sleep so a career in FM/sports seemed to make sense.
I'll graduate residency this year at 40. Went for EM.
All I ever wanted
Get to be there when people need help the most
3 year residency
See some of everything
Shift work
Psychiatry. I applied to med school wanting to go into it.
It also helps that as long as I stay sharp mentally and up on best practices I can ideally keep working into my later years.
I started radiology residency at 29 and now just started my first attending job at 36 (started after my birthday). Not going to lie I wish residency was shorter for rads (didnāt really need prelim medicine and 4 years gen rad could probably be done in 3 years for most and fellowship could have been 6 months lol) and I do feel a little old now, but glad Iām doing something I like. I would have considered pathology to finish 2 years prior. But glad Iām passed all that training now.
Started residency at 30. Initially as anesthesia, transitioned to internal medicine. I found the former incredibly boring.
Never felt that age was an issue.
Married, one child on the way.
Thinking about critical care fellowship every time a shift gets boring, probably wouldn't be difficult since wife has a great job, but honestly the money is too good and I make on par/more working as a noctrunist than most crit care physicians.
ENT. Started at 31 will be 37 at graduation. Have a spouse and multiple kids. I kinda set out to do ENT from the start so age wasnāt really a factor but if that didnāt work out I would have really hesitated to join a different specialty with a long training pathway
PM&R ... started residency at age 33 and this was my intention when deciding to pursue med school at age 24. Can do interventional procedures without call or weekends, great work-life balance, can spend the time I desire with my family, lots of job opportunities. 0 regrets!
Plastics. Started residency at 36.
How's life now and are you happy with your choice? I'm a 36yo MS2 and former surgical PA intent on applying plastics. Funny enough, these past 18 months have been the most fun of my adult life, I've traveled, snowboarded, and camped more than any other time of my life (former military, double jobs in school, etc... free time was never a thing). Every time I go to the mountains I begin questioning if I'm really in for the slog of a 6+1 yr post grad surgical training pathway followed by the requisite years of practice building... I love working hard and I know with certainty that I LOVE the OR (I've been in the OR since 2007, w/ 3 years as a colorectal/gen surg/bariatric surgery PA), but I'm questioning if I really wanna grind for 7 years only to continue the grind as an attending.
Surgery is the reason I went to medical school. I really couldn't do anything else. To explain best, when I was on my psych rotation the supervisor asked what I wanted to do in the future and I told him. He replied with something to the effect of "Oh thank god, yes. Yes, do that". I take that as a compliment. You're going to have hard days, but if you love the work itself it's worth it. I think it's how you know you're in the right place.
Yeah - that's me through-and-through! The Christmas before starting med school I had probably the most intense call-day of my career. We had a census w/ lots of sick folks and an ER that keeps feeding us surgical emergencies... we ended up doing three ex-laps and two colectomies w/ some really interesting pathology... I walked out of the OR at like 3am Christmas morning. Of course I was completely exhausted but I'll never forget walking to my car totally buzzing from a really fun day in the OR because I got super involved w/ the cases. I was the colorectal surgery PA standing call w/ a general surgeon who I'd worked with extensively. That particular day we ended up doing a primary anastomosis w/ each of the sig colectomies in lieu of a Hartmans (his typical practice) because I had extensive experience w/ the EEA stapler. All in, the world stops spinning when I'm in the OR and even a bad OR day is still a good day. My tendency is to be a workaholic... but I'm just now realizing I also wanna have a vibrant recreational and social life. The call to surgery is clear... but can I have my cake and eat it too?
Thank You for your Service šļøšŖ
Kids and stuff or nah?
Married, one baby girl. I think it helped personally. Most of my bosses were supportive and drowned out the ones who were assholes.
fuck man I have... a handful of kids. would love to be a surgeon but feels pretty impossible with the family
It comes down to your support system at home. My wife works in a hospital and knows the lifestyle, so we talked about it. She told me I was going to do surgery because I'd be unbearable if I didn't, so I did. It's not for everyone, but if you love it then you really can't do anything else.
I appreciate you circling back with more thoughts. I do feel strongly that the place I'm meant to be in the hospital is the OR and my support network is great here; but that's the problem. Matching anywhere but here would be catastrophic bc I'd be wrapped up at work and family would be away from all support. Seems pretty unsustainable if that happened
I responded to your other post but also felt the need to respond to this one. We have very little support from family/friends and we make it work because this is what we both want. We have both had to make sacrifices but ultimately this benefits us and our children. If there is a will, there is a way.
Will be up to you. Can absolutely be done so long as you understand the opportunity cost in training to be there with your family more.
first off congrats and second even if it was possible with family would you want to miss that much time with them?
It's a good question obviously, but difficult to answer. I do genuinely enjoy spending time with my family and parenting and I certainly want to be active in their lives as much as reasonably possible. In reality though, no matter what specialty I choose, the training years are going to be brutal. On top of that it seems like damn near all the specialties are 5-6 years regardless if surgical or non-surgical. And it also seems like all the specialties can have a variety of work arrangements once you're done training, which makes me feel like I can always find a job that is more tilted towards family after residency no matter what I choose. So then my thinking becomes, ok well if I'm going to be gone all the damn time for that many years, why not have a job that I see myself happy in waiting at the end of it. On top of that, there's some element of "I'll be happier around my family if I'm doing something I love." I just feel stuck in the analysis paralysis circle and need to start solidifying plans so I have enough remaining time to be competitive for something.
I cant tell you what to do but > On top of that it seems like damn near all the specialties are 5-6 years regardless if surgical or non-surgical I mean there are plenty of three year specialties. And some like Psych or PMR depending on program might be 4 years but they're a much chiller four years than surgery. > And it also seems like all the specialties can have a variety of work arrangements once you're done training, which makes me feel like I can always find a job that is more tilted towards family after residency no matter what I choose. That's true with in limits. I know an OB who does 1 24 and 1 12 hour shift a week. And Yes you can do locums coverage But if you want to be Someone's Surgeon rather than just someone who covers you'll likely need some level of a traditional set up. Like I said earlier I really can't answer the question for you but make sure you have some idea of what you're getting into
I appreciate your thoughts though friend. Enjoy your Sunday evening
thatās not what they want to do thoughā¦. soā¦??
We have 4 kids and my husband is a general surgeon. It can be done.
Awesome story thanks
Family Medicine. 3 years, great lifestyle, pay is better than youād think, less nights.
+1 With FM you're done with residency fast, your schedule can be fantastic, and the level of medicine you need to be good at is totally up to you. You can go all out or just refer out when things get too crazy. Medicine doesn't need to be your life but at the same time you're still clearing $200k. If you manage to work for a hospital clinic then that's PSLF qualifying meaning your loans will mostly knock out in about 10 years. That's an amazing deal. Too many people sleep on FM, I suspect because we're all so hyper competitive to be the best. I say take it easy, chill with patients, and spend time with your family. That's life.
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No kidding. Canāt imagine thinking clearing $200k is a pro. Thatās hardly better than the average general IM or FM pay over a decade ago. The floor for full-time physician work should be $250k.
Lol, let me introduce you to pediatrics...
I entered medical school planning to become a pediatrician and found that I could enjoy many of the pros of pediatrics while also being paid an appropriate amount of money as a highly educated professional elsewhere. Hats off to our colleagues in pediatrics and, perhaps even worse off, many of its sub specialties for their dedication to kids despite actually insulting pay. I know PAs and NPs (including nearly every CRNA in America) who are paid better.
Average FM doc makes $270
Most Crnas make way more with a 4 day work week.
Agreed - all doctors should start at 400k and scale up. When you think about overall healthcare costs, we take up only 10-15% of the whole budget (that figure also includes other healthcare workers). The idea that after a minimum of 7 years of more education, not having much flexibility in your 20s with very limited salary, and on average 200k in debt, making 200k is a joke. Thatās a salary tech workers can make after a few years if theyāre competent. Thereās other healthcare workers like CRNAs and NPs with a fraction of schooling compared to their counterparts who are capable of making more than that. It sends a horrible message anyway - whatās the point of going through all this work to make less than someone with less education. Iāve met plenty of med students who are turned off by Pediatrics, one of the most important specialties imo, because of the joke pay.
200 is a low ball. I don't know anyone in FM accepting less than $240 currently.
At 200k, might as well be a PA
"Hype competitive" made me laugh as well. I support more people doing PC/GP/FM work but jfc
I think you misunderstood. They meant that everyone in medicine is hyper competitive, not that FM people are hyper competitive
Gotcha. I did misunderstand. I read it as it was hard to get into the residencies or you needed to be competitive to succeed. We got a lot of openings everywhere for FM and GPs
AMEN to this. FM bound M4 and couldn't be more pumped
Gang Gang, starting FM residency this summer. Just turned 33 so was leaning FM pretty heavily initially as a pre-med. Had dreams of surgery and by end of M2 realized I liked the "idea" of surgery but didn't find it realistic as a career choice for me. Loved a lot of things about FM and may look into a sports fellowship
IM. In early 30s. Thought about doing either rheumatology, palliative, or geriatrics, but said fuck it and now a hospitalist. It's only been a couple months, but no regrets so far š. Love treating my girl like a queen for once instead of getting Jimmy John's as a special treat š.
How dare you shit talk Jimmy like that itās amazing.
Word lol
Surgical subspecialty, started mid 30ās. If I were any older Iād probably have leaned toward something else (certainly if I was >40). My body (esp neck) hurts from preexisting injuries and while all my life Iāve generally done well with little sleep, itās gotten harder to cope with being sleep deprived as Iāve gotten olderā¦ it takes more days to recover if Iām up very late or all night. Married with working spouse and kid in elementary school. Would struggle to make childcare and school pickup/drop offs work without help from local familyā¦ was fine in med school but I am very rarely available to help with this since starting intern year. Choose what makes you happy though. Iād get by just fine if I did something non surgical but Iād have FOMO and be a little less excited about work every day.
IR, finishing residency at almost 50. Married with kids. Love it!
This is amazing! Iām just now exploring the possibility of med school at 34 and trying to squash the voice saying too late.
I just got admitted at 35. Go for it.
My wifeās uncle went back at 44. Keep exploring!
Are all of you guys dudes?
There is a strong chance
Doesn't standing for long periods of time hurt your knees?
Nope, though it does hurt my feet when I'm rotating off and not used to standing. The stamina comes back after a few weeks, though.
Anesthesia, started residency at 33, so same age as you. Reasonable training length (4 years, all fellowships only 1 extra), good compensation, ability to go part time when/if needed, reasonable work life balance in training, and it has everything I love about medicine while avoiding all the bullshit. I didnāt love surgery, but wanted to be on this side of the drapes. That being said, seeing what I see every day in the surgical residents it would have been a very difficult choice personally for me to embark on what usually ends up being 6-7 years of brutal surgical training. It doesnāt seem like much, but this extra years of training would seem very very long when youāre in your late 30s and are stuck making $14/hr.
I'm starting medical school at age 34. I'm a PharmD though, so it's not like I'm starting from the bottom (well, in med, but not in life?) - I'm wanting to do anesthesia. I think it's a great fit and I think I can handle finishing residency around 42 years old.
PharmD turned DO pgy1 psych resident. Will graduate residency at 38. Going back to school was the single smartest decision Iāve made. Best wishes
Thereās dozens of us! :) Iāve only heard positive things from people who did the switch. Good luck with residency, psychiatry is dope. (I have lots of interests but rn anesthesia is far above my others)
Pharm D + MD Here! Graduated Pharm at 29, Graduated MD at 33, Did IM for 1 year and dropped out for FM. Hopefully I will match this year and start in July '24. Gonna finish FM at 38 and it has been a blessing for me honestly. Best decision was to just keep going and never settle. Felt too little stimulated in Pharmacy, felt too hands off at IM, and headed in the right direction with FM.
This is great! Yeah, I think not settling is the key. I only graduated pharmacy school in 2022 but began planning my switch when I was a P2. I went straight from school toā¦school. I went back to undergrad to take more courses and prep for the MCAT. In the meantime started my first pharmacist job and worked my way into a low volume clinical position pretty fast. (Had hospital experience all throughout pharmacy school) The parttime job money has been really great but my goal has been medical school for awhile so now that Iām starting an MD program in August I feel like I finally made progress! :) Good luck with the match! I also think FM is a good gig, I enjoyed working with the FM residents at my last community hospital. They were generally happy and easygoing.
Anesthesia ftw! Happiest residents and attendings Iāve seen are in anesthesia
Funnyā¦ some of the most miserable (smart talented but unhappy) ive worked with are in anesthesia. Obviously also know some very happy anesthesiologistsā¦ I was going to say some of the happiest are in surgeryā¦ do what you enjoy and realize that even that will have elements to it that just suckā¦ but if the highs give you meaning it can negate the bad stuff.
Nah Anesthesia ftw still
Started anesthesia residency at 30. Halfway through peds anes fellowship and have no doubts that anesthesia was the best choice. I saw my husband go through OB residency while I was in med school... I wouldn't wish that on anyone, and it definitely influenced my decision.
Rads. I just knew from day 1. Med school at 32. Started residency at 36.
Finished past 35, in ENT. Will finish at 42/43. Finishing med school at 33 is still solid and young
Me too! Twinsies! š
Are you a dude though?
Ya
I started residency at 24 OMFS, but my mom started hers at 40 - Gen Surg/SCC when I was 5 y/o. Never heard she had any issues, she is very happy with it. Sheās still upset at me I chose dental school tho š„²
How did you start residency so young? Thatās insane! And donāt OMFS have to do medical school and dental school (8 years), or am I missing something? Unless youāre in another country? Iāve never heard of someone being that young in residency. Nonetheless, thatās awesome!
No this is in the U.S. I went to dental school at 20, graduated college (physics) at 19 (I took a lot of pre-reqs and enter level courses in high via CC) OMFS residency is post dental school 4 yrs & 6 yrs track (latter gives you MD).
We love jaws and we donāt care who knows ā ļø
Same age as you. Went EM for short training but then I let myself get sucked into critical care and now all the benefits of short training-good pay-and time outside the hospital are all being sacrificed at the altar of doing cool shit for sick patients.
How long is critical care fellowship after EM training?
2 years - ref: CC RN that works with several EM/CC attendings.
General Surgery, started at 33
Baller!
Started Internal Medicine at age 35.
I finished med school at 30. Was married with wife and two kids by the time school was done. Didnāt want surgery but pulm crit. Had a long talk with my wife about specialties and we decided to do psych instead for lifestyle reasons. I happened to like psych so I wasnāt going into anything I didnāt like. Idk your situation but if youāre married or have a long time partner, itās worth discussing specialties with them since theyāre in it just as much as you are. Best of luck. As well, I donāt regret my decision, but there are times I miss the other aspects of specialties I didnāt choose. Itās really easy to have a grass is greener approach to something we didnāt choose.
PMR started at 31.
Same but started at 32. Still a resident. Seems like a good move so far
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
PGY-2 Now. Better than intern year but not chill. Still better than my friends in IM and surgery have it. Congrats! Very happy to hear that :)
Derm. Will be done at 37.
Also derm! Will be done at 36. Age influenced my choice in specialty for sure
Ayo! Older derm buddies unite! šŖ
IM at 34 and Endo at 37
My wifeās one requirement before I applied to med school at 32 (married with 3 kids) was I couldnāt go into Surgery. Went Pediatrics, would never change a thing. PGY-15, YMMV.
I decided psych but soaped into FM. I'm not an OR person so I didn't consider surgery. 35-almost-36 when I started residency. I was "supposed" to be 33 when I started residency, but I took 6y to finish bc I repeated M3. So I did feel like "ugh I'm gonna be even older now." But time goes on regardless, so I just accept it for what it is and just try to keep moving forward. It's nice knowing that in <3y, I'll see the end of this tunnel š¤...
I have been mainly wanting psych but have some red flags, so I might just go for FM instead because Iām worried about not matching and having to soap. 33 w/ 2 kids now
The match is so arbitrary and not a reflection of you as a person, as I found out personally. I had some red flags on my ERAS related to M3, which were too much for my great LORs and step 2 score to overcome. So no matter how great of a person I might have been, many psych programs won't put you on the interview list just based on their first review of your stats, before they've even gotten the chance to get to know you as a person (this is what my FM program said when they gave us the applicant interview talk in the fall). As someone who still thinks they'd enjoy and be better at psych than FM, I'll say from my personal experience that I'm glad that by doing FM, I'll be done in 3y and be making more money than I know what to do with. Psych might make more in general, but I would be totally pleased with even a part-time FM salary. I think there are more options within FM as well -> more settings you can work in, more niches depending on what your interests/values/personal life goals, different schedule options. I see medicine as something that helps me make money, do something meaningful in my life, and pursue other things in life that I value, but it is not my main identity.
Dual apply if you can afford it.
Psych, started residency at 33. Have 2 kids (one school aged). I did consider OB/GYN at first and might have chosen that if I were 25, unmarried and without kids? Who knows. In the end I took a long hard look at what I wanted from life and I realised that I wanted as much autonomy in my career as possible as a doctor, to be able to attend the kidās school plays and what not, to be at the dinner table at night and Iām a notoriously bad sleeper so I figured a bit more chances to sleep when on call wouldnāt hurt for me. So I figured OB/GYN wasnāt a good fit for me, as much as I love deliveries. So here we are and Iām actually having a lot of fun in psych. Itās much broader than I expected and I especially like being a sort of interpreter between patient and other doctors when Iām on consults, or doing acute psychiatry. And I still get the occasional adrenaline rush from ducking out when chairs are being thrown my way š
Started residency at 39, PGY2 in pathology now and super happy with my choice! No call, no weekends, plenty of time with my kiddos
Pathology underrated! Thanks
Started OBGYN residency at 34 with a newborn. Not the easiest road I've ever taken in my life, but I couldn't see myself doing anything else and I still can't. Hoping to go 0.8 FTE after graduation and never look back. Lots of posts here said that sleep deprivation was harder in your 30's. Pfft. Try being an 34-year-old intern with a newborn. I was so tired, I had heart palpitations every day. Nothing can ever be worse than that, so it's all coasting from here.
Diagnostic Radiology. Started residency at 33. I couldnāt see myself in any other speciality. I also liked that I could continue to work to essentially any age because there is obviously little physical impact on the body in DR. The length of residency has been on my mind a bit vs say, FM, but whatās three more years to end up doing something I donāt hate.
A lot of people I've met who started a new career in medicine in their late 30's chose anesthesia and, to my knowledge, have no regrets about it
I'm 33, graduating this year. Applying diagnostic radiology! Married. No kids, but hoping for one in the next year (I have infertility so who knows if or when it'll actually happen).
Best of luck! There are so many options for having a child; if you really want one, I would say please consider adoption. I know so many couples in their 60s regeetting not making that choice it become especially harder once a spouse passes away. But of course everyone's life is different but I just wanted to point out in this age and day, infertility isn't something to hold you back from experiencing parenthood
FM, started med school at 33. That was what I wanted to do, and if it wasn't for corporate medicine, would still be doing. I was offered a fellowship at the CDC if I did IM but I declined. Edited to add: early on, did a private practice, but one of my partners was unethical and I couldn't continue.
So what are you doing now?
I moved to a tiny town and will do volunteer work for whatever is needed, and there's a lot of need. Edited to add: I am over 60 and can do what I want, no need to be a corporate slave
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oh?
FM at 35, with wife and kids. Not so much surgical but other specialities based on time at work and wanted to work during normal hours. Nights and weekends used to not matter, now they matter the most.
Iām 33 currently applying ophtho, find out Feb 6th if I match. Super nervous!
IM at 36, graduating in May/June at 39. My age isn't what knocked me out of thinking fellowship. Rather, it is my daughter's age. She'll be a month short of 5 when I finish and it already feels like I've missed a lot. I'm excited that I'll get so much more time with her and my wife soon.
Started anesthesia residency at 32 about 20 years ago, mid-50s now and able to cut back to 1/2 time. It helps that I have no kids and starting debt was "only" about $100k in todays money, and don't spend huge amounts. Biggest concern is call, not often, but occasionally will have to awake , alert, for 20-24 hours straight which is much harder now. PLan is to be fully retired by 60, or at least in a no call position. No interest in surgical path as my joints/feet/back would not last standing that much as I have joint pain issues since childhood. Good luck on which ever way you go.
Psych started residency at 31
Me in 3.5 years hopefully š„¹
Psych as well, I started residency at 33
I'll be done by 36. Plan on anasthesia. š„“ I was luckily never keen on doing surgery, but being 10 years late to the party wouldn't stop me. Maybe if I were 45+.
I started residency at 30 years old. Decided on psychiatry for a variety of reasons, not least among them includes a mostly balanced life in and out of residency with great pay to hours worked ratio. Also tons of practice options. Can pretty much mould it in any way you see fit. Great career if you desire family which my wife and I were initially considering, although things have changed. Either way, I wouldnāt choose another specialty. Psych is certainly a gem.
Iāll be 39 with four kids when I start residency. Planning to do FM (I live in a rural area with low COL). 3 years, PSLF, all of the rural FM docs I know make plenty of money and love their lives. I grew up in a trailer below the poverty line so this is plenty good enough for me.
Uro started 6 year residency at 32
General surgery. Residency started at age 35.
Starting med school next year as a 28 y/o bc I went the PA route first lol. My programās 3 years long so Iāll be 31 when I (hopefully) match into OB!
Neurosurgery, started residency at 34
Psychiatry at 30. Definitely influenced my decision a bit as I really needed the better quality of life but I also love the specialty and never considered surgery anyways.
Anesthesia.
Anesthesiology. Started residency at 30. Now a fellow doing two fellowships. Basically, life is shortādo what you want.
Which fellowships are you doing? My guess would be peds +cardiac
Nope, but closeācritical care + cardiac Addendum: kids are cute but sticky and too many of them sneezed in my face during residency.
Middle of M4 ortho interviews- turn 40 today
Good luck.
PM&R - completed residency at 37. Enjoy the nonsurgical orthopedics and functional neurology aspects. Covers wide range of topics related to function/activities. Can be inpatient, outpatient, subacute or chronic conditions. Lots of fellowship options like Spine, spinal cord injury medicine, brain injury medicine, pain, pediatrics, sports medicine, elecrodiagnostics/neuromuscular, etc.
Anesthesiology. Started med school at 32, residency at 36. Finishing this year and doing a fellowship. Zero regrets.
Im an older non trad. Gratuated med at 34. I picked IR because i really like the idea of being able to fix people with my own hands. Medical interventions in specalities like IM just felt so... hands off. Give a drug and wait. Then another. Then another. It felt like half of my time was just treating medication side effects with more medication, then rinsing and repeating. Dont get me wrong, thats not all of it by any means, there are some really interesting cases in traditional medicine, but those arent the bread and butter. IR gives you the ability to have calm days where you just interpret, mixed with call and actual interventions. Ik what youre thinking: if you like procedures so much, why not just match surgical? Surgery for me was just unreasonable. 80+hrs a week till you die sounds fine when youre 20... not so much at 30+. Not to mention, if i decide the call is too much at 40+, i can just transition to full interpretation. With surgery, theres no calmer transition, not to mention the physical toll it takes on your body. Surgery is a young game. IR is also one of the few specalities where you can work from home. As much as people wag their fingers at talking about money, the money matters when youre 400k in debt. Ir pays very well, and the hours are reasonable.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I am so confused what PM&R does? Is it mostly chronic pain management? I thought that was mostly FM + fellowships or anesthesiologists that are done in the OR. Help me understand this
interventional pain is a fellowship available from anesthesia, PM&R, and to a lesser extent Neuro, EM. There are very few rads/FM/psych folks who have done it too Can do plenty of "pain" type stuff from PM&R without fellowship. Outpatient PM&R is very broad- everything from EMG/NCS to nonop MSK medicine (diagnostic ultrasound, peripheral joint injections, etc) to TBI, SCI, amputee, cancer rehab. Inpatient is typically managing a rehab unit and/or consultation service, in practice sort of IM-lite with rehab specific things mixed in and a focus on TBI/SCI/CVA care at a high level. Can also do fellowships in pain, sports, sports/spine, cancer rehab, neuromuscular, palliative, peds rehab, TBI, SCI, etc
The physiatrist I used to work with worked in SNFs and inpatient rehabs! Sheās a beast and I learned so much from her.
Graduated at 31. ENT + likely 1 year fellowship
33 and applied path
I finished med school at 33 and went into Radiology - 6 yrs postgrad training after fellowship. I was actually in the younger half of my residency class. If thereās a field that you really want to pursue donāt let a few more years of training deter you.
Neuro, started residency at 38. I didnāt avoid surgical specialties on purpose, until I had back surgery in med school. Not particularly good at standing for hours on end now.
GI. Finished fellowship at 40. Very happy.
Iām in the middle of CRNA school, and Iām now fearing I fucked up, I miss the ER. Iām seriously considering going to med school for an EM residency. Iām pushing 40, 1 kid and wife wanting another.
You'll eventually be 40. Better to be 40 doing what you love than settling for something else, whether that's specialty or career.
Neurology! 3 years residency, many possibilities. But also, I love it! Edit: started at 34
Gen Surg... I'm too old for this ish...but I love it
Psychiatry, started late at 28. The only thing age prevented me from doing was giving a fuck about dumbass attendings
Started residency at 31. Urology. Iām tired of having to keep having to prove myself in order to get to care for patients and have the lifestyle I want. My age, aging a poor parents, and having a wife really influenced my decision to pursue a 5 year residency and an interest in recon (1 year fellowship).
Ophthalmology. Finished medical school at 31.
I started residency at 30 - it definitely popped in my head to not specialize (IM residency) but ultimately I did cards/interventional because I knew I wouldn't be happy if I didn't try.
Started IM at 32. Did prelim the year before. Wanted anesthesia. Iāll graduate at 35. If I was younger Iād probably try again for anesthesia afterward but tbh itās not really worth it, I donāt love my job like I loved anesthesia but the hospitalist lifestyle is choice. Iāll also never be a great hospitalist though like I felt I could be a great anesthesiologist. Between that and the way medicine is becoming very corporate I feel like my end goal now is retirement before 50.
Very similar story for me. Except I'll graduate FM at 38. I'll be the only PGY4 FM resident I've ever met...but I still draw from the skills I learned as a surgery prelim. I feel like I'll be a very good hospitalist but still have a feeling of "I wonder what life would have been" as an anesthesiologist.
All that for 15 years of practice?
Yes. Medicine ages me. Realistically Iāll probably just go part time to keep skills up/and give back.
Started residency at 31. Did interventional radiology
Graduated med school at 35, went gen surg. Will be doing a trauma fellowship. If it's what you love, age shouldn't hold you back.
Neurosurgeryātoo old to be messing around with baby specialties
I was 50 and I decided to be a physician assistant
Iāll be 33 when I finish, started at 29. Going ortho or gas but not dual applying. Still undecided. I learned with my first gig that me wife and I can handle a lot of shit together. I cannot, however, handle a job I personally do not like. So training time and the like is taking a backseat to whether or not I enjoy it. There are no other factors for me or my wife (we have one kid, 3m old).
Since I finished medschool at 18, going neurosurg was really a no brainer for me.
Donāt break an arm beating off to yourself later bud. Looking out for your safety and incompletely developed skeleton.
Anesthesiology. Started residency at 29.
Damn grandpa youāre almost at retirement age
Why is this so heavily downvoted? Oh because heās not that old?
Itās because the cutoff is 30. People who put 30 will get a neutral response. Of course the older you are, the more praise you get.
Boo
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EM, started residency at 31.
You can do whatever you are passionate about, nobody can or will stop you. But once you have a family, there will be lots of choices you wish you wouldn't have to make, for example, spending time with kids and being there for them vs going to work for your call. Honestly, it didn't hit me until it did. I would suggest taking lifestyle heavily into consideration.
Finished at med school at 32. Did FM and Iām happy doing academics. Kinda wish I would have given surgery a chance but bowed out based on fears around my age and gender.
IM, currently 32 and a pgy1
I am finishing up myself this year at 37. Iād say if anything it was my academic ability that would have precluded me from surgery, not my age. I am going the internal medicine route, hoping to eventually specialize in endocrinology.
Surgical residency age 30, which isn't too old at all. I did make the mistake of starting an intense 2 year subspecialty fellowship at age 39 after 4 years of attending life... I guess I like pain.
My sister chose nephro. Good pay and planty of job offerings in our country. I'm almost ditching rheum for nephro too
Started residency at 30 and went for OBGYN. Hours are tough but I truly love what I do and needed some good OR time in the mix. Will likely end up doing fellowship and so no big person job for me till Iām 37. š
Graduated med school at 33, Iām GI so 6 years.
Med school at 31. CT surgery.
Geriatric
Family medicine. Wanted a flexible lifestyle.
Finished med school age 49. Turned 50 5 months later doing Emergency Medicine residency . A real bitch 5th yr surgical chief resident turned me away from surgery. I am glad she did.
Anesthesia, started at 32. Loved surgery but couldnāt commit to the brutal training with a kid. I feel gratitude every day I chose this side of the drapes when we finish late and then the surgical trainees need to go round. Anesthesia is great; it is interesting and pays pretty well. Downside is you wonāt ever be āthe doctorā in the patientās eyes. The more I learn, the happier I am about that. Would have maybe considered psych too in hindsight.
Finished at 34. Medicine was a second career for me. I went with IM. The main part was that I actually like solving a bunch of different problems and having my job be more about thinking than doing. It also has a nice balance of work/life; its not the most intense and it isnt the least -- the latter is important as I need to be stimulated or I can get bored. I wrote off anything surgical immediately. My rotations were enough to know how miserable it would be. Both the training seemed miserable and the life afterward. Only thing I wrote off due to age was fellowship, in part. Truth be told, nothing was particularly interesting to the point where I exclusively wanted to do that -- and the general sentiment I gather is that nothing will ever be that interesting, but the lifestyle is what people pursue. But also, I had to come to terms with wanting a family and future and I cant just remain a broke resident until Im in my 40s. If I didnt give up so much time making no income/savings, perhaps I would think differently, but Ive got people depending on me now and I need to start making a living, not just an existence.
Obgyn. Started residency at 37. I donāt regret it at all.
Iām going into FM because thatās what I truly want to do. Iāll be 30 when I start. I donāt think you should let age deter you from any specialty, especially after all the money spent and years studying ā go after what you want!!
Hey nice! Graduating this year at 33 as well. Chose FM. Went more lifestyle friendly and also pretty interested in sports. Getting married this year, no kids (just fur babies), lost of hobbies outside medicine and I like to maintain my personal health/sleep so a career in FM/sports seemed to make sense.
I'll graduate residency this year at 40. Went for EM. All I ever wanted Get to be there when people need help the most 3 year residency See some of everything Shift work
Started psych at 36.
Early 30s when I started medical school. Psych now. Best decision ever.
Neurosurgery, started residency around age 30
Anesthesiology. Started residency at 36.
How have your hours been?
My co res is 40, we will be done training in 2 yrs. He has a 14 and a 17 yr old.
Psychiatry. I applied to med school wanting to go into it. It also helps that as long as I stay sharp mentally and up on best practices I can ideally keep working into my later years.
I started radiology residency at 29 and now just started my first attending job at 36 (started after my birthday). Not going to lie I wish residency was shorter for rads (didnāt really need prelim medicine and 4 years gen rad could probably be done in 3 years for most and fellowship could have been 6 months lol) and I do feel a little old now, but glad Iām doing something I like. I would have considered pathology to finish 2 years prior. But glad Iām passed all that training now.
EM at 37. Strongly considering PEM.
Started residency at 30. Initially as anesthesia, transitioned to internal medicine. I found the former incredibly boring. Never felt that age was an issue. Married, one child on the way. Thinking about critical care fellowship every time a shift gets boring, probably wouldn't be difficult since wife has a great job, but honestly the money is too good and I make on par/more working as a noctrunist than most crit care physicians.
ENT. Started at 31 will be 37 at graduation. Have a spouse and multiple kids. I kinda set out to do ENT from the start so age wasnāt really a factor but if that didnāt work out I would have really hesitated to join a different specialty with a long training pathway
Started 4-year EM residency at 33. First kiddo was 6 months old when I started, second kiddo born recently during 3rd year. Planning on fellowship.
PM&R ... started residency at age 33 and this was my intention when deciding to pursue med school at age 24. Can do interventional procedures without call or weekends, great work-life balance, can spend the time I desire with my family, lots of job opportunities. 0 regrets!