Grass is always greener.....are you happy with your choice of specialty?

[Tim]

Do you want a mid level as your PCP?

No. How do you find a good PCP? Serious question. Half of the PCP's aren't accepting new patients! No idea the workload (scheduling) or how they actually practice.
Not a complaint, it is just I have no idea if I would just be a block on the schedule. I really feel like a monkey throwing darts. Sorry, I don't rely on the ratings on the website. Maybe I should but I have read so many tales of woe the 4.8, 4.9 and 5.0 seem to be the norm. Earliest appointment is in Aug 7. Only one of 9 shows open appointments.
Looks like a DO
from Lake Erie College of Medicine in Fla. No clue what I am getting.

"Your money (and that of your insurance company) going into his wallet, is the biggest concern that Dr. XXXX has. For example, Dr. XXXX tells you that your insurance company policy forbids him from renewing your routine prescriptions, during your visit to him, for your annual physical exam. You must make a SEPARATE new visit to get your routine prescriptions! That’s what he told me, at least). Now WHY would your insurance company deliberately require extra office visits, and more insurance m"

One star rating on Healthgrades excerpt above. 13 5star and 9 1star for a 3.4 average. Clear as mud. In my area, referrals will be in the same group regardless of the specialty. But, 4.8 on the hospital's website.

It is a jungle out there finding PCP's. You guys need to get paid more!

[Panscan]

Rad here. Big representation in the thread and I echo much of what is stated above.

We are also aggressively recruiting, but it is not easy in my neck of the woods. Studies have to be read. Admin looks at turnaround time with a magnifying glass. Then, under the same breath, ask why findings are missed and what is an acceptable miss rate! Some rads are fast and incredibly accurate, but not all. No rad is 100%.

Being understaffed means much higher potential for making more money (100k+ more than expected). As a relatively younger rad who trained in brutal conditions on call, I am somewhat desensitized to attending life brutal conditions. I do fear burnout will someday catch up to me.

One last point not mentioned is the ability to work from home for daytime shifts. A truly amazing perk! Can’t imagine any other specialty with the same salary that can compete.

It’s funny because it seems everyone says they are recruiting yet the job market is overall pretty neutral. Personally I think many PP rads are out of touch with what perspective job candidates desire(said as someone who recently accepted a PP position). Hence why tele is proliferating. PP has failed to innovate and respond to the market as a whole, hence they’re losing the battle.

[molar roller]

Not a physician - dentist, but very happy that when I decided to go to dental or medical school, it was too late to take MCATs for that year but just made it to DATs.
In school, I thought I had made the wrong choice. 25 yrs later, very pleased with it.
But it's great that most MDs here are very happy with their choice too. On Dentaltown forum, there is a lot more complaining and regret.

[CordMcNally]

do you think eventually FM, EM and the basic primary care stuff can AND should be handled by 'mid-levels' ??

And physicians will all be specialist or even sub specialist?

Or do you want to see a mid level with no
physician oversight when you go to the ER with an actual emergency? I sure as ************************ don’t.

[HikingDO]

I’m noticing a theme, rads and path, with little or no direct patient care, seem happy, while those with direct patient care are a mixed bag.

[Sundance]

With General Surgery I still enjoy when things go well. When things don't, that's taken more of a toll than I expected. I could probably trudge through for 10 more years if I had to, but there's a reason why I'm going part time after getting FI. I don't regret choosing the specialty though.

I couldn't picture myself doing anything else in medicine as a physician. I would probably enjoy being a first assist more as I love operating but hate the stress and worry of complications or poor outcomes.

If not medicine, I'd probably be doing something with my hands. I really enjoyed volunteering for habitat for humanity and 'helping' build houses.

I’m in cardiology with a similar take. Over the years the bad piles up. I think it’s hard to relate when you’re hands are directly tied to bad outcomes.. even if of no fault of your own.

to me it perhaps it’s like a soldier that can only take combat for so long - eventually that fatigue wears you out (for some)

Nice thing about cards is you can quit the tough stuff and just do clinic or read imaging studies. I can do that until I’m 90 if I had to

so the versatility in cardiology is nice..as well as the money., call and lifestyle sucks though.

[GoBlueMD]

Rad here. Big representation in the thread and I echo much of what is stated above.

We are also aggressively recruiting, but it is not easy in my neck of the woods. Studies have to be read. Admin looks at turnaround time with a magnifying glass. Then, under the same breath, ask why findings are missed and what is an acceptable miss rate! Some rads are fast and incredibly accurate, but not all. No rad is 100%.

Being understaffed means much higher potential for making more money (100k+ more than expected). As a relatively younger rad who trained in brutal conditions on call, I am somewhat desensitized to attending life brutal conditions. I do fear burnout will someday catch up to me.

One last point not mentioned is the ability to work from home for daytime shifts. A truly amazing perk! Can’t imagine any other specialty with the same salary that can compete.

[runfast00]

do you think eventually FM, EM and the basic primary care stuff can AND should be handled by 'mid-levels' ??

And physicians will all be specialist or even sub specialist?

Good question. I do colonoscopy/EGD in my FM practice and at a recent CME conference I heard that in England those 'simple' procedures are now being handled by nurses since 'routine procedures' are 'routine'.

I'd like to think I am compensated for the risk and the cognitive work of a complex diagnosis [recent example: low back pain turned out to be metastatic ovarian cancer]

[Brains428]

I'd pick radiology 9 times out of 10. I'd probably pick some surgical subspecialty the 10th time (ortho probably). I get to know some esoteric stuff and use it. I talk to a variety of clinicians. It's nice to make a good call sometimes and be helpful. My days are busy, which is preferred. Pay is better than many. Lots of vacation time to learn other stuff.

Drawbacks- probably not a good subspecialty if you get a lot out of people telling you do a good job. That is pretty rare.

[Rando]

10 years in private practice FM.

I wouldn't do it again. FM is so broad and practice creep with mid-levels. The financial liability isn't worth the financial rewards.

Even in the first 10 years in practice I have seen less respect, less autonomy, more paperwork, and less revenue per hour in practice. And most days I still love my job because I see a difference by helping my patients become healthier or guide them through a complex disease.

If I did it again maybe I would have done ENT or dermatology.

FP over 30 years and I have to agree with this. Family medicine has changed so much. If I could do it over I would go with GI or ophthalmology, though I'm sure they can become a grind like anything else.. I really enjoyed doing flex sigs way back when and enjoyed my optho rotations quite a bit. Sounds like optho has changed a lot though based on some of the posts.

[HikingDO]

do you think eventually FM, EM and the basic primary care stuff can AND should be handled by 'mid-levels' ??

And physicians will all be specialist or even sub specialist?

Do you want a mid level as your PCP?

[abds]

I like my job and enjoy my work, but I think part of that is my excellent practice and partners (knock on wood). I would definitely do ortho again regardless. I think I woulda been happy with plastics or ENT too as I have several friends in those specialties.

[SerrateAndDominate]

As a pathologist whose mistakes are out there forever on a slide (or in a tissue block), I empathize.

At least for 10 years

[SerrateAndDominate]

do you think eventually FM, EM and the basic primary care stuff can AND should be handled by 'mid-levels' ??

And physicians will all be specialist or even sub specialist?

can, likely.

Should be, absolutely not

[artemis]

The thing with Radiology that's unique is that every one of our mistakes is forever out there on the image. That's not true in most of medicine. The missed heart murmur, or the palpable breast mass that didn't get palpated is never revealed to others like the missed breast cancer on a mammogram.

As a pathologist whose mistakes are out there forever on a slide (or in a tissue block), I empathize.