Identity crisis
For the most part, I've enjoyed every rotation that I've done. I haven't been able to see myself doing every one for the rest of my life, but I enjoyed the time I spent learning that specialty. The one exception was psychiatry. I thought it was interesting at times, especially when an undiagnosed bipolar patient came to the office in a manic phase. The poor guy had just bought an $80,000 boat in addition to the $40,000 boat he already possessed. He had recently started a new business and was working like crazy. In our 1 hour intake session he spoke more words than I say in entire week. Anyway, my point is that I enjoy almost everything about medicine.
Next year I will begin a residency in internal medicine. It's a great general residency as it is a gateway to many of the sub-specialties. I had originally intended on family medicine. I grew up in a small town and wanted to be a family doc in small rural town. That changed during the second year of medical school when I loved the renal system and began thinking about nephrology. I later did a renal rotation and couldn't see myself in the field. I did however absolutely love my GI rotation. As a gastroenterologist I would have the perfect mix of procedures, hospital and clinic. I couldn't do something that was void of procedures. I do understand that colonoscopies are part of the GI schedule but it really isn't as bad as you would think.
Now I have done a rotation in anesthesia. I can't believe how much I enjoy it after only 5 days. I think back to my second year of medical school where I thought it would actually be cool to be an anesthesiologist and wonder why I let that thought lapse from my options. I could honestly see myself doing this for the rest of my life.
The fact that I am considering either of these specialties is serendipitous. I did GI because I thought that it might be good information to have for family medicine. I never thought I could possibly enjoy it enough to consider it as a specialty. I am doing an anesthesia rotation because a good friend of mine is applying for anesthesia residency and talks about how great it is all the time. It has been almost by chance that my future has been decided.
The good thing about internal medicine is that I could do either GI or anesthesia. Anesthesia requires one year of either internal medicine or general surgery, followed by 3 years of anesthesia residency. GI requires a full three year internal medicine residency followed by a 3 year GI fellowship. Either way, I will be well positioned for the future. Now all I have to do is decide which future.
posted by Drew @ 8:18 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
It's interesting that you mention psychiatry. From my personal experience, I feel that the mind is one of the last most unexplored frontiers in medicine. Perhaps being in medicine, you have some views on the growing trend to treating mental disorders and depression with drugs instead of psychotherapy? I tend to believe the worst, and that this trend is because of financial interests, but perhaps I'm biased.
You might want to read the book 'The Gift of Therapy' by Irvin Yalom. He would be the therapist I wished I had; compassionate, empathetic, and extremely intelligent.
TG
My very first rotation was family medicine and I was surprised so find that about 1/4 to 1/3 of all my patients were on an anti-depressant of some kind. I would have to lean toward thinking that we are overcalling depression a bit. I also think that people want a pill to fix anything so instead of waiting it out a bit or trying other treatment methods, we automatically prescribe the drug. I don't know a lot about psychiatry though so it is hard for me to say with any authority. I also do not know an awful lot about psychotherapy since the psychiatrist I worked with didn't use it all that much. The brain is still largely a mystery to us though, so until we know more it's hard to say definitely one way or the other.
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