Just some questions about having a career in medicine… PLEASE answers would be nice!?
ByQuestion: So I am definitely interested in going into medicine, so here are some questions:
First I am trying to decide what kind of doctor I would like to be, and my top two choices at the moment are Neurologist and Internist (internal medicine)
I like Neurology because the nervous system and it’s functions fascinate me. I like Internal medicine because it just seems like something I would enjoy.
Can neurology be a sub-specialty of internal medicine?
And also, do internists see a lot of blood & guts stuff?
Drawing blood, minor cuts that involve sutures, and surgical rounds wouldn’t bother me; but hands on, “putting guts back into crash victims while they bleed everywhere” stuff is NOT what I want to do.
I’m okay with “controlled” gore, ya know?
To reiterate:
Can neurology be a sub-specialty of internal medicine?
Do internists see excessive gore?
thanks*
So I just watch an online surgery and I thought it was interesting rather than gross… nothing like those gorey gross sites.
About the human anatomy class in med school; What is it like to dissect the cadaver? Is there a way to be impersonal and desensitize yourself? Is the worst part honesty the smell?
Wow I’m a worry wort… lol.
2 Comments
February 8th, 2010 at 8:57 am
no and no. However, based on your current level of knowledge, I’m assuming you aren’t even in medical school yet. You will get to experience a lot of different specialties in medical school and go through them during your internship. Once you have tested them all out, you’ll have a better idea of what you want to do. PLENTY of time to decide.
February 8th, 2010 at 9:39 am
To answer your question, Neurologist must complete
Four years of premedical education in a college or university
Four years of medical school resulting in an MD or DO degree
One year internship in either internal medicine or medicine/surgery
At least 3 years of specialty training in an accredited neurology residency program
Neurologist are not internists – they only have a one year general medicine internship not a multi year internal med residency. They do not take the same board exams.
As far as Internal Med residents – they are required in nearly every program to complete rotations in surgery meaning that they participate in surgery and they may include trauma cases. I worked these areas
and had times in the operating room where blood running off my elbows. You have to be able to deal with blood and guts in your training even if you don’t like it. You will be doing work in med school with dead bodies so if you can’t handle this – it is not a field for you.
Internists in most areas these days do not do much of anything involving “blood and guts” back a few decades ago rural areas had GP surgeons who worked emergency cases because that was all there was. It may still happen in some places, but I don’t know of any. Internists have a hard job in that they get paid less and yet their job tends to take more time than specialists spend with patients.
Some things to bear in mind.
Every doctor who does not work directly for a hospital like a VA doctor, is a small business man or woman and has the same issues involving time, employee issues and cash flow management. You must not only be a good doctor but a good business man.
Secondly, choosing a specialty before training is like buying a car when you haven’t looked at all the models. You will find yourself drawn to certain areas in training. That is when you really decide.
If medicine is a passion then you will succeed. if it seems a well paying job – you will never be a great doctor.
Last read everything you can lay your hands on about the profession.
I highly suggest:
A View from Mountains by Morris Gibson Husband and wife MDs relocate to a small Canadian town without doctors
The Real ER: True Stories from the Emergency Rooms by Mark Brown
Memory Lessons: A Doctor’s Story by Jerald Winakur Brand new – I read it pre-release in uncorrect manuscript form. A fantastic book!
Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science
by Atul Gawande
How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman
Final Exam: A Surgeon’s Reflections on Mortality
by Pauline W. Chen
On Call: A Doctor’s Days and Nights in Residency
by Emily R. Transue
The Intern Blues: The Timeless Classic About the Making of a Doctor by Robert Marion
First, Do No Harm by Lisa Belkin Ethics and medicine – most cases invlove young people like yourself.
Best Wishes