GIM staff lifestyle

[vitalvibes]

I am an MS4 who applied to both IM and FM. I was pretty set on IM, due to enjoying it more, but I'm wondering if I am not being realistic about the lifestyle as a staff. I struggled with 1 in 4 26 hour call as a clerk, but figured I could manage for PGY1 with hopes of less 26 hour call burden at schools with a night float system in senior years. What is the call burden like as a staff? Is hospitalist work (outside of an academic centre) 7 on 7 off? What are weekend commitments like? 

I know there are lifestyle specialties (allergy/immuno, rheum, endo), but I genuinely like the breadth/intellectual stimulation of general medicine, so I think I would have a hard time giving that up. 

I have met a few young FM +1 hospitalist staff (working in GTA) who seem to have a good balance of hospitalist MRP work (home call after 5, with a resident doing also doing home call as first call), although this is just at a UHN site - I know for example NYGH is a different set up. Definitely less acute patients but still fairly interesting.

Essentially I am wondering if having a good lifestyle with minimal call is do-able in GIM or would I be setting myself up for failure/burnout to pursue that? Is FM+1 with the flexibility to go other routes as well a better option? 

[Arztin]

Work life balance really just depends on your workload and your practice setting. 

A GIM working in a small hospital might be on call 1:4. In a larger setting, they will take less calls, and frequently have senior residents who will take calls. 

Call structure really depends on the location, the setup, how well is the hospital staffed. In my hospital, the FM hospitalists do 7 days in a row 24/24. They do almost always have FM residents at night. 2 GIM cover consults and the wards each week. They split the calls overnight calls.