soup Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 Just curious, but does anyone else here find cardiac surgery super cool but is a little dissuaded from pursuing it by the stories of unemployed cardiac surgeons and the bleak future of the field? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerkstore Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 Just curious, but does anyone else here find cardiac surgery super cool but is a little dissuaded from pursuing it by the stories of unemployed cardiac surgeons and the bleak future of the field? Yes. 10char Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larrivee Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 yes, cardiac is pretty sweet. I actually just submitted an article in the field. However, I would love to get out of the city once residency is over... and it seems like cardiac surgeons need the huge resources and population of big cities, and like you said, no jobs and need multiple fellowships to get work. Although, in talking to some residents they were saying in like 10 years there could be a big shortage because people are getting scared off from the field and all the oldies should be turning in their scalpels for golf clubs and palm springs. But, cardiac surgeons are rockstars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviathan Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 I spent a month on cardiac surgery and thought it was awesome. I can't imagine actually doing it for a career though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larrivee Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 I spent a month on cardiac surgery and thought it was awesome. I can't imagine actually doing it for a career though. If I may ask, why is that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviathan Posted November 13, 2012 Report Share Posted November 13, 2012 If I may ask, why is that? By the end of the month it was already starting to get a bit repetitive. Even though they were really exciting initially, I could imagine after 30 years, doing CABGs and AVRs would probably get pretty boring. There were more interesting cases like LVAD placements and heart transplants but I found I didn't have the patience to stand for hours and hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tooty Posted November 13, 2012 Report Share Posted November 13, 2012 they were saying in like 10 years there could be a big shortage because people are getting scared off from the field and all the oldies should be turning in their scalpels for golf clubs and palm springs. But, cardiac surgeons are rockstars. sure, and in the meantime they can make ends meet by doing hospitalist work or one fellowship after another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NLengr Posted November 13, 2012 Report Share Posted November 13, 2012 sure, and in the meantime they can make ends meet by doing hospitalist work or one fellowship after another. The problem is there will be a 15 year backlog of under employed, over educated cardiac surgeons fighting for those jobs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amadeus89 Posted November 14, 2012 Report Share Posted November 14, 2012 Well they could always go back and train for two years to be allowed to prescribe HTN and diabetes meds. One could argue that they could do that now, but family medicine needs to have standards. I love the way the medical profession destroys itself like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerkoutnow2 Posted November 14, 2012 Report Share Posted November 14, 2012 I love the way the medical profession destroys itself like this. likewise, doctor-bashing is probably the most common among doctors.. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerkoutnow2 Posted November 14, 2012 Report Share Posted November 14, 2012 Just curious, but does anyone else here find cardiac surgery super cool but is a little dissuaded from pursuing it by the stories of unemployed cardiac surgeons and the bleak future of the field? go to the states? idk how their market is like but either way your lifestyle will probably suck a lot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviathan Posted November 14, 2012 Report Share Posted November 14, 2012 I wonder if you could go to the states. More money, nicer lifestyle, and as much as I'm against it socially, it's nice to work in a private healthcare setting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NLengr Posted November 14, 2012 Report Share Posted November 14, 2012 I wonder if you could go to the states. More money, nicer lifestyle, and as much as I'm against it socially, it's nice to work in a private healthcare setting. I heard CV surgery is still pretty bad in the US right now. There are jobs, but pay is terrible due to a similar, but less extreme supply-demand imbalance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blake Posted November 15, 2012 Report Share Posted November 15, 2012 I feel sorry for the cardiac surg residents when it comes to job prospects. And I am in neurosurgery, so that should give you a clue. Truth be told, although neurosurg has it pretty bad here in Canada, it is one of the most attractive surgical specialties south of the border, so a canadian graduate can "buy low, then sell high". The thing is cardiac surgery has a terrible job market essentially anywhere on the planet, and I don't see the field expanding, unlike many other surgical specialties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerkstore Posted November 15, 2012 Report Share Posted November 15, 2012 I feel sorry for the cardiac surg residents when it comes to job prospects. And I am in neurosurgery, so that should give you a clue. Truth be told, although neurosurg has it pretty bad here in Canada, it is one of the most competitive and attractive surgical specialties south of the border, so a canadian graduate can "buy low, then sell high". The thing is cardiac surgery has a terrible job market essentially anywhere on the planet, and I don't see the field expanding, unlike many other surgical specialties. Okay I have to ask something, and Blake I'm not calling you out, is it okay now to begin sentences with "and"? I'm seeing it EVERYWHERE, I've even seen it in UofT calendars and course documents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blake Posted November 15, 2012 Report Share Posted November 15, 2012 Okay I have to ask something, and Blake I'm not calling you out, is it okay now to begin sentences with "and"? I'm seeing it EVERYWHERE, I've even seen it in UofT calendars and course documents.its beter then dis, dats 4 sho' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerkstore Posted November 15, 2012 Report Share Posted November 15, 2012 its beter then dis, dats 4 sho' Fo sho. 10krizzles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futureGP Posted December 1, 2012 Report Share Posted December 1, 2012 Fo sho. 10krizzles <3 <3 <3 10charizard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legume Posted December 4, 2012 Report Share Posted December 4, 2012 Well they could always go back and train for two years to be allowed to prescribe HTN and diabetes meds. One could argue that they could do that now, but family medicine needs to have standards. Doctors should stop dissing one another and bunch up into a single strong group and have a strong voice in the political forum. Nurses have their way with governments and pharmacists are starting to encroach GP's territory. Specialists aren't immune to their encroachment either. We should all work together to fight for a bigger pie, rather than fighting amongst ourselves for a bigger piece of a smaller pie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legume Posted December 4, 2012 Report Share Posted December 4, 2012 I still think that no matter what specialty a doctor is in, they should help keep the gates closed. Once you open the floodgates the bleeding won't stop. Pharmacists can refill DM/thyroid meds that endo's prescribe and derive a good portion of their income from. Optometrists might as well go learn how to do cataracts/LASIK. Those people call themselves 'doctors' already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerkstore Posted December 5, 2012 Report Share Posted December 5, 2012 I still think that no matter what specialty a doctor is in, they should help keep the gates closed. Once you open the floodgates the bleeding won't stop. Pharmacists can refill DM/thyroid meds that endo's prescribe and derive a good portion of their income from. Optometrists might as well go learn how to do cataracts/LASIK. Those people call themselves 'doctors' already. I thought they were doing cataracts now? :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medisforme Posted December 23, 2012 Report Share Posted December 23, 2012 By the end of the month it was already starting to get a bit repetitive. Even though they were really exciting initially, I could imagine after 30 years, doing CABGs and AVRs would probably get pretty boring. There were more interesting cases like LVAD placements and heart transplants but I found I didn't have the patience to stand for hours and hours. Is there such a thing as a medical speciality that doesn't do the same 2-3 procedures repeatedly as their bread and butter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorelan Posted December 23, 2012 Report Share Posted December 23, 2012 I agree. We are all MDs. A major problem that we have is that we have made "family medicine" too uncommon. Frankly the entry barrier is too high and the needs of society are not being met. So wherever there is a need, someone will eventually fill it. We can't be depending on legislation to protect our grasp over primary care delivery forever. If we are "too good" for it, then the nurses and pharmacists will gladly do it. I have to agree - we have a hard time complaining about other groups while we haven't got our own house in order. We haven't figured out a why to get family doctors to set up practise in communities that really want them. Even the current provincial government in Ontario has a 50% target to family medicine for grads and still we are at best 10% below that from the schools, and that is after a lot of changes to make FM quite desirable. If we don't figure out a way to do it then other groups will fill that void or take away parts of a FM's job unless effectively there will be enough. It is actually better for society overall that they do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloydMayweather Posted December 31, 2012 Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 It's a great speciality. But the pressure you deal with will kill you. word. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dh79 Posted January 13, 2013 Report Share Posted January 13, 2013 It is the best specialty. I am biased because I am currently training it it; but I love it. If any med students are thinking about it, I strongly suggest you do some electives in it. It is certainly a specialty which demands a lot of time and dedication. The days are long but if you enjoy it the time flies by. In my opinion to do well in this specialty to have to love to operate. The operations are great. Technically challenging with generally good outcomes. Surgery is repetitive but these complex operations are always slightly different and there is always improvement through refinement of skills. In regards to the job prospects, to quote mark twain "the rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated". For whatever reason, people outside of the specialty like to say that it is a dying field with no jobs. This is misleading and incorrect. It is true that in the last several years there have been graduates without jobs. However, the training programs did recognize this problem several years ago and improvements have been made. The number of trainees has decreased drastically in the last 5 years. Overall, job prospects are improving. The topic of jobs has been discussed at length at national conferences. There has been good work done to predict the supply and demand of cardiac surgeons in Canada in the future. Google "cardiac surgery canada manpower" and you will find several related articles which predict a shortage of cardiac surgeons in Canada by 2020. Those of you thinking to start training now have excellent timing. If you need further encouragement, consider this: all the Canadian cardiac surgery graduates this year received jobs. So, if you are interested in this specialty do observerships, shadowing, electives, whatever. It is a very challenging but rewarding field. Don't worry, the jobs will be there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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