boanssi Posted February 10, 2013 Report Share Posted February 10, 2013 Hello, I'm sorry if there's already a similar thread regarding this topic, but I would really like to know, especially from FM residents and specialists, which aspects of your work are the most appealing? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Physioprospect Posted February 10, 2013 Report Share Posted February 10, 2013 I hope 90% of the people on here are honest and say money. If you truly enjoyed helping people you wouldnt be schedualing a patient every 8 minutes. Cant count how many times I've been to the doctor and because im young and healthy havent given me more than 2 mins. I was feeling terribly once for months so I booked a full physical. All the doctor did was listen to me breath and take my blood pressure.. how diagnostic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HycrestJIT Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 Hello, I'm sorry if there's already a similar thread regarding this topic, but I would really like to know, especially from FM residents and specialists, which aspects of your work are the most appealing? Thanks. I could write all sorts of stuff, but Dr. Ventres captures it best: http://annfammed.org/content/10/3/264.full Ultimately, I love FM because of my patients. And that's key: as a family doc, they really do become "your" patients, just as to them, you are "their" Doctor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Journey Man Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 I hope 90% of the people on here are honest and say money. If you truly enjoyed helping people you wouldnt be schedualing a patient every 8 minutes. Cant count how many times I've been to the doctor and because im young and healthy havent given me more than 2 mins. I was feeling terribly once for months so I booked a full physical. All the doctor did was listen to me breath and take my blood pressure.. how diagnostic. Majority of people at an FM clinic don't even need 8 minutes. You're just saying that because you haven't been trained. Sometimes people need 30 minutes but most need even less than 8 minutes of a doctors time. Let me correct, most patients at an FM don't need a doctors time at all. If i was in FM, i would still give you limited time if you're young and healthy and based off your known history and hearing your presenting complaint i would think about the likelihood you have a benign issue which is very high. I can't speak of your experience in the last example but its unfortunate that happened. One of the problems of FM that many including myself wanted to avoid was things like you just mentioned. Hand holding and benign visits that take up your day and having to constantly communicate the likely course of the patients issue (if they even presented with an issue) will likely go away on its own or can be managed with OTC meds. I swear only 20% of my patients when i was on FM had a legit concern and 80% needed reassurance. If you sat down, spoke politely, smiled for those 80%, even if it took less than 5 minutes total visit, they thought you were a great doctor and would keep coming back. If you stood up, seemed uninterested, talked without looking at the patient, then even if you spent 15 minutes with the patient, they would leave unsatisfied. Anyways, no way most people go into Family Medicine for the money. Majority students i know who go into like interacting with people they know or like the lifestyle with emphasis on the latter. People who value money usually try to end up in other fields. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satsuma Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 I hope 90% of the people on here are honest and say money. If you truly enjoyed helping people you wouldnt be schedualing a patient every 8 minutes. Cant count how many times I've been to the doctor and because im young and healthy havent given me more than 2 mins. I was feeling terribly once for months so I booked a full physical. All the doctor did was listen to me breath and take my blood pressure.. how diagnostic. If by "full physical" you mean a head-to-toe exam, these are not evidence-based. You are likely to never get a head-to-toe exam by any doc. Any recent doc anyway. The physical exam should be guided by your presenting complaint and history. And this is actually more helpful to any doc, then a physical exam. The better the history is that you give your doc, the better able your doc will be at helping you. I do not know what your complaint was(and not asking, that's your own business) and so I'm not commenting on the history you gave or whether lung auscultation and BP was the appropriate physical exam. I just wanted to point out that it is a focused clinical exam that is evidence-based, not a full physical exam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebouque Posted February 12, 2013 Report Share Posted February 12, 2013 Hello, I'm sorry if there's already a similar thread regarding this topic, but I would really like to know, especially from FM residents and specialists, which aspects of your work are the most appealing? Thanks. Since this post is directed at '' FM residents and specialists'' : looking at cells under a microscope is the aspect of my work that's the most appealing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Physioprospect Posted February 12, 2013 Report Share Posted February 12, 2013 If by "full physical" you mean a head-to-toe exam, these are not evidence-based. You are likely to never get a head-to-toe exam by any doc. Any recent doc anyway. The physical exam should be guided by your presenting complaint and history. And this is actually more helpful to any doc, then a physical exam. The better the history is that you give your doc, the better able your doc will be at helping you. I do not know what your complaint was(and not asking, that's your own business) and so I'm not commenting on the history you gave or whether lung auscultation and BP was the appropriate physical exam. I just wanted to point out that it is a focused clinical exam that is evidence-based, not a full physical exam. Well if you want to know I went in because I wasnt feeling well for 3 months, tired all the time he looked at me and said your young and healthy this is just a phase, i then asked to have a blood workup done and he said I didnt need it and proceded to take bp and auscultation, I again said I feel that something is off can we please try to get to the bottom of it, he said if your not feeling better in a few weeks come back.. i went to another dr. got blood work and found out i had a severe inbalance in thyroid hormone. I'm well aware of what a physical is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satsuma Posted February 12, 2013 Report Share Posted February 12, 2013 I do not know what your complaint was(and not asking, that's your own business) and so I'm not commenting on the history you gave or whether lung auscultation and BP was the appropriate physical exam. I just wanted to point out that it is a focused clinical exam that is evidence-based, not a full physical exam. Again, I was not asking. It's your own business. I do not want to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dany Posted March 15, 2013 Report Share Posted March 15, 2013 DO I? i dunno. But oh well, 8 months already into the residency, 16 months more to come. Maybe i cant tell you if i enjoy FM by then. pros: - you always have backup in practice, which is called "Royal College graduates" - lifestyle (better than surgery, GIM, but maybe de par with derm, anesthesia...) - variety of cases (if that's what you like) - short residency (though it does give you much sense of insecurity as R1 - imagine you'll be months away from independent practice at this time next year!) - job flexibility: there is ALWAYS demand for FP EVERYWHERE IN CANADA! cons - money (except comparing to psych or peds - btw please someone tell me why there is ANYONE wanting to go to peds: long residency, ****ty pay, not-so-great scedule, plus you have to handle a couplet or triplet of patients ALTOGETHER- *****y parents plus SCREAMING kid! DO YOU HATE YOUR LIFE!? Know what I'll try my BEST taking adult patients in my future practice... anyhow... - prestige - less academic-oriented (if it matters) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted March 16, 2013 Report Share Posted March 16, 2013 Variety of ages and cases Opportunity to get a diagnosis from scratch (versus a referral to a specialist where half the stuff has been already ruled out, or the diagnosis might even be already made) Follow-up - can be a bad thing, of course...lol. Whenever I sent people with unexplained pains or whatever home from the ER with instructions to f/u with their GP, I felt bad for the GP because he or she would be stuck trying to sort this thing out. But it's great to be able to build relationships with your patients. I've always loved these moments when a preceptor saw a teenager or a young adult with their parent in the room and the parent would comment "Dr. So-and-so delivered her 20 years ago!!!" You will also get to hear amazing personal/life stories that you are a lot less likely to hear in other specialties, unless you are in psych or something where you get a lot of time to get to know your patients. Flexibility in terms of areas of work - there's no requirement to teach in clinic or give lectures, have hospital coverage, work weekends, put out research papers, get involved in admin....almost all specialists are required to dip their feet in several if not all of these on a regular basis, but as a GP, you can pick and choose. Two-year residency and jobs everywhere Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youngdad Posted March 20, 2013 Report Share Posted March 20, 2013 1. Best chance for preventative medicine (if you like that) 2. Best chance to learn from patients because of close follow up and long term relationships 3. Most fun (to me) 4. Most variety in patients/pathology 5. Most flexible work schedule 6. Most flexible scope of practice 7. Lots of "emotional first aid" which if you don't let it annoy you is pretty easy. 8. People love you if you are personable 9. You get to see people when they are well 10. You get to do initial diagnostic work 11. Jobs jobs jobs everywhere 12. Rural bonuses 13. Short residency 14. Decent pay 15. Don't have to be tied to a hospital if you don't want. But you still can be involved in hospital medicine if you want. So many more! Cons: 1. If you are very academic and like to contribute to the cutting edge FM may not be for you. (You can still be at the cutting edge of the FM field, but it is much less technical) 2. If you are very passionate about a certain system (cardiovascular, medical imaging) and nothing else, FM may not be for you. 3. If you hate old people FM may not be for you. 4. If you hate and suck at "emotional first aid" FM may not be for you. You don't have to LOVE it and you don't have to be amazing at it, but you will see enough of it that you need an approach that is sincere yet efficient or you could get bogged down by it. 5. No Ferrari. But good pay. But no Ferrari. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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