Convince me... (or don't)

[Thama]

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Hey y'all-

This is pretty much my first time on SDN since the med school application process, and this sub-forum is informative (if a teensy bit dead).

I'm between MS3 and MS4 on a research year (doing fMRI studies on DBS in animal models). I've gravitated to neurology throughout my 3rd year, and have mostly decided that this is the field I want to go into. The only problem is that I'm a lousy self-second-guesser-type and am a bit unsure of myself at the moment, especially since I still have plenty of time to reverse course and head for something else.

I love neurology cases, neuro exams and brain MRIs, and always seem to get pulled to neuro patients even when on other services. But, at the same time, it seems like there has to be a reason why neuro is so noncompetitive and why so many here seem unhappy with it. Some say it's because it's a lot of diagnosis with few effective treatments available, though I don't see how that's so different from most other medical specialties. Is it the workload? The zombified moribund patients that sit on your list during your entire time on service?

What say ye? Should I run for my life? Or is everything grand in neuroland? 😀

 

[AlternateSome1]

There are better ways to spend your time than wondering why other people don't like the things you do.

 

[Davmith]

Why neuro is non-competitive? Simple: low $$$.

I've met some happy as well as unhappy neurologists. The biggest complaint I hear from neurologists is the constant phone calls they get from headache/pain patients. Some of these patients just never improve, and a single prolonged phone call can completely throw off a day's schedule.

That being said, every specialty has their own problem.