quitting/leaving residency - need advice

[Westernvet223]

Has anyone ever quit or left their residency position?

I have found a lot of talk about this on the MD/DO side of things, but for vets - we don't *need* board licensure to practice.

I fought long and hard for the position I have, and now, I can't help but think about leaving for a different life.

Sorry to stay vague, I do not want to discuss my position or location. Thanks.

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[MixedAnimals77]

I guess it would depend what you want in life and your speciality. Do you want to work remote and pull in the big $ and in general never have to talk to clients then my guess is you're in radiology and then yes you need to finish out because I can't do that as an er/gp vet. Want to work er or enjoy complex IM cases then meh. I suppose it depends what your goals are. I see alot of complex IM cases on a shoestring others I work up extensively but I definitely like alway having the option to refer out. Sticky place gets let say you're doing an ortho residency and your mostly done but don't want to finish if you are doing speciality level procedures at the gp level-if you don't recommend the option to go to speciality then that's a big liability on you.

Don't get me wrong anyone who goes through internship and residency is a Saint and I appreciate you, but I definitely think depending how far in training you are if you could be happy not being in your speciality then leave.

I'd definitely meet with some mental health professionals and your advisor and talk extensively before making any huge decisions. You could definitely just be experiencing burn out which might not improve just leaving residency for gp/er/other.

 

[JaynaAli]

My residentmate quit in the middle of her second year. She had been unhappy for a while. For her, I think it was more interpersonal issues than lack of interest in the specialty, but her mental health was in a place where she needed to quit. We haven’t really talked since she quit other than social media likes and other superficial stuff, so I can’t tell you whether she has regrets or if it was the best decision she ever made.

I agree with a lot of what Mixy said. I don’t say this to minimize your struggles, but residency sucks. Full stop. It’s worse than vet school because you’re expected to work a more-than-full-time job and be at the top of your game 24/7 all while still reading and retaining thousands of pages of literature, doing projects and rounds, and in many places, educating students. Is it usually worth it in the end? In my opinion and for me specifically, absolutely yes. I am a pathologist working remotely doing diagnostics. I work six hours a day, make slightly over 200k, and I don’t have to deal with clients and money. I love my job and I couldn’t get anything comparable if I had left residency. I do like having ‘go into GP’ as a perpetual option (like if pathologists get replaced by AI), but I’d be working a lot harder and more hours for less pay in an environment I enjoy less. But like Mixy said, if you’re an ER resident or medicine or derm, maybe a job in GP isn’t quite as dramatically different for you than as a boarded specialist and you can see a lot of the types of cases you love in a GP setting.

My advice for you is to really do some soul searching and talking to trusted folks about what you want and need right now. Is it normal residency stress or do you really need to quit? Will you regret not become whatever specialist you wanted to be? Talk to your residency coordinator (unless they’re a source of your stress/issues, then maybe talk to faculty on another specialty), your co-residents, and perhaps even a professional if you can make it to one. Perhaps quitting is the right decision for you, but unfortunately you need to be sure because the door will likely close permanently (meaning you’d probably be unlikely to get another shot at residency) if you go that route. And also unfortunately it’s not a job where you can just take a little leave of absence to figure out whether it’s burnout or not. GP employers probably aren’t gonna care if you just tell them you decided residency wasn’t for you. But I don’t know that a residency would ever give you a second shot, so be sure it’s what you want if you quit. I know you’re trying to stay vague but from what little you’ve said (about dreaming of “leaving for a different life”) that sounds to me like just general burnout and reality of residency that most residents including myself feel/felt at some point. But only you can figure out what to do.

 

[Lab Vet]

Has anyone ever quit or left their residency position?

I have found a lot of talk about this on the MD/DO side of things, but for vets - we don't *need* board licensure to practice.

I fought long and hard for the position I have, and now, I can't help but think about leaving for a different life.

Sorry to stay vague, I do not want to discuss my position or location. Thanks.

Hi OP! I did (from a program I fought tooth and nail to obtain) and have absolutely no regrets. I left for a variety of reasons and obtained a position in industry. Worked as a clinical lab animal veterinarian for a number of years, and then morphed my career again. I now serve as a regulatory vet for the federal government. I love my life and my job! Every position I've held (including residency) has prepared me for my current responsibilities. I'm still on great terms with the faculty from my residency program. My resident bestie and I are close friends, and I recently returned to my residency location for vacation and reconnected with a bunch of folks there. I learned long ago never to take life for granted. There is no guarantee for any of us that we'll have another tomorrow. Take stock of your situation, think long and hard about your personal values (and whether or not your current trajectory allows you to focus on what matters most), and make the decision that's best for you (and your family, if applicable). If you'd like to chat about this more, I'd be happy to do that via PM. Wishing you peace with the decision.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

I agree with a lot of what Mixy said. I don’t say this to minimize your struggles, but residency sucks. Full stop. It’s worse than vet school because you’re expected to work a more-than-full-time job and be at the top of your game 24/7 all while still reading and retaining thousands of pages of literature, doing projects and rounds, and in many places, educating students. Is it usually worth it in the end? In my opinion and for me specifically, absolutely yes. I am a pathologist working remotely doing diagnostics. I work six hours a day, make slightly over 200k, and I don’t have to deal with clients and money. I love my job and I couldn’t get anything comparable if I had left residency. I do like having ‘go into GP’ as a perpetual option (like if pathologists get replaced by AI), but I’d be working a lot harder and more hours for less pay in an environment I enjoy less. But like Mixy said, if you’re an ER resident or medicine or derm, maybe a job in GP isn’t quite as dramatically different for you than as a boarded specialist and you can see a lot of the types of cases you love in a GP setting.

Yeesh @JaynaAli you're really making me reconsider my choice of going into academia with that workload and pay (buuut that PSLF deal is pretty sweet - only a few more years).

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

To the OP, I agree with what others have said - it depends on how well your skillset would meld with GP (and if you even would consider doing GP - would it be a career that would make you happy or at least content?). For me, I couldn't - I'm simply not strong enough for GP mentally and emotionally, and the constant client interaction would burn me out in under a year. I admire the hell out of GPs, but I'm happiest behind a microscope doing my nerd stuff - that's where I personally contribute the most to the field and internally thrive. So for me and the niche area (not sure how niche your specialty/wants/needs are) I enjoy and excel at, even if residency was super unpleasant (thankfully mine was wonderful) I would have forced myself to stick it out so that I could be where I knew I needed to be.

 

[KCgophervet]

One of our residents left during her second year. She decided the field wasn't for her and went out and did an internship (not required prior to residency in my field) and now I think works in emergency medicine. I don't think she regrets leaving, but for her it was realizing that she didn't like the actual specialty or couldn't see herself making that her career, rather than actual burnout or whatnot. I would say if you like the field and specialization is essentially required to practice in it, best to find ways to make it through. If its not required or there are other fields you'd be fine pursuing then you need to live your life and enjoy it. Do what is best for you.

 

[Westernvet223]

Hi all, thank you very much for your thoughts. I am currently seeing a mental health professional, practice daily mindset exercises, work out regularly, engage in hobbies outside of residency, am medicated, have a strong support network in and out of work.

My problem is differentiating if this is true, acute burn out or if I am simply not as passionate about this career as I had thought. I am giving myself a timeline to adhere to (following a certain rotation I have a strong interest in). If things are not improving, I may resign.

I may PM a few of you that have offered to discuss privately, and I really appreciate your time. Thank you.