Residency; 4 years of hell???

[Entity]

Im a pre-med student looking to become a radiologist. My mother is a technician in the field, she tells me that the residency for a radiologist is brutal, Im talkin' like 16+ hour shifts up to 6 days a week..........could anyone clarify for me exactly what a residency consists of and if indeed it is 4 years of hardship.
Thanks

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[Apollyon]

Residencies are as varied as, well, doctors - the one thing in common, though, invariably, is the first, or intern, year is hard (and why people look for "cush" positions). In some fields, the years that follow become markedly easier to tolerate, whereas in others (like a lot of surgery), it's a lot of time, all the way through.

16 hours a day, 6 days a week - 96 hours regularly? Maybe in the old days. Now, in New York State, that is verboten, and, soon, it will be nationwide.

"Brutal" is subjective...but most would admit that q2 call (24 hours on, 24 hours off) is truly demonic (I mention that because a radiology resident I know said that he did preliminary surgery at the University of Virginia, they did q2 call - don't know for how long, though).

 

[southerndoc]

Radiology? Brutal? I swear I never thought those two words would ever be used in the same sentence. I think I'm going to print out this page and show all my friends.

Seriously, radiology residencies are pretty easy so I hear. Despite common myth, they do take lots of overnight call though.

Part of the fun is the journey getting there. So if you're unhappy being in the hospital a lot doing radiology, then you're probably going to be unhappy as an attending radiologist. Choose a field that you will love doing so much that you don't care if you're in the hospital 16 hours in a day.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Hmmm...

I'd have to agree with Geek Medic. I've never heard the words "brutal" and "Radiology residency" used in the same sentence. They do do a lot of overnight call and it can be busy, but at least in my experience, they leave early in the am after their call is over.

Like most things, if you enjoy it, it won't seem so bad...

Moving to Radiology Forum...

 

[xraydoc]

Believe me, the residents from most other specialties will envy you for your life-style. Plan on 60 hours a week tops including call, averaged over a course of several months. Obviously dependant on the program you go to. I like the U Wisconsin Program. They have excellent teachers and their residents have it pretty easy.

 

[mandownunder]

There is a lot of variability depending on where you train. I was always envious of the Brigham residents who have attending coverage in the ER until 11 pm. I think I spent as much time working as a radiology resident as I was in internal medicine, but for radiology it was more studying and internal medicine it was a lot of paperwork (maybe because I was too tired to read).

 

[dwstranger]

Yeah, but before you start breathing that sigh of relief, consider how difficult/competitive it is to get into a rads residency. There are always many more applicants than positions. So, premed, make sure you keep that med school GPA high (when you get there), and do well on Step 1... then you'll have a better chance of (at least) getting an interview. And start making a backup plan, just in case.

Sorry to be the voice of doom...