Rondackhiker

schnappycat

I was just reading the healthcare cost post and noticed that we have something in common with our DHs. My DH did his specialty in pulmonary and critical care medicine, although he works as a pulmonologist now (no longer any ICU work). He also has quite a bit of interest in healthcare reform. 

Let me know if you ever have any questions about the whole training process.  

RondackHiker

Thanks! Right now he isn't sure if he wants to do pulmonlogy or nephrology as a path to critical care. He's talked to doctors who did both. He's also debated doing an attending position for a year between residency and fellowship.

Did your DH go right from residency to fellowship?

schnappycat

Well, my DH would tell you pulmonary all the way, but he thinks it's a fantastic specialty. He loves the diversity of patients he sees. But he's also at one of the world's best facilities for pulmonary, so he gets some pretty cool and interesting cases. I'm sure nephrology is great, too. 

Yes, he went right from residency to fellowship. I don't think he ever considered another option, but he also knew what he wanted to do before he finished residency. I can see taking a year in between if he hadn't. He did his residency at Michigan and then we moved to Denver for fellowship.  

RondackHiker

DH is still torn. He loves pulmonology, but also loves the chemistry aspect of nephrology. The reason he thought about attending was bc he wants management experience in medicine, but we'll see how he feels in three years.

Is your DH done with his fellowship? If so is he working where he did his fellowship? It's three years out but I'm dreading the one year fellowship move. I just want to feel like we're settled, for good.

schnappycat

DH and I are old (I'll be 40 next week), so he's been done quite awhile now. LOL! We moved out here in 2002 for his fellowship and he finished that in 2005. Then he took a faculty position at the same facility. He's now Associate Professor, part-time clinician, and the hospital's Chief Medical Information Officer. He is in leadership/management as much or more than he actually is in clinic these days. He's finishing up his PhD in Health IT right now. He's also involved other outside things like a committee for healthcare reform for the state and sits on the advisory board of a health IT company. He wouldn't be happy in clinic full time now and loves the diversity of his job. He also doesn't take call and only works night when he moonlights on the weekends. That's a good part of why he no longer does ICU work--he hated the hours, especially now that we have kids.

He could probably relate to the chemistry aspect, given he was a chemical engineer. I don't think he ever considered nephrology, though. He did consider cardiology, I believe, as the "pumps and pipes" aspects of the heart was similar to his engineer training. 

RockyTopVols

interesting

RondackHiker

RockyTopVols:

interesting

Which part?

Schnappycat, were you and your DH together for match day? I cannot wait. I'm so ready to know which IM program he got.

schnappycat

RondackHiker:

RockyTopVols:

interesting

Which part?Schnappycat, were you and your DH together for match day? I cannot wait. I'm so ready to know which IM program he got.

Yes, we went to the match day ceremony together. He ended up staying at Michigan for IM (he also went to school there), but it was still nerve wracking to see where he would match.

Where is he looking to go? Or where are you hoping to end up?