ERAS is due in two weeks and I am starting to have second thoughts.

I loved my OBGYN rotation and i thought it was something i could do,i did it right after I had my baby and I had a great connection with all the patients, it was fun talking to patients in clinic and i liked deliveries.I didnt like the surgical aspect(I have two left hands and struggled so hard in surgery with just tying a simple knot lol,) but i thought ok i can still handle it, not everything is perfect.
i liked other things too so its not like I am 100% tied to OBGYN.

However I am now really concerned about the lifestyle,these concerns have been brewing for a while especially from people trying to discourage me,however i can be really stubborn lol( i always replied that oh i can make it and it cant be that bad). But now I am having a reality check, lifestyle is really important to me in terms of time with my family(I have a 16 month old and hoping to have some more in a couple of years).I decided to have a discussion with a obgyn who is now in practice and i just ended up in tears after the discussion, she went on and on about how the lifestyle is hard and how its not worth it and the litigation and malpractice is bad blah blah blah. now dont get me wrong I am not lazy, I am a hard worker and I am not scared to bust my butt in any residency but is my life as OBGYN after residency just going to be an extension of residency??? I want to enjoy time with my kids, i want a flexible schedule, I am not to crazy about salary(in other words i am content with making average pay in most specialties). I am starting to think i can get these things with a career in internal medicine which i also enjoyed.

I know have a dilemma on my hands, I have already expressed my interest to my obgyn director, got all my LOR's the whole nine yards. now i just dont know what to do, I am all kinds of confused. I mean i can get LOR's in internal med but it just so scary switching last minute.

*i hope my above rant made sense..lol*
Any advice from current OBGYN's or anyone who switched last minute or just any advice in general

???:(

Southernmd started a thread on this topic a while back, but I can't remember the exact name- any help ladies?

Just search for posts under my name. I was gung ho OB/GYN, but I will not be going into it. The statistics from data that I've read say you have a 100 % chance of being sued right now. And with parents having the right to sue an OB til their child is 21, and hearing the experience of a very good OB I am friends with who was sued (wrongly) and then had to defend himself to the state medical board despite having no fault assigned in the end - awful. Also, I have not met an OB yet in person or any doctor for that matter that has suggested I go into OB. It is very difficult for a family life. I have done extensive research with people I know who are docs and reading, and while I'm sure there are success stories out there - I am not convinced it is worth the gamble for me and my family. It is not the right choice for us. I like many other things in medicine - so many other things that I feel more comfortable and happy making a less risky choice for myself and my family.

After much reflection, research and discussion with my husband and introspection within myself and interests - I will most likely be going Anesthesia or maybe Emergency Medicine. I am leaning Anesthesia right now, but I am not 100% yet. I am still really making sure I am making a wise choice. That's the real gift from God I think. I am blessed to love so much in medicine, and I also did well on boards, so I am trying to consider all my options within the things I enjoy.

Good luck with your decision.

Thank you so much for the reply. I did a lot of thinking over the weekend and discussed with my husband. I am deciding to apply to both internal medicine and OBGYN and make the final decison when it is time to rank. I know it will be more challenging applying and interviewing for two specialites but i think this buys me more time and seems to be the best option for now.
thanks

I have been in the same boat. I really do LOVE Ob/Gyn. However, the litigation and lifestyle had me very scared. In contrast to what sothernmd said, both of the private docs that I rotated with were 10+ years out of residency and LOVED their jobs. Both told me to go into OB and both told me that lifestyle is negotiable as long as you are careful about what practice you join; ie a big practice = less call, doing an OB hospitalist position, part time etc. I was still up in the air and was strongly considering ER. So, this month I am rotating with an OB residency and I LOVE it. I will whole heartedly be going into OB/GYN. At this time I intend to either join a large practice or do an OB hospitalist position. I will NOT go private practice. Likewise, litigation sucks for sure. However, there are reforms that are coming down the pipeline including tort reform. In addition, OB is well known for their litigation but in reality litigation is a possibility and even likely in most areas of medicine these days. When I really thought about it I LOVE OB, it is where I feel like I belong. In the event that it sucks horribly I still have options like Gyn only or academic medicine. Goodluck with your decision. I couldn't bring myself to apply to two specialties.

Bootlegger - glad you responded! I most certainly hope great women/men still go into OB. In the end - just because it wasn't the right choice for me, doesn't mean it isn't for others.

Mamdoc - please don't let my opinion be a deciding factor. You have to decide what is right for you like i.e. what bootlegger went through. I'm not cocky enough to think my opinion was that persuasive either, but I'm just glad you have another perspective other than mine to read here.

Best of luck in match - both of you!

Since it happens to be today's topic on the Mothers in Medicine blog:

http://www.mothersinmedicine.com/2011/08/obgyns-are-terrible-people-who-need-to.html

Also, I love the idea of applying in both. You can always choose how many interviews to set up, too. But in the meantime, choosing to turn an application in in both ensures that you can make the decision with them on even footing, and if you do go into obgyn, you'll know it wasn't just because the idea of changing your mind at the last minute was too intimidating. It's worth a last minute flurry of stress to get the applications in - it's a big decision that you want to trust yourself on.

Personally, I think "lifestyle" (which is a terrible term, since I feel like it always conjures up visions of people wanting to relax with tropical drinks on cruise ships, rather than the contextually more accurate image of women wanting to see their kids at least a little bit most days and not worry every day that their career is slowly killing their marriage and all of their adult friendships) - it rarely becomes less important to a person over time. So if you're worried now, that's something to at least give a good hearing to.

Good luck!

Amma, thanks for that link. I belong to another mommy board of non-medical civilians, and I often endure the "physician is the enemy" mentality. I was happy to share that blog post for a bit of perspective.

mamadoc11,

I am an OB/GYN who finished residency in 2008. I loved OB/GYN when I started as a resident, and could not see myself in any other specialty. After 2 1/2 years of private practice, I have left clinical medicine and am now pursuing an MBA in preparation for transitioning into a corporate position.

I loved both OB, and gyn surgery, but was demoralized once I was exposed to the realities of private practice. I joined a 4 person group out of residency. I thought that I would have more control over my life once I finished residency, but that wasn't the case. Unfortunately, my senior partners thought the solution for maintaining profit with decreasing insurance reimbursements/increasing malpractice costs was to increase volume. Often I was double/triple booked for 15min time slots. This is not the way I want to practice medicine. Unfortunately, many practices are making this mistake. I do not believe you can practice good medicine when you have to rush through patients. As for malpractice, it is a very big concern. I am a good physician with great patient rapport, and still had to defend myself to the medical board after refusing narcotics to a drug addict who submitted a complaint. I was also accused of leaving a "surgical clip" inside a patient during a hysterectomy, which turned out to be a clip from her tubal ligation 12 years prior that WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THERE! Both of these incidents happened within my 1st 2 years of practice. I was exonerated in both cases, but it takes time and energy to defend against these claims. Fortunately I have not been sued, but from talking to friends who have, it takes quite a toll on one's mental health, and self confidence. As an ob/gyn, you will be sued at least once in your career, probably more than once. Another thing to keep in mind is the cost of tail insurance if you decide to leave your practice, or your specialty. It will cost me $82,000
in the form of a tail payment to leave my practice and retain insurance coverage for any potential cases arising from the time period I was employed there. I practiced for 2 1/2 years, and I owe $82,000 for that privilege. I was nervous about telling my physician friends that I was "jumping ship" and starting an MBA program, but most were supportive, and thought I was smart to get out.

I know this sounds all doom and gloom, and some physicians have had more positive experiences, but starting out in today's healthcare environment in OB/GYN is difficult. If you aren't 100% committed to it, I would reconsider.
I think you are smart to have a fall back position, and am also concerned about you not liking surgery as it is a large portion of what we do. Technique can be taught, but if it doesn't come naturally, you will really have to devote extra time to it. If you aren't committed to doing that, I think you are setting yourself up for failure in this specialty.

Again, I'm sorry this is so negative, and you may find a practice that you like that fits with your desired lifestyle, but I felt I needed to comment as someone who has been through the process.

Good Luck!
lkk