IM PGY1 Considering switching to Ortho?
PGY1 in a 5-year Internal Medicine program in the Middle East and seriously contemplating switching to Orthopedics.
The main reason is that I feel like IM has completely drained my satisfaction with medicine. The constant exposure to chronically sick patients, endless social issues, difficult dispositions, and overall emotional heaviness is burning me out hard. Meanwhile, ortho looks very satisfying from the outside — fixing tangible problems, procedures, generally healthier patients, clear outcomes, the comradery during residency, etc.
The weird thing is that I’m actually a very cerebral/academic type of person. I enjoy thinking deeply, problem solving, pathophysiology, reading, all that stuff. I also have very minimal OR exposure, so I genuinely don’t know if I actually like ortho itself or if I just hate what IM is making me feel right now. Part of me worries this is just a “grass is greener” situation.
The catch is that switching isn’t simple. To even have a shot at ortho where I am, I’d have to resign from IM, work under the surgery department at my institution, build connections/CV, apply, and then start the year after if accepted. So best case scenario, I’d essentially be leaving IM around what would’ve been my PGY4 year.
I’m torn because I don’t know if I truly want ortho or just want to escape IM burnout. I worry I’ll regret leaving a field I intellectually fit well in but I also worry I’ll regret staying in something that’s making me miserable this early
Has anyone here switched from IM to a surgical specialty (or considered it)? Did the lifestyle/satisfaction end up being what you expected? Any thoughts from people in either field would really help.