Post
by OnFire » Wed Dec 03, 2014 12:55 am
I work in emergency medicine too, but on the other side. I have been a firefighter/paramedic in a large midwestern city for 10 years. I went to podiatry school before dropping out. I married a dentist. When I went to podiatry school, to was a substitute for doing what I REALLY wanted to do, be an ER physician, so I know what you are going through, to a degree.
I will make $130K this year, and when I retire, my pension will be a minimum of 50% of my base salary, which in 2015, will be $98K. FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. If I hang on, it increases by 2.5% a year for every year I do after 20, maxing out at 75%. I work 91 days a year, not including the OT I do. So I can also quit relatively early, age 50, in ten years, if I so choose.
My gut reaction is to say- stay put. Heed well what the experienced ER doc wrote. We are on the same calls. He just gets even more walk-ins. 80-90% of my job involves chronic, low level baloney that any GP could take care of. He had a seizure but he's now stopped, her blood sugar is high, her blood sugar is low, she hasn't been taking XYZ medications, and now feels sick, they have had stomach pain for 3 days and calls 911 at 3 AM on a Tuesday. I've had people call for a cut so small you couldn't see it, a foot blister, and an STD when the smell became overpowering. True emergent calls are are 2-3 a week. Ones that I can actually make a difference, maybe once or twice a month (Dead is Dead, regardless of how long I do CPR for). And I work in one of the busiest firehouses in the city. I agree that you should take ACLS, PALS, and ATLS and moonlight. If you are making 300K working 5 days a week, work 4 days a week at your current gig, and either moonlight to get your fix, volunteer in an underserved community, or do a few "Doctors Without Borders" trips a year.
I took the plunge, quit the 9-5 job I would have had if I stayed in podiatry school, and pursued my passion in firefighting/paramedicine. It has turned out great. But I was also 22 when I dropped out and 27 when I went to paramedic school, not 40. Itch your scratch with part-time ER work, or volunteering. In my opinion, you will get 80% of the satisfaction and work ten less years. And five of those ten years will be nights, weekends, and holidays because you'll be the low man on the totem pole.
I am an absolute adrenaline junky. If you need to get that fix, buy an old 911 and go to the racetrack. It's golf at 140 MPH.
If you have young children, say under 10 years old, absolutely do not quit your current gig. Going back to a fellowship is basically 3 years of not seeing your kids. It's not fair to them because you are Type A and have difficulty being without a serious challenge for the first time in your life.
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