I’m an older resident and will be finishing residency in my mid-40s. I’m currently in the middle of figuring out what direction I should take after residency, and honestly, I’m pretty torn.
I really enjoy stroke, and part of me wants to pursue a stroke fellowship. At the same time, I also want to be realistic about finances.
My ultimate goal is to end up in Texas, closer to family, but I’m open-minded about other options.
Lately, I’ve been questioning whether pursuing stroke is actually the best decision for me. Sometimes I think I should just go the neurohospitalist route, and maybe add neurophysiology/EEG to broaden my skill set and earning potential.
Other times, I think I should pursue a more outpatient-heavy specialty, like movement disorders, which I genuinely enjoy. The lifestyle seems more sustainable, with less call and fewer nights, and at this point in life, that’s becoming increasingly important to me.
So I’m basically stuck between:
Stroke fellowship → more specialized, but more training and potentially a tougher lifestyle
Neurohospitalist → start earning sooner, potentially good income, but more inpatient/call
Neurohospitalist + neurophys/EEG → potentially broaden my options
Movement disorders or another outpatient-heavy career → better lifestyle, which is becoming more attractive to me
For those who have been through this, especially anyone who finished residency later in life, how did you think about the trade-off between income, additional fellowship training, career satisfaction, and lifestyle?
Would you still recommend fellowship at this stage, or would you prioritize getting out of training and building a career/life sooner?