What motivates men to become OB/GYNs?

I know one of the best OBGYNs in the country, and he has been doing it for 30 years. He's married, has a family, he says he has a real deep respect and appreciation for women. So getting to take care of women, and share in the experience of seeing new life is a priceless experience as a career.

I think to be a good OBGYN if you're a man, you have to have deep respect for women, because yes most of what you will be doing are not things men will experience themselves.

All this stuff about money, whatever. Physicians pretty much all make a solid living, in the top 9% in this country, and depending on what type you are or your practice, city, many make in the top 1-2%. And I find when money is the strongest motivation, I tend to notice it in the personal care I get as a patient.

I do run run run wrote:

I know one of the best OBGYNs in the country, and he has been doing it for 30 years... he has a real deep respect and appreciation for women..

Then he must not watch porn.

Let's face it, men can't have a real deep respect and appreciation for women in this society. Hell, most WOMEN don't have a real deep respect and appreciation for themselves!

D. Sanders wrote:

Jibberman wrote:

That being said, if the doctor does something awful, fvcking string him up.

You realize there is a difference between a doctor making an honest mistake and a doctor being negligent. In both cases "something awful" can happen, and in both cases the patient, or his family, should be awarded compensation. BUT a mistake does not mean the doctor should lose his license, practice, savings, etc.

If a teacher makes a mistake, a kid might go around thinking that the Germans attacked Pearl Harbor. If a doctor makes a mistake, someone can die. The stakes are much higher, but doctors are still humans and WILL make mistakes. Its just a fact of life, and will continue until the iDoc comes out.

He said "if the doctor does something awful" not "if something awful happens due to a mistake". I think he realizes mistakes happen.

Some quick answers:

It offers acute excitement, challenge and moment-to-moment decision-making (during deliveries) and the longer-term opportunity to see and get to know patients. I once wanted to do emergency medicine, but realized I didn't like that I never saw most patients again. It's pretty great seeing a family from conception to delivery. And frankly, with on-call groups the hours are much better in obs/gyn.

Writing all that out, I feel like I hardly need to justify it. It is just a great job.

As for your odd assertion that I can't relate to my patients "physical, biological, emotional or societal level" - what does that even mean? It is obvious that you don't work in healthcare and probably aren't close to anyone who does, so maybe I'm being to harsh, but I see this as an absurd question.

I am a 30 year old middle-class man in great health.

Can I relate to an 65 year-old man having a heart attack on a physical level?

Can I relate to a 12 year-old cancer patient on a biological level?

Can I relate to a 25 year old first-break schizophrenic on an emotional level?

Can I relate to a 50 year-old homeless drug addict on a societal level?

Not by your logic.

Of course, the answer is that you don't need to be just like someone to empathize with them. Millions of patients and thousands of doctors will tell you that you don't need to be a woman to be an empathetic ob.

That is probably one of the single biggest aspects of what makes a good doctor in a patient's eyes.

And yes, I would go to a female urologist. You say you wouldn't - why not? Sounds like you've got some issues you might want to look at.

big red flag wrote:

Again, how many dudes would see a female urologist? I sure the hell wouldn't.

if she was the best urologist in my area i'd see her. i'm looking for quality medical care, not a date. doesn't matter what the gender of the doctor is.

i think the real question is; why are you willing to accept (potentially) sub-par medical care? are you insecure?

Here are a few clues -

3 a.m. - ER calls STAT - a woman has just showed up 39 weeks pregnant and is profusely bleeding and in severe pain. Fetal heart tones are barely detectable. You come running, scream an order for some blood and a crash C section, go charging down the hall with her on the gurney and pull out a limp but still viable infant in less than a minute. The woman's placenta has separated prematurely and if another minute or two had gone by, this woman with a husband and a family of two would herself have been dead as well as her newborn baby. The family has sent you a Christmas card with photos and a gift every year for the last 15 years, and the baby you saved is an honors student in high school and a star on the cross country team.

3 a.m. - Your general surgery colleague is called to the ER at the same time after a gang fight, and his patient is an intoxicated 22 year covered with gang tattoos, with blunt trauma to the face and multiple stab wounds to the abdomen, who is combative, cursing and in restraints on the gurney, who spits on him when he comes over to evaluate him and then proceeds to puke all over himself. The surgeon spends the next 4 hours in the OR fixing the guy up. 4 days post op the guy pulls out all his lines and disappears from the hospital.

Real stories, happens multiple times across the country every day. Make your choice.

Male Medical Student:

I went into my OB/gyn rotation thinking that I would hate it for the obvious reasons.

I came out really liking it. i wont go into OB/gyn but here are the reasons that I liked it:

1) Great mix of surgery/clinic/deliveries- no consecutive days are the same

2) Dealing with young married pregnant couples is awesome. They love each other and are truly excited about seeing you and their growing baby.

3) The awkwardness of pelvic exams really isnt that bad. After two or three it just becomes routine. My sex drive never waned.

4) Watching a young married couple deliver their first baby is awesome. Great feeling when you get to help

5) As one poster suggested, you r patent population is nice young and middle aged woman. Crackwhores dont come for routine paps and checkups

some motivation wrote:

3 a.m. - Your general surgery colleague is called to the ER at the same time after a gang fight, and his patient is an intoxicated 22 year covered with gang tattoos, with blunt trauma to the face and multiple stab wounds to the abdomen, who is combative, cursing and in restraints on the gurney, who spits on him when he comes over to evaluate him and then proceeds to puke all over himself. The surgeon spends the next 4 hours in the OR fixing the guy up. 4 days post op the guy pulls out all his lines and disappears from the hospital.

I once attended a talk by a maxillofacial surgeon who was actually shot during surgery. Some gangbanger came in with multiple gunshot wounds. This doctor was working on the bullet wound on the thug's jaw while a couple of other surgeons were working on his legs and abdomen. The rival gang decided to finish the thug off. They busted into the clinic, killed the thug on the table, and shot up the medical crew.

I doubt this kind of thing happens during prenatal care or baby deliveries.

Still no explanation for proctologists.

obs/gynae is a largely surgical profession and from experience at med school more men want to be surgeons than women!... Plus when delivering in the OR and things go wrong.. they go SPECTACULARLY wrong and you have to fight to save the life of both mother and baby so its an exciting adrenaline fulled profession!

But doctor wrote:

Still no explanation for proctologists.

Someone's graduating bottom of the class

Probably love of the field. Delivering babies is one of the few areas of medicine that hasn't been thoroughly corrupted by pharma money. You have to love it to be willing to put up with the politics in that speciality. Hats off to OB/ GYNs.

I agree that it does seem very interesting and rewarding. I always heard that the big knock against it was high insurance for medical malpractice?

Is there really such a thing? Don't GI docs usually handle the whole GI.

I work as a physician recruiter. One thing I can tell you is that their career is done after age 40. Almost unplace able. If you are in medical school and male. Choose any other specialty

kdfyl wrote:

And I had a college classmate who became a proctologist

No, you didn't. "Proctologist" is not an actual thing.