What you will come to see in time is that a lot of battles are made at the "resident" level. For example, who should admit the elderly lady with multiple comorbidities but a simple valgus-impacted hip fracture that needs to be pinned. . . . .percutaneously? From a medicine resident standpoint, it's just another admit with MORE WORK TO DO. Many times they are overworked and bitter about that. Of course they want to put up the wall. That's like someone trying to admit some guy to the ortho service because he has a non-op ankle fracture but can't crutch walk.

My opinion. I have almost never heard of a medicine attending speaking harshly about an orthopod (other than the occasional ECG joke). That hip fracture that gets admitted to medicine for "pre-op clearance" and an easy work-up means MORE MONEY FOR THAT MEDICINE ATTENDING. . . . . especially in the community. So they love orthopaedics, they realize our limitations and are happy to consult on our patients. Problems that WE see as complex, they may see as a "slam-dunk" consult that takes little or no thought from them.

"Don't hate the playa, hate the game"

What I was told by a couple medicine attending is that they get frustrated because some of the best medical students, who they feel would be great a medicine end up in fields which are very competitive (ortho, rad, anesthesia) and feel that they are "wasting" their great potential for medicine.

Also, In a university setting we are an easy target due to some consults thatt med residents feel are a waste of their time. Just think the intern and 2nd year on ortho would be the peak "medicine knowledge" on the ortho team.

As stated above, We do what we do and they do what they do. Their is no way to stay on top of everything in medicine.

Finally, just like everything else people like to joke about other groups. Even in ortho you will hear spine or joints (only do 4 operations hip/knee and right/left) make fun of hand (hand weenies) and hand make fun of foot and ankle (just a smelly hand) or the reverse.

You can't let any of it bother you and just do what you like and find most interesting

shoot, I dont make fun of the medicine people, cause I am glad SOMEBODY wants to do that...

Now ER, thats another story.
With some exceptions, many of them just act as glorified traige nurses who have a seriously overinflated opinion of their importance whose goal is to dispo all their patients home or to other services before their shift ends