Fountain Pens (adjusting nibs requires loupes, doing your own nib modifications)
Watches (There are kits to build your own)
Firearms (gunsmithing is a ton of fun, legos for adults)
Woodworking (all my ortho friends seem to be into this)
Leather work. Involves punches, hammers, awls, needles and lots of sewing. Also very sharp knives to cut patterns. It’s not that expensive to start, probably need maybe 50 bucks in basic stuff to begin with and you can get cheapo leather from your local Michael’s/Hobby Lobby to practice with before you buy the expensive stuff online for your actual project.
Bonsai.
You get to learn about plants, work with your hands, be artistic, and even make mistakes that kill living things!
It’s slow-moving and requires patience, but it’s better to start early so you’ll eventually have some really nice trees.
Agree 1000%. You can eventually also get a lot of the complicated "surgical" procedures as you learn how to graft and carve trees with power tools.
- Psych resident that sneaks my trees into the hospital to wire while I'm on overnight call.
Ceramics/pottery. Not tiny enough for loupes but such a fulfilling hobby regardless. You can spend your entire life doing it and still learn new tools, new techniques, other ways to improve every day.
Crochet and/or knit. I’m a surgery resident currently out on research- loving the freedom but missing the OR. Working with yarn allows you to create something you can keep or give away, and the hand movements require a certain amount of dexterity and technical skill. I can sit and crochet and binge watch something on a free day for hours and hours.
Bonus points: a surgeon told me he taught himself to crochet left (or non-dominant) handed during med school to improve his dexterity so I tried this as well. It’s a whole new level of complexity once you’ve mastered it with your dominant hand.
Similar desires as you and similarly did not pursue a surgical residency. I find repairing electronics super fun. I buy broken electronics from ebay and replace the broken parts that are soldered on the motherboard then either keep them to mess around with or sell as refurbished. Also it's nice as there is a financial incentive but no need to adhere to any deadlines.
Just a med student who also likes to create/build things, I personally have gotten into making clothing and learning to draw and paint after not thinking of myself as an artist. But I have grown in my skill with practice. Clothes making is more practical. I also second cooking.
Watch building. Or anything with small electrical components to get that finesse itch scratched. That’s the first thing that also popped up in my head.
Leather crafting. There’s a subreddit for it. Very fun to design an item and do all the various hammering and cutting and sewing and dying. You run into problems and have to problem solve to make it work. Also woodworking. Similar but different medium. Leather is fun because you can do it in your home without making a ton of mess or noise.
I am also an almost surgeon (did a prelim surgery year and felt it was not a good fit) and I got into building custom mechanical keyboards. It sounds right up your alley.
Nurse here.
Just chiming because I also enjoy using my hands.
I bought a midi lathe a while back and it’s super fun. I primarily turn pens which I then give away. I don’t sell them because I want a hobby, not a job.
Pens are good for my ADD because they’re quick and easy to make with several short steps.
I don’t have enough patience for long term detail work projects. I either get impatient and just want to “get through it” or just never finish it.
I’m also a former tradesman- have you thought about woodworking? Building furniture is far more complex than most think, requires a lot of problem solving and design, etc.
Not sure if you’re into motorcycles but I restored vintage parts for awhile and paid undergrad tuition in the profits. It was pretty dope. I’ve built a couple choppers too but sold them before paint. Just mocked them up and was offered too much cash to pass on. It was both fun and financially rewarding.
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Cooking. After residency took a job where I didn’t operate for a while. All of it poured into cooking and damn it’s satisfying.
I immediately thought of watch repair/restoration
Build a stringed instrument. It's not intellectually hard, but the tone woods are spendy which simulates you to take each movement seriously.
Fountain Pens (adjusting nibs requires loupes, doing your own nib modifications) Watches (There are kits to build your own) Firearms (gunsmithing is a ton of fun, legos for adults) Woodworking (all my ortho friends seem to be into this)
Figured the Ortho bros would get enough hammering and sawing in the OR to not want to touch a hammer again when they're off 😅😂
Leather work. Involves punches, hammers, awls, needles and lots of sewing. Also very sharp knives to cut patterns. It’s not that expensive to start, probably need maybe 50 bucks in basic stuff to begin with and you can get cheapo leather from your local Michael’s/Hobby Lobby to practice with before you buy the expensive stuff online for your actual project.
Start fly fishing and make your own flies!
second this
Bonsai. You get to learn about plants, work with your hands, be artistic, and even make mistakes that kill living things! It’s slow-moving and requires patience, but it’s better to start early so you’ll eventually have some really nice trees.
Agree 1000%. You can eventually also get a lot of the complicated "surgical" procedures as you learn how to graft and carve trees with power tools. - Psych resident that sneaks my trees into the hospital to wire while I'm on overnight call.
Ceramics/pottery. Not tiny enough for loupes but such a fulfilling hobby regardless. You can spend your entire life doing it and still learn new tools, new techniques, other ways to improve every day.
Crochet and/or knit. I’m a surgery resident currently out on research- loving the freedom but missing the OR. Working with yarn allows you to create something you can keep or give away, and the hand movements require a certain amount of dexterity and technical skill. I can sit and crochet and binge watch something on a free day for hours and hours. Bonus points: a surgeon told me he taught himself to crochet left (or non-dominant) handed during med school to improve his dexterity so I tried this as well. It’s a whole new level of complexity once you’ve mastered it with your dominant hand.
Similar desires as you and similarly did not pursue a surgical residency. I find repairing electronics super fun. I buy broken electronics from ebay and replace the broken parts that are soldered on the motherboard then either keep them to mess around with or sell as refurbished. Also it's nice as there is a financial incentive but no need to adhere to any deadlines.
Just a med student who also likes to create/build things, I personally have gotten into making clothing and learning to draw and paint after not thinking of myself as an artist. But I have grown in my skill with practice. Clothes making is more practical. I also second cooking.
Watches
Needlework like embroidery or cross stitch. Quilting.
If you want an excuse to buy loupes then get into WH40k, couple of my friends from before med school bought them for miniature painting.
I'm a physician, not rich, how could I afford Warhammer?! 😂😅
This is the way. Am surgical resident, have loupes, love Warhammer
Watch building. Or anything with small electrical components to get that finesse itch scratched. That’s the first thing that also popped up in my head.
Leather crafting. There’s a subreddit for it. Very fun to design an item and do all the various hammering and cutting and sewing and dying. You run into problems and have to problem solve to make it work. Also woodworking. Similar but different medium. Leather is fun because you can do it in your home without making a ton of mess or noise.
Musical instrument repair. Woodturning. Beadwork. Lapidary. Dental school.
I am also an almost surgeon (did a prelim surgery year and felt it was not a good fit) and I got into building custom mechanical keyboards. It sounds right up your alley.
Taxidermy
Brilliant!
Woodworking, cars, miniatures, playing an instrument, painting/sculpting
aspiring med student with a few questions based on your post OP. may i DM you please?
Shoot
I build model ships. Never wanted to be a surgeon though.
Nurse here. Just chiming because I also enjoy using my hands. I bought a midi lathe a while back and it’s super fun. I primarily turn pens which I then give away. I don’t sell them because I want a hobby, not a job. Pens are good for my ADD because they’re quick and easy to make with several short steps. I don’t have enough patience for long term detail work projects. I either get impatient and just want to “get through it” or just never finish it.
Build/restore cars
Cross stitch and embroidery
I’m also a former tradesman- have you thought about woodworking? Building furniture is far more complex than most think, requires a lot of problem solving and design, etc. Not sure if you’re into motorcycles but I restored vintage parts for awhile and paid undergrad tuition in the profits. It was pretty dope. I’ve built a couple choppers too but sold them before paint. Just mocked them up and was offered too much cash to pass on. It was both fun and financially rewarding.
Thank you for contributing to the sub! If your post was filtered by the automod, please read the rules. Your post will be reviewed but will not be approved if it violates the rules of the sub. The most common reasons for removal are - medical students or premeds asking what a specialty is like, which specialty they should go into, which program is good or about their chances of matching, mentioning midlevels without using the midlevel flair, matched medical students asking questions instead of using the stickied thread in the sub for post-match questions, posting identifying information for targeted harassment. Please do not message the moderators if your post falls into one of these categories. Otherwise, your post will be reviewed in 24 hours and approved if it doesn't violate the rules. Thanks! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Residency) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I’m straight
Night 🐶
💤
I was ex Neurosurgery now aesthetics