Critical care vs neonatology

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soleluna

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Hello there!
I need help in choosing my medical specialty. I am a 4th year Med student in Italy. Here the system is 6 years medicine+ specialty training (which can be 4,5 or 6 years).
Usually people choose their specialty beforehand and then they write their graduation paper (thesis) on the specialty subject: it gives points to enter the wanted residency. Spots for the thesis are limited: usually who gets the thesis gets the residency, if they pass the specialty admission test.

In fact we have to pass a written quiz (national) plus an oral and practical examination (to which you are admitted if you pass the quiz) to get into a residency. Who gets most points on the quiz + practical/oral exam gets the spot. Additional points for admission are given for publications, thesis and top score in certain exams of the 6 year course that are chosen by each specialty professor. Points are also given if the mean score for all the 6 year exams is higher than 28/30 (the higher the score, the higher the points) and for graduation score.

The specialty admission test is national: a student can try ONE test for clinical subjects in only ONE town nationwide, one surgical test in one town only and one 'services' test (which includes lab medicine, etc)-you guessed it: only in one town- but not more than that. So I can apply for 3 positions, and no more than three. But I can only write one thesis (in my preferred specialty)

The thesis is written during 6th year, so I thought I still had at LEAST next year to decide. Instead our urology professor told us that some people have already contacted him for the urology thesis (which they will write during 6th year). Thesis spots are limited for each specialty.
Most people in my year are contacting teachers already: thing is, we still have two years ahead and I am so unsure between neo and anesthesiology.. and both rotations are 6 year rotations! how do I decide?? I must act quickly and contact my teachers (even if officially we have until 6 year- but if everyone's doing it already there will be no spots left!).

I wrote an email to the anesthesia and pedi directors asking them if I could go on wards to get an idea. They both answered that I can. I talked to the anesthesia professor today. In two weeks I'll be in the ICU (that's the anesthesia branch I'm interested in). I still haven't seen the pedi professor.

The choice is a lifetime carrer choice. I can't switch later on (I could, but then spots for thesis might be taken and I risk graduating and having to wait one year doing nothing until I can try the test again the following year- and having no thesis points in the subject I want to get into anyway)
Once I enter a specialty I can't switch, unless I retake the test and loose years. I could choose a different town than my hometown and try the admission test there, instead of Verona: but I can only do the thesis with my OWN univeristy professors, so I would loose points. Plus, my uni was ranked number one in Italy last year.

So.. what are the Pros/cons of neo vs gas, in your opinion? Any suggestions?

Hope this was clear. Thanks so much.

I posted the same thing in the neo private forum and in the anaesthesia forum, BTW.
I tried to explain the medical system in Italy so you could get an idea, but the basic question is: pros/cons of neo and gas(ICU especially)

Thanks

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i started my elective rotation in the ICU. LOVE IT! :love::love::love:
 
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