Doing good

[lostintern]

I had a discussion with a med student last week, who mentioned applying to EM because he thought it could help him do the most good in life compared to other specialties he was considering. That stuck in my head and I've been thinking about it all week. Interacting with specialists and often being involved with disaster relief and international medicine, this EM thread would probably have more experience than anyone regarding matters of "doing good".

Obligatory - every specialty is obviously useful and helps out, but are there any specialties in medicine that stand out if your goal is to make the most large scale difference (outside of inventing some super awesome treatment)? Hopefully this doesn't turn into a specialty X is the best/worst thread, I am genuinely interested in people's thoughts.

Ortho has their TKR/THR etc and adds a high number of quality of life years to their patients lives. Ophtho can cure blindness in a ton of people who need that around the world. EM can sometimes save people who can then sometimes go on living normal or near normal lives. Infectious disease can do their thing when needed. Anyone can volunteer for missions and whatnot but I'm not sure how much that helps vs bandaids some root problem.

Any thoughts?

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[deleted109597]

Sanitation. Then primary care.

 

[The White Coat Investor]

I like being the white knight of medicine who gets to take care of anyone whether they can pay me or not.

But for international work, I feel a little limited. I think that it might be more fun to be a surgical subspecialist and swoop in and repair cleft palates or cataracts or hernias and go home 10 days later. But most good....I dunno what specialty, I guess the one who works the longest hours.

 

[Aralc]

I don't think you can generalize. If you go into a career and suck at it, or have no passion for it, how are you doing anyone any good?

I think there is legitimate good in most all professions. And by putting in passion and hard work, and perhaps some good luck, you may figure out how to amplify the good - whether by a medical advance, or organizing care more effectively, or whatever. Or you could be one of the many who toil without seeing that type of large impact, doing good on a smaller daily scale.

But just to humor you, public health/ policy.

 

[WilcoWorld]

Clean water > vaccinations > malaria prevention > anything any US specialist does.