Mentioning specialty of interest in secondaries?

[RuggedShark]

I've answered a number of "anything else?" and "why us?" secondary questions by talking about my strong interest in geriatrics. For schools that offer extensive curricular/extracurricular/research opportunities in geriatrics and hospice/palliative care, I have described those as my main draws to the school. I know mentioning a (sub)specialty of interest is often considered bad form because so many people change their minds and you don't want to be narrow-minded, but I am REALLY interested in this.

Of course, I am open to changing my mind but a good part of me thinks I won't. My answers to these questions are the best answers I have, and 100% honest. Any feedback is really appreciated!

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[gyngyn]

I know mentioning a specialty of interest is often considered bad form because so many people change their minds and you don't want to be narrow-minded, but I am REALLY interested in this.

There are specialties that pique the interest of evaluators.
There are others that don't necessarily help.

 

[deleted1163682]

I don't see how this would be an issue unless we're talking plastics/ the hyper-competitive ones, as it may draw into question whether you would be happy in medicine if you don't match into that specialty.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

As long as you express knowledge that it's tentative, you should be fine. Otherwise, (edited) don't give anyone a reason to question your application...

 

[RuggedShark]

Thank you all. I appreciate it!

 

[LizzyM]

The way into geriatrics is through internal medicine or family medicine. Those are not super competitive residencies and the adcom members who work with the elderly, or who are elderly, or who have elderly parents, will cherish you for your choice.

Aside from pediatrics, just about every medical specialty deals with elderly patients and given that most medical conditions are more common as one ages, you can barely escape caring for the elderly regardless of your speciality. Of course, geriatricians are the specialists trained for the care of older adults with complex conditions. In some cases, they provide primary care and in other cases it is a consultation model with the patient retuned to their primary care provider after a work-up.