Specialities most attractive to those 35+

[Sthpawslugger]

I will have turned 37 when I matriculate next year, will be a newlywed and hopes of having a child within the first 2 years( FW is 2 years older, and this would be our first child). I am curious to know of the specialties that are most attractive to those of you who will be 40+ in residency. I've been thankful to have had years of healthcare experience in a variety of fields. However, I've not come across anyone in my shoes(as described initially), and hoping to find some people here with similar life circumstances. What played a role in your decisions as an older non-trad? How do you and your spouse handle kids, other home obligations? Do you have a fair amount of opportunity to see your family, attend some (not all) special events as well as maintain some interest or hobby outside of your career pursuit? If it helps to know, I've narrowed down my areas of interest to FM w/SM fellow (have concerns w/FM due to increase in NP #), EM w/SM fellow, and orthopedic surgery.

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[edgerock24]

Anything primary care, psych, neurology, PM&R, pathology to name a few.

 

[QofQuimica]

Anything primary care, psych, neurology, PM&R, pathology to name a few.

Agree.

OP, many older nontrads pick IM, FM, or peds because those specialties have three year residencies, which are the shortest available. (Some EM residencies are also three years, and preventive/occupational medicine is also three years.) This would be a total of seven years of training for med school + residency. There are many more options available if you are willing to do a four year residency, including the others mentioned by ER above. To go into surgery or ortho would require a minimum of five years, which is a large part of why many older nontrads do not choose to take that route. If you get into your med school rotations and find that you enjoy procedures, some good non-surgical "middle ground" options to consider would be EM or anesthesia.

My advice is to be open-minded regarding your specialty interests. Most med students change their minds at least once, if not multiple times, regarding specialties. In addition, which specialties are realistic for you to pursue will be constrained in part by your med school performance. You may love derm, but it may not be possible for you to pursue that given your other competing responsibilities, when your competition will be single-mindedly focusing just on acing their med school classes and rotations. The good news is that when it comes down to specialties, there are lots of possible options, and most people could build a career in any one of multiple specialties. I seriously considered half a dozen of them at various points.