Good Specialities For Introverts

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DocDocGooseM

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By introvert I mean someone who requires alone time to recharge. There's radiology for those who don't want patient interaction. What's good for those of us who enjoy patient interaction but happen to need some time to ourselves throughout the day?
 
By "alone time to recharge," do you mean time spent working by yourself in the hospital, or actual rest periods/breaks where you're not doing anything but relaxing?

If it's the former, you'll spend plenty of hours working by yourself - writing notes and orders, reading charts, doing paperwork, etc. You won't be talking to anyone at these times.

But if you're talking about breaks, where you're free to just nap, watch TV, etc. I'm not sure as sure about your options.
 
I always thought "recharging" was something you do when you're not at work.
 
Blade28 said:
By "alone time to recharge," do you mean time spent working by yourself in the hospital, or actual rest periods/breaks where you're not doing anything but relaxing?

If it's the former, you'll spend plenty of hours working by yourself - writing notes and orders, reading charts, doing paperwork, etc. You won't be talking to anyone at these times.

But if you're talking about breaks, where you're free to just nap, watch TV, etc. I'm not sure as sure about your options.
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I mean the former. I don't expect to not do work, I simply don't want to feel obligated to constantly talk. I do want to interact with patients in some capacity.
 
Pathology most closely matches what you seem to be describing and there really isn't a close second.
 
Pathologists see patients?

I had in mind anesthesiology as a good way to get a mix of patient interaction and quiet time. I was wondering if there were any subspecialties within medicine or pediatrics that would allow for a similar breakdown of time.
 
ScooterBanks said:
Pathology most closely matches what you seem to be describing and there really isn't a close second.
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Anesthesia, baby. Nothing shuts 'em up like a 200 mg of propofol and an 8.0 endotracheal tube to prop their vocal cords open.
 
DocDocGooseM said:
Pathologists see patients?

I had in mind anesthesiology as a good way to get a mix of patient interaction and quiet time. I was wondering if there were any subspecialties within medicine or pediatrics that would allow for a similar breakdown of time.
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Well, there's pediatric anesthesiology.

Joking aside, a lot of anesthesiologists are introverts who like working alone. A short but relatively intense period of patient interaction is one thing that appeals to many of us.
 
Pathology and Radiology (esp. interventional) sometimes have patient interaction. I don't know about other hospitals, but in teaching hospitals, pathologists and radiologists often talk to other doctors. On my IM rotation today, we called the radiologist a few times... to help us with a diagnosis, and for something about a stent... which escapes me at the moment.

Being an introvert myself (yeah I know what youre thinking), I seem to have no problem talking to patients for a few minutes to elicit a history. My interest in clinical medicine, and wanting to come to a diagnosis, is enough to get me to talk for a while.

That said... to everyone, especially the Gas guys, would Critical Care be another good field to go into? I find that people who are chewing on a plastic tube, with or without the Milk of Amnesia, tend to be easier to deal with. Though I guess that as an Attending, dealing with the families may be a pain.
 
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ScooterBanks said:
Pathology most closely matches what you seem to be describing and there really isn't a close second.
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I'm guessing the only connection you have with pathology is reading lab results, right? I talk to people all day and communication skills are vital. A pathologist who doesn't communicate well often doesn't do well in their job.

You can be an introvert in any specialty. Some of the biggest introverts I have met are in very clinically oriented specialties. It all depends on your priorities and what you want out of your career. If it's something you enjoy it will be less objectionable. And once you get into routine you will find that time for yourself in whatever way you can get it.
 
radonc?
 
Veterinarian?

Dentistry - hard to talk with a mouth full of suction, fist, and cotton.
 
An interesting question.. honestly, once you’re out in practice you can be however you want.

Want to be a quiet surgeon? There certainly are some. Don’t want to chit-chat in a general medicine clinic? Just run in and out of rooms handing out scripts. The “clinical” specialties all have their downtime for charting, dictation, etc. I wouldn’t go into one of the less clinical specialties just because it seems less interpersonally demanding, unless it really grabbed your interest

Whatever you choose though, its residency that will be the most taxing. You’re pretty much expected to be outgoing and talkative with your attendings, or otherwise you come across as uninterested or aloof. That may make getting through the residency difficult. It will be easier though with anesthesia or any of the other non-medical/surgical specialties.
 
I had a chatty general surgeon who was great to 1st assist, because they loved to talk and anything was considered "on topic" - sports, sex, fighting, high school memories, etc.

However the idea of running in and out of rooms handing out scripts is not a bad idea.What do you think of a drive through practice? People drive up to the speaker and tell you something like :I have one case of bad hemorrhoids and think I have a bladder infection, they drive through you hand them a script, pass them a urine sample cup and they pay?
 
Actually, there are a lot of introverts in psych, believe it or not. Check psych forum for "What Myer-Briggs are you?" poll.
 
Veterinarian?

No way man. A veterinarian spends the vast majority of the day with clients - and patients - in exams rooms. Talking to the clients in vet med is just as essential as talking to patients in human med. Sure, you'll get out to do surgery and pop some vaccines, but for the most part you are interacting with clients, your technicians, etc. They tell us "if you just like animals and hate people people, you're going to be an awful vet" which is very true.

I run into the same problem because I'm quite the introvert and prefer to work by myself...hence clinical pathology. I can of course interact if need but, i just feel more comfortable on my own.
 
WhtsThFrequency said:
Veterinarian?

No way man. A veterinarian spends the vast majority of the day with clients - and patients - in exams rooms. Talking to the clients in vet med is just as essential as talking to patients in human med. Sure, you'll get out to do surgery and pop some vaccines, but for the most part you are interacting with clients, your technicians, etc. They tell us "if you just like animals and hate people people, you're going to be an awful vet" which is very true.

I run into the same problem because I'm quite the introvert and prefer to work by myself...hence clinical pathology. I can of course interact if need but, i just feel more comfortable on my own.
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By the same argument, pediatrics is a bad idea.
 
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i think anything with a clinic is a bad idea if someone is seriously introverted. to a true introvert, going into room after room of new/not often seen people for a 15 minute party is about as enticing as getting your toes eaten by rats. 😳

i am, to some degree, an introvert myself, i still really like pt contact, i just prefer regular expected daily contact (daily is much easier for an introvert than every few weeks or months or years because there is no need to reestablish a connection), and that's how i found the ICU. it requires a lot of thought (time in your head) and regular interaction with a specific subset of people (nursing staff, consulting physicians, etc). if i was a true 100% introvert i would've gotten my PhD and done bench work. and while howelljolly is mostly right, i am going into peds, NICU or PICU.
 
I am a big time introvert although I am not sure how many people I work with know. I do EM and since we have plenty of time off there is a good amount of recharging. I love being super busy at work and then going home for quiet time.
 
Yep, Im looking at Pulm/CCM myself.

What about Emergency Med? Its mostly limited and directed patient contact, with very little patient "management". Ive always liked EM, though Im not sure if as an attending my ideas will change.

Even though we spend two years jumping around different fields trying to decide what we "fit" well with, I wonder if this is enough to decide. The snapshot we get is a very specific setting, i.e. in a teaching hospital, with instructors and consultants, and where the specialty practices its entire skillset. (I dont know if this makes sense, I cant find words for the idea)

Let me try a reverse example. If someone really likes pathology, but really wants patient contact, they'd be happy to run around clinics doing FNACs, punch biopsies, etc. But once they get out of the academic setting and into a community hospital back home, they may never do a procedure on a patient again. So, the "social" aspect of the job would be an unpleasant and previously unknown complication.
Im sure the scenario could be reversed.
 
dr. maybe said:
I am a big time introvert although I am not sure how many people I work with know. I do EM and since we have plenty of time off there is a good amount of recharging. I love being super busy at work and then going home for quiet time.
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Well ain't that some funny timing...
Ive actually surprised myself with how sociable I am on the wards (as opposed to clinics). Im not sure if people that I work with know that Im grossly introverted as well. I wonder if this means that I dont need to factor introversion into my career choice at all. I also wonder if this is going to burn me out.
 
I would stay away from most of the outpatient medicine subspecialties (at least by comparison with other fields). Like pediatrics, most of them require you to cultivate a fair number of regular healthy patients who enjoy coming back to you, and the relationship is sometimes just as important as the therapy.

In clinic it is surprising the number of patients who talk about going to Dr X, Y, or Z and never going back. In medicine, you want patients to like you and come back regularly - it may take less effort to see the same people every 3 weeks than seeing new people all the time.
 
carrigallen said:
In clinic it is surprising the number of patients who talk about going to Dr X, Y, or Z and never going back. In medicine, you want patients to like you and come back regularly - it may take less effort to see the same people every 3 weeks than seeing new people all the time.
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One of the Drs at our school told us about this one old Doc. who was just terrible at being a Doc. He couldnt do anything right. But he was the nicest most friendly guy you ever met. So he had patients coming back to him all along his career and never got sued. So it probably pays off being really friendly if you have outpatient contact.
 
howelljolly said:
Being an introvert myself (yeah I know what youre thinking), I seem to have no problem talking to patients for a few minutes to elicit a history. My interest in clinical medicine, and wanting to come to a diagnosis, is enough to get me to talk for a while.
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I feel the same way. I consider myself extremely introverted, like the OP probably does. So much so that I often wondered, early in my training, how I could possibly meet and interact with dozens of strangers every day. However, I'm in a very clinical field, and it's nowhere near as bad as I'd feared. It's not like you're expected to make a lot of small talk, which I am still not very good at. Getting a detailed history and doing a focussed exam are somehow not as taxing. Talking to patients about test results, differentials and prognoses just seems natural after a while. I would guess the patients I see consider me somewhat detached and businesslike, but I answer all their questions and address their concerns, and that's what's most important to them, I'm sure.

That said, I still have a bit of a hard time walking into a room where there are 10-15 family members around the patient. If I can, I try to come back later when there are fewer. I suppose you could always politely ask the non-essential visitors to step out for a few minutes, citing patient privacy and comfort (which is probably a legitimate concern).

And contrary to what some previous posters feel, I actually find return visits in my clinic easier to deal with socially than new patients or new consults in the hospital. They're already familiar with your personality and bedside manner, and the appointments are shorter and more focussed. It appears that most patients are fine with me, so being introverted doesn't necessarily translate into being a bad clinician.

But yes, I do cherish the non-interaction time, spent writing/dictating notes, reading studies and charting, and that's at least half of your day.
 
Phantom Spike said:
I would guess the patients I see consider me somewhat detached and businesslike, but I answer all their questions and address their concerns, and that's what's most important to them, I'm sure.

It appears that most patients are fine with me, so being introverted doesn't necessarily translate into being a bad clinician.
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Take this point to heart. Certain patients tend to gravitate towards certain physicians and certain physicians seem to attrack certain patients. But whatever the setting, clinic or otherwise, patients don’t universally prefer a chatty physician.

Introverts: choose the field that interests you. If you find the required interaction too awkward or uncomfortable though, I guess its not a good fit. But don’t resign yourself to a life in the lab unless that’s what gives you the fulfillment.
 
Phantom Spike said:
That said, I still have a bit of a hard time walking into a room where there are 10-15 family members around the patient. If I can, I try to come back later when there are fewer. I suppose you could always politely ask the non-essential visitors to step out for a few minutes, citing patient privacy and comfort (which is probably a legitimate concern).
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I had my first independent "patient's family interaction" on Thursday as a med student. Ive talked to plenty of families independently, since I used to be a medic. However, this one was particularly stressful... I thought I was going to have a status ep. Maybe its because now Im almost a doctor, or maybe because I've grown un-used to interaction, or maybe because im even more introverted since I started hitting the books for med school. Maybe its all three. Definitely the lowest point in my week.
 
BabyPsychDoc said:
Actually, there are a lot of introverts in psych, believe it or not. Check psych forum for "What Myer-Briggs are you?" poll.
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*raises hand*

Another one right here and I love it. 🙂 But I second the person who said that you can find a home in any specialty.
 
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howelljolly said:
What about Emergency Med? Its mostly limited and directed patient contact, with very little patient "management". Ive always liked EM, though Im not sure if as an attending my ideas will change.
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Personally that never appealed to me because I like waking up in the morning and having a pretty good sense of how my day is going to go. To know ahead of time who I will be seeing and generally if I will be busy or not. I don't mind at all seeing patients and being busy. I prefer it actually. But I like to have a sense ahead of time what I am getting into. Which I why I hate slow days at the VA so much because that's when they start having me see walk-ins. *shudders*

And I actually DO recommend outpatient specialties. For me, seeing new people all the time is much harder than seeing people I already know and have a relationship with. I really do enjoy talking to people and love being a therapist. But the initial visits with new patients are always the hardest for me. I would never want to have a job where I am constantly seeing new person after new person.

Oops sorry for the double post.
 
Anesthesiology. Plenty of time to sit around and think, with plenty of knick-knacks to keep your hands busy.

But really, for introverts, you will probably find as a resident that patient interactions -- whether in family practice or in radiology -- are actually not bad. It's the interactions with a hundred hospital staff (nurses, techs, physical therapists, dietitions, etc) that will drive you crazy. You don't need that much "people skills" to work with patients. It's the hospital staff that stretch your people skills to the max. At best, they don't get in your way and they don't piss you off. At worst, you see all extremes of lazy, passive-aggressive, narrow-minded, obstinate, ignorant, etc.

Unfortunately, during residency you can't get away from the hospital staff no matter what specialty you're in!

After residency? If you can't stand the bureaucracy and laziness, I would guess any kind of clinical doc in solo private practice seeing outpatients would have the most time to recharge from having to interact with crappy staff. That being said, there's still no guarantee that you won't accidentally hire a lazy-*** secretary with a bad attitude, who then becomes a fixture you can't fire.

The patients themselves aren't that bad. 😀
 
DocDocGooseM said:
By introvert I mean someone who requires alone time to recharge. There's radiology for those who don't want patient interaction. What's good for those of us who enjoy patient interaction but happen to need some time to ourselves throughout the day?
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Funny cause I was just having this exact convo w/my g/f tonight and you sound just like me. Anesthesia fits my personality well b/c just like you, I need some alone time to recharge my batteries.
 
howelljolly said:
That said... to everyone, especially the Gas guys, would Critical Care be another good field to go into? I find that people who are chewing on a plastic tube, with or without the Milk of Amnesia, tend to be easier to deal with. Though I guess that as an Attending, dealing with the families may be a pain.
Click to expand...

Kind of depends on what your looking for. Talking with families in the ICUs can be intense. But if your looking for something where you can mainly talk medicine and not have to make idle chit chat it may be for you. You'll probably never have a family member in the ICU ask you "How bout them Cowboys?"
 
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