Allergy/Immunology, and Internal Medicine

[osumc2015]

I don't post on these forums much so if this is not the correct place for this, please let me know. I have a question about choosing specialties. I'm coming to the end of my first year (finally) and I'm pretty interested in allergy/immunology, but this happens to be (from what I've gathered) a difficult field to break into because there are a very limited number of fellowship positions. None of the other fields within medicine (e.g., cardio, GI, infectious disease) interest me all that much, nor does being a general internist. I've also thought seriously about anesthesiology and perhaps some surgical fields, though I can't decide if I'm willing to put up with everything that goes along with surgery (if I have to ask, probably not?). I don't have to make any decisions for two years, but the preparation that goes into residency applications (e.g., research, Step 1 scores, recommendation letters) definitely starts before then, so I'm trying to figure out as much as I can now. I'm wondering, is it a bad idea to pursue allergy/immunology given my lack of interest in other fields within medicine? It'd be great to get input on this, especially from those who may have applied for fellowships within IM. Thanks

Reasons I like Allergy/Immunology:
Lifestyle and flexibility are great
Interesting cases (mixed with a lot of boring stuff, I realize)
Interested in food allergies
Nobody dies, patients generally healthy
Don't mind boring cases
Fits with my personality - low key, off the beaten path

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[Brachyury]

I don't post on these forums much so if this is not the correct place for this, please let me know. I have a question about choosing specialties. I'm coming to the end of my first year (finally) and I'm pretty interested in allergy/immunology, but this happens to be (from what I've gathered) a difficult field to break into because there are a very limited number of fellowship positions. None of the other fields within medicine (e.g., cardio, GI, infectious disease) interest me all that much, nor does being a general internist. I've also thought seriously about anesthesiology and perhaps some surgical fields, though I can't decide if I'm willing to put up with everything that goes along with surgery (if I have to ask, probably not?). I don't have to make any decisions for two years, but the preparation that goes into residency applications (e.g., research, Step 1 scores, recommendation letters) definitely starts before then, so I'm trying to figure out as much as I can now. I'm wondering, is it a bad idea to pursue allergy/immunology given my lack of interest in other fields within medicine? It'd be great to get input on this, especially from those who may have applied for fellowships within IM. Thanks

Reasons I like Allergy/Immunology:
Lifestyle and flexibility are great
Interesting cases (mixed with a lot of boring stuff, I realize)
Interested in food allergies
Nobody dies, patients generally healthy
Don't mind boring cases
Fits with my personality - low key, off the beaten path

You may end up loving your OB/GYN clerkship, or you might score a 270 on Step 1 and decide to go into derm. My point is, its wonderful that you're exploring career options so early, but its helpful to keep an open mind.

In your case, if you haven't already, introduce yourself to your school's A/I department about setting up shadowing and research opportunities. If you do go into A/I, having a long history of Á/I interest/research will make you more competitive, and even if you don't, it'll give you stuff to put into your ERAS.

 

[engineeredout]

Seriously, you'd be surprised what you end up REALLY liking on rotations that you would never have even considered previously.

 

[Slack3r]

I'd really like to do Allergy, but I'd rather not do medicine than do IM.