Characteristic of choice MD specialities/ also top 5 subs 4 the future and why

[BigRedBeta]

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increased patient load that will result if every american truly does end up with health insurance.


http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Guid...=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1300839351&sr=8-2

1) 👍 to the book recommendation

2) Not to make this a political discussion, but this is a pet peeve of mine: Uninsured patients still get sick, still visit doctors and still utilize healthcare resources. The impact of universal insurance has more to do with a shuffling of which doctors they see and when in their disease course they see them, rather than some sort of entirely new patient population...

 

[slatermd]

1) 👍 to the book recommendation

2) Not to make this a political discussion, but this is a pet peeve of mine: Uninsured patients still get sick, still visit doctors and still utilize healthcare resources. The impact of universal insurance has more to do with a shuffling of which doctors they see and when in their disease course they see them, rather than some sort of entirely new patient population...

I will readily admit that I don't know what I am talking about.

It seems like whether we're talking about bringing a higher volume of people into the system, or taking the exact same number of people and managing them differently (as well as dealing with their newfound insurance), the end result is still an increased load on the healthcare system.

Is that wrong? I don't understand how mandating health insurance for every single citizen could do anything other than increase the volume of work done by our healthcare system, but like I said, I don't really know much (about anything). I would like to learn about this.

 

[Signifier]

1. Dermatology
2. Allergy & immunology
3. Radiology

I am very interested in allergy/immunology and radiology, so this is pretty good. I don't know how I feel about dermatology...

 

[drizzt3117]

Where do people w/o insurance go when they're sick? Their doctor's office... It's called the ER.

I will readily admit that I don't know what I am talking about.

It seems like whether we're talking about bringing a higher volume of people into the system, or taking the exact same number of people and managing them differently (as well as dealing with their newfound insurance), the end result is still an increased load on the healthcare system.

Is that wrong? I don't understand how mandating health insurance for every single citizen could do anything other than increase the volume of work done by our healthcare system, but like I said, I don't really know much (about anything). I would like to learn about this.

 

[slatermd]

Where do people w/o insurance go when they're sick? Their doctor's office... It's called the ER.

I understand that, but it's not really an answer to the question that was posed. It also isn't true for every person without health insurance.

Without insurance, there's only one way I would receive medical care and that's if I'm unconscious and unable to refuse. I know plenty of uninsured people who feel the same way and stay out of the system completely.

What happens when these people, who don't utilize the system for lack of insurance, all of the sudden have insurance?

Obviously there are uninsured people using healthcare resources. But it's not like every uninsured person pops into the ER whenever they feel like it.

 

[drizzt3117]

Honestly I dont think itd make much of a difference. I have health insurance but still don't see my doctor on a regular basis. If I didn't have health insurance I would be doing the same thing. The young healthy uninsured are not likely to use many more health care resources if they had insurance. The reason they're included in the health care plan is to pay for the people that will. The people who would utilize health care resources if covered likely do use them now, they just use an ER for PC rather than a PCP. Therefore, if covered, PCPs would presumably be busier, and ER physicians slightly less so.

I understand that, but it's not really an answer to any to the question that was posed. It also isn't true for every person without health insurance.

Without insurance, there's only one way I would receive medical care and that's if I'm unconscious and unable to refuse. I know plenty of uninsured people who feel the same way and stay out of the system completely.

What happens when these people, who don't utilize the system for lack of insurance, all of the sudden have insurance?

Obviously there are uninsured people using healthcare resources. But it's not like every uninsured person pops into the ER whenever they feel like it.

 

[slatermd]

Makes a lot of sense.

 

[Geekchick921]

I have taken this test in the past and the results are remarkably consistent.

Top Three
1. Pulmonology (what procedures do they do?)
2. Thoracic Surgery
3. Orthopedic Surgery

Bottom Three (lol)
34. General Internal Medicine
35. Pediatrics
36. Family Practice

Basically...I'm a doer and I have no desire to be wrapped up in my patients' lives.

Pulmonologists do thoracentises and chest tubes, and I'm sure other things. I saw both of those performed often on the floor when I worked on a med-surg unit.

1 hematology
2 radiation oncology
3 occupational med
4 physical med & rehabilitation
5 radiology

did anyone else get the same questions like 2-3 times :/

Yeah, the questions repeat. It's annoying.

I see someone bumped the old thread for that link. The only specialty I'm dead-set against was number one. Most of my interests were near the bottom.

 

[Norick13]

Well, my specialties were spot on with my interests.

Top 5:

General Surgery
Thoracic Surgery
Plastic Surgery (I'd loathe to do cosmetic surgery though)
OB/GYN
Otolaryngology

 

[MCAT guy]

You can also take this test to see some different options that might fit your personality. If you take it on a different day you might get different results, so keep an open mind:

http://www.med-ed.virginia.edu/specialties/TestStructure.cfm

1. [SIZE=-1]thoracic surgery 49[/SIZE]
2. [SIZE=-1]nephrology 49[/SIZE]
3. [SIZE=-1]radiation oncology 49[/SIZE]
4. [SIZE=-1]hematology 48[/SIZE]
5. [SIZE=-1]general surgery 48[/SIZE]
6. [SIZE=-1]occupational med 48[/SIZE]
7. [SIZE=-1]physical med & rehabilitation 48[/SIZE]
8. [SIZE=-1]obstetrics/gynecology 48[/SIZE]
9. [SIZE=-1]nuclear med 47[/SIZE]
10. [SIZE=-1]aerospace med 47[/SIZE]
11. [SIZE=-1]med oncology 47[/SIZE]
12. [SIZE=-1]infectious disease 46[/SIZE]
13. [SIZE=-1]preventive med 46[/SIZE]
14. [SIZE=-1]orthopaedic surgery 46[/SIZE]
15. [SIZE=-1]otolaryngology 45[/SIZE]

And the bottom of the list, 33-36...

• emergency med 41
• general internal med 41
• pediatrics 41
• family practice 40

Poor FM gets no love.

Here was my list, one's I was interested in before are in red. (bold red for the OP!)

 

[MCAT guy]

I heard thoracic surgery is a dying specialty.

 

[cbrons]

Getting divorced.

Lol

 

[HBSlim]

1. Radiation Oncology
2. Hematology
3. Occupational Med
4. General Surgery
5. Colon & Rectal Surgery

My biggest interests: 6. Anesthesiology, 10. Ortho, 20. ENT, 24. Cards. Seems like a pretty random list but ah well.

 

[Analytic]

One's interests don't always line-up with personality traits that are suited to a particular specialty. In other words, you could be absolutely fascinated with diagnostic radiology, but if you need constant patient interaction, it will probably show-up on the assessment.

Even so, I don't think this "assessment" is anything on which one should base major life decisions.

 

[bookfreak89]

I see someone bumped the old thread for that link. The only specialty I'm dead-set against was number one. Most of my interests were near the bottom.

Ophthalmology?

 

[Geekchick921]

Ophthalmology?

Exactly. Eye surgery...

 

[bookfreak89]

One's interests don't always line-up with personality traits that are suited to a particular specialty. In other words, you could be absolutely fascinated with diagnostic radiology, but if you need constant patient interaction, it will probably show-up on the assessment.

Even so, I don't think this "assessment" is anything on which one should base major life decisions.

Pretty sure no one is going to do this.

 

[Analytic]

Pretty sure no one is going to do this.

How do you know?

Many people like others to make decisions for them, whether it be parents, their god, a test, etc. How can you be sure people won't pattern their lives after some silly quiz? If anything, I'd say it happens quite often, considering there are people who still live by their horoscopes, superstitions, or silly, religious traditions.

 

[UpQuark]

1 physical med & rehabilitation (?????)
2 hematology
3 anesthesiology
4 allergy & immunology
5 rheumatology

36 family practice 🙂thumbup🙂

 

[mindthegap]

1 psychiatry 45
2 allergy & immunology 44
3 radiology 43
4 endocrinology 42
5 med oncology 41

my interests (as of now) 9, 20, 31, and 1! who'da thunk?

 

[bookfreak89]

How do you know?

Many people like others to make decisions for them, whether it be parents, their god, a test, etc. How can you be sure people won't pattern their lives after some silly quiz? If anything, I'd say it happens quite often, considering there are people who still live by their horoscopes, superstitions, or silly, religious traditions.

Because it is a silly quiz and people in this thread are taking the quiz out of curiosity.

 

[Analytic]

Because it is a silly quiz and people in this thread are taking the quiz out of curiosity.

Huh, I don't know how you came to know peoples' motivations for taking the quiz, but you seem to be quite comfortable with your assumption, so I guess I'll leave it alone.

 

[bookfreak89]

Huh, I don't know how you came to know peoples' motivations for taking the quiz, but you seem to be quite comfortable with your assumption, so I guess I'll leave it alone.

So, I can't assume that people are taking this quiz for fun? Even when they already have interests in mind prior to taking the quiz (hence the "current interests = 5, 29, 30" statements)? 😕

Whatever. Moving along.

 

[Analytic]

So, I can't assume that people are taking this quiz for fun?

[...]

Yes, you can, and I never said you couldn't.

Your response to my words of caution was an absolute: "... no one is going to this." I warned against making the assumption that everyone who takes the quiz is doing so strictly out of curiosity. That is very different than saying nobody is taking it out of curiosity.

 

[NickNaylor]

Yes, you can, and I never said you couldn't.

Your response to my words of caution was an absolute: "... no one is going to this." I warned against making the assumption that everyone who takes the quiz is doing so strictly out of curiosity. That is very different than saying nobody is taking it out of curiosity.

 

[slatermd]

 

[bookfreak89]

Yes, you can, and I never said you couldn't.

Your response to my words of caution was an absolute: "... no one is going to this." I warned against making the assumption that everyone who takes the quiz is doing so strictly out of curiosity. That is very different than saying nobody is taking it out of curiosity.

I see. Let me rephrase: I doubt that people in this thread are going to base their life decision on the results of this quiz. There. Now it leaves room for those who want to let a quiz determine their specialty. 🙄

 

[ACSurgeon]

Interestingly enough I got rads, ortho, uro, which are my 3 favs in order... Haha

I think the impressions you get of each specialty in med school are super institution dependent, that's one of the reasons why people recommend training at different places for med school, fellowship, and beyond.

I think being in your clinical years of medical school and having developed a truer understanding of what things you love and hate about medicine (and maybe by extension life) helps narrow things down for you.

For most premeds, my guess is there is a good percentage who emphasized thinking/solving mysteries, etc which is why path/neuro/etc came up a lot. Once they get to 3rd year of med school and realize there really isn't that much detective work as they thought, they'll quickly reduce their emphasis on "thinking" and lean towards other things that better define their interests.

The other half, most likely emphasized life style and money, and hence the rads/ortho results.

 

[Analytic]

I'm perfectly calm. Why is disagreement so uncomfortable for people around here? There's nothing wrong with a good ol' argument. 😀

 

[AM916]

1.. .Pediatrics
2.. .Physical med & rehabilitation
3.. .Rheumatology
4.. .Hematology
5. Radiation oncology

I'm glad pediatrics came up #1 since that is what I would like to do. On a side note I did this quiz because my boss is away and I'll probably pull my hair out if I run another pcr 😱

 

[drizzt3117]

I think being in your clinical years of medical school and having developed a truer understanding of what things you love and hate about medicine (and maybe by extension life) helps narrow things down for you.

For most premeds, my guess is there is a good percentage who emphasized thinking/solving mysteries, etc which is why path/neuro/etc came up a lot. Once they get to 3rd year of med school and realize there really isn't that much detective work as they thought, they'll quickly reduce their emphasis on "thinking" and lean towards other things that better define their interests.

The other half, most likely emphasized life style and money, and hence the rads/ortho results.

That makes sense... I think it's generally hard for people to decide what they want to do, though. I was pretty set on rads before I started med school and being in my clinical years has only really confirmed my interest but I liked some other fields much more than I thought they would. If I wasn't so far down this path I may well have chosen to do something surgical. I have been doing a lot of counseling for my classmates lately though haha regarding specialty choice.

 

[Spin]

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