Choosing a specialty.

[Who?]

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I am 24 right now and currently serving in the United States navy . I want to go to medical school after I complete my last 2 years of university. I have 4 years left in my navy contract and 2 years of university remaining. My concern is that i will be 37 before I am finished with my residency. Although premature i am considering the specialties i want to pick.


i have listed the following specialties I am considering, could i get opinions from currently practicing doctors on the following specialties and which one is best.

1. Emergency Medicine
   • Pros
     • Lifestyle is something I can appreciate
     • Saving lives in emergency situations sounds more rewarding
     • makes more money than other specialties
   • Cons
     • Less intellectually stimulating compared to other specialties
     • annoying patients
2. Pathology/ Virology
   • Pros
     • Interested in how infectious disease work particularly viruses
     • interested in working in LV 4 labs with diseases like smallpox
     • Smallpox is cool
   • Cons
     • Most jobs working with highly infectious disease are government jobs, government jobs do not make a lot of money
     • Very few pathologists work with viruses
     • Performing Autopsies doesn't sound very fun
     • Low patient contact
3. Neuro-pathology
   • Pros
     • Interested in addiction specifically serotonin and drugs like Methamphetamine, MDMA and cocaine
     • Interested in neurological diseases
     • interested in researching cures for Mental illnesses
   • Cons
     • Makes less money
     • low patient contact
4. General surgery > Trauma surgery
   • Pros
     • Great money
     • Very rewarding
     • save lives
   • Cons
     • Training takes 7 years by which time I will be about 40

 

[esob]

Everyone will tell you not to worry about it until you get to rotations in med school because you basically have no idea what you will really want to do until then.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I am 24 right now and currently serving in the United States navy . I want to go to medical school after I complete my last 2 years of university. I have 4 years left in my navy contract and 2 years of university remaining. My concern is that i will be 37 before I am finished with my residency. Although premature i am considering the specialties i want to pick.


i have listed the following specialties I am considering, could i get opinions from currently practicing doctors on the following specialties and which one is best.

1. Emergency Medicine
   • Pros
     • Lifestyle is something I can appreciate
     • Saving lives in emergency situations sounds more rewarding
     • makes more money than other specialties
   • Cons
     • Less intellectually stimulating compared to other specialties
     • annoying patients
2. Pathology/ Virology
   • Pros
     • Interested in how infectious disease work particularly viruses
     • interested in working in LV 4 labs with diseases like smallpox
     • Smallpox is cool
   • Cons
     • Most jobs working with highly infectious disease are government jobs, government jobs do not make a lot of money
     • Very few pathologists work with viruses
     • Performing Autopsies doesn't sound very fun
     • Low patient contact
3. Neuro-pathology
   • Pros
     • Interested in addiction specifically serotonin and drugs like Methamphetamine, MDMA and cocaine
     • Interested in neurological diseases
     • interested in researching cures for Mental illnesses
   • Cons
     • Makes less money
     • low patient contact
4. General surgery > Trauma surgery
   • Pros
     • Great money
     • Very rewarding
     • save lives
   • Cons
     • Training takes 7 years by which time I will be about 40

Welcome, Shipmate. You don't need to worry about specialty at this point, and I would not get my heart set on any. The reasons are 1) you want to be open minded going into rotations, and 2) your board scores will determine what you're competitive for.

As for your age, I will be 35 when I start med school, which means I will be 42 at a minimum when I finish residency. Finishing training at 37 is not old, and even if you go into surgery, that leaves you about 18-20 years of full time work if you choose to stop at 65. Plenty of time.

 

[Unico]

Truth is you can't begin to think about specialities until you get your Step I scores back, which is at the end of second year of medical school.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[Gurby]

1. Emergency Medicine
   • Cons
     • annoying patients

Telling it like it is <3

 

[Unico]

Should have mentioned these books in my previous post.

The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Medical Specialty, Third Edition
Amazon product ASIN 0071790276
The Successful Match 2017: Rules for Success in the Residency Match
Amazon product ASIN 1937978079
Again, scores are everything for the match and being able to "choose" a specialty (and going to a US school).

Good luck!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[Goro]

Many thanks for your service ot our country. But right now, get into medical school, and then worry about a speciality. BTW, you seem to be a bit starry eyed about what some specialists do. If you want to work with BSL IV pathogens or do research in neurotransmitters, get a PhD. Pathologists sure don't do this type of work.

i have listed the following specialties I am considering, could i get opinions from currently practicing doctors on the following specialties and which one is best.

1. Emergency Medicine
   • Pros
     • Lifestyle is something I can appreciate
     • Saving lives in emergency situations sounds more rewarding
     • makes more money than other specialties
   • Cons
     • Less intellectually stimulating compared to other specialties
     • annoying patients
2. Pathology/ Virology
   • Pros
     • Interested in how infectious disease work particularly viruses
     • interested in working in LV 4 labs with diseases like smallpox
     • Smallpox is cool
   • Cons
     • Most jobs working with highly infectious disease are government jobs, government jobs do not make a lot of money
     • Very few pathologists work with viruses
     • Performing Autopsies doesn't sound very fun
     • Low patient contact
3. Neuro-pathology
   • Pros
     • Interested in addiction specifically serotonin and drugs like Methamphetamine, MDMA and cocaine
     • Interested in neurological diseases
     • interested in researching cures for Mental illnesses
   • Cons
     • Makes less money
     • low patient contact
4. General surgery > Trauma surgery
   • Pros
     • Great money
     • Very rewarding
     • save lives
   • Cons
     • Training takes 7 years by which time I will be about 40

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