Do people assume you are going into a specific field because of your appearance?

[Excelsius]

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That does not mesh with my experience at all.

In my experience, surgeons are often quite extroverted, and are often good story tellers with great senses of humor. Surgery is very much a "team sport," and your fellow surgeons will be your teammates. That means that you MUST be a good communicator, and keep each other updated frequently. An introvert actually might have trouble fitting in on a surgery service, for this reason.

I actually had some of my most meaningful patient encounters on surgery, by the way.

Radiology and Pathology have far less patient interaction than surgery does.



It isn't just nurses.

It's other doctors and medical students. Particularly when you consult them.

Whenever I have to read a consult note that is sloppily written, I start cursing furiously under my breath. When you have shi**y handwriting, "kerlix" and "keflex" look VERY similar, but mean entirely different things. (And, sadly, sometimes the handwriting is so bad that you can't even guess based on context.) Bad handwriting is such a pain to deal with.

Interesting perspective. At my workplace I have learned over the years to be a member of the team and it is has worked fine. The problem arises when you have to work with people who can't grasp certain concepts - it becomes annoying. A team of surgeons should pretty much be at the same level and it might actually be enjoyable. The surgeons that I have met mostly fit the introverted personality, but I can make them animated by discussing certain topics. Maybe your experiences with surgeons are good because you yourself are an interesting person to talk to. Some of the nurses in our department hate many surgeons, but they love the anesthesiologists.

You are also correct, my number one match is pathology (according to that test). The only problems with that field is that I have always been fascinated with the brain and there is no other part of the human body that is as complex or interesting for me. Nuclear medicine fits introverts as well, but for me that's very boring. Given that neurosurgery was #5 on my tested list, I think that it is very suitable for introverts. Still, there were some surgery specialties that were much lower in the list. It could be that you were referring to those. Maybe they have more patient contact or teamwork.

I guess it would be safe to say that when choosing a specialty you need to look at two main things: 1.What scientific aspects of the human physiology interest you and 2. What type of work environment fits your personality. I would think that these two usually go hand-in-hand, but it would be pretty crazy if one conflicted the other. I don't know if anyone has faced such a dilemma.

 

[smq123]

You are also correct, my number one match is pathology (according to that test). The only problems with that field is that I have always been fascinated with the brain and there is no other part of the human body that is as complex or interesting for me.

Neuropathology.

Given that neurosurgery was #5 on my tested list, I think that it is very suitable for introverts.

That's pretty faulty logic.

Just because it was high on your list doesn't mean that it is suitable for introverts. That's like saying, "Well, Susie was #3 on my matches at eharmony, so I'm sure that she likes Thai food as much as I do." She might match you in other ways, but not in every aspect.

In any case - don't put a lot of faith in those tests. When I took that test, they told me that my best matches were derm and peds. 😕

The only way you can tell for sure what you will like is to actually go through med school and rotations.

 

[Long Dong]

Have you guys noticed a trend with good looks and specialty? People are definitely biased when it comes to looks and if your residency interviewer has the same bias, then maybe they could create a selective filter based on looks.

Female dermatology residents are the hottest residents in the hospital.👍
The same cannot be said about the guys though.

 

[Excelsius]

Neuropathology.



That's pretty faulty logic.

Just because it was high on your list doesn't mean that it is suitable for introverts. That's like saying, "Well, Susie was #3 on my matches at eharmony, so I'm sure that she likes Thai food as much as I do." She might match you in other ways, but not in every aspect.

In any case - don't put a lot of faith in those tests. When I took that test, they told me that my best matches were derm and peds. 😕

The only way you can tell for sure what you will like is to actually go through med school and rotations.

No test is perfect, but given that this test was put together by professionals in medical school who probably know more about specialties than either of us, I think there should be some truth to that, at least very generally. Some of the questions they ask do test your introvert/extrovert ratio. If surgery was indeed unsuitable for introverts, then their test would be wrong since it lists several surgery specialties even if the test taker is more introverted.

I agree that the best way to find the right specialty is to test it out. Shadowing specialists should be very revealing as well (given sufficient hours).

 

[SpinnerOfTruth]

Yes.
Everyone assumes ortho just because I have a chiseled, rock hard body. I know... It's my curse.

 

[Tiger26]

Female dermatology residents are the hottest residents in the hospital.👍
The same cannot be said about the guys though.

Agreed, no question--absolutely gorgeous (the ladies)

 

[PunkmedGirl]

So othro seems to have the athletic stereotype for me...does this mean women don't go into othro??

 

[Ashers]

So othro seems to have the athletic stereotype for me...does this mean women don't go into othro??

Women are not allowed into othro. 🙄

 

[PunkmedGirl]

LOL okok uhmm I know I am just a lowly premed and all..I am indeed interested in othro (and yes I understand this may completely change once I am in medical school and also depending on how successful I am and blah blah blah) but it seems that there are not a lot of women representing this field of medicine. True I don't have contact with all of the women in America who are doctors but generally I get this feeling.

 

[Blesbok]

LOL okok uhmm I know I am just a lowly premed and all..I am indeed interested in othro (and yes I understand this may completely change once I am in medical school and also depending on how successful I am and blah blah blah) but it seems that there are not a lot of women representing this field of medicine. True I don't have contact with all of the women in America who are doctors but generally I get this feeling.

Ortho is generally very much a boys club. This is partially because some of the procedures like relocating a hip can involve the need for considerable strength, but I think the real reason is more that it intimidates a lot of women to be the only one in a residency, which is normally the case.

Anyways, I say if you like ortho and you still like ortho when you are choosing a residency, go for it. Don't let current trends stop you from doing something you want to do.

 

[Tired]

LOL okok uhmm I know I am just a lowly premed and all..I am indeed interested in othro (and yes I understand this may completely change once I am in medical school and also depending on how successful I am and blah blah blah) but it seems that there are not a lot of women representing this field of medicine. True I don't have contact with all of the women in America who are doctors but generally I get this feeling.

True, we are a largely male-dominated field, but don't think that we don't have many women who are well-respected and phenomenal surgeons. PM me if you want some more personal details.


But to get back on topic, most people assume I'm in Urology because I'm such a giant d***.

 

[PunkmedGirl]

Thank you. And yes I am definitely one who loves to go against the grain and besides what woman doesn't like being surrounded by men?? LOL

 

[Ashers]

Ortho is generally very much a boys club. This is partially because some of the procedures like relocating a hip can involve the need for considerable strength, but I think the real reason is more that it intimidates a lot of women to be the only one in a residency, which is normally the case.

Anyways, I say if you like ortho and you still like ortho when you are choosing a residency, go for it. Don't let current trends stop you from doing something you want to do.

Which is one reason why it's so much fun.

LOL okok uhmm I know I am just a lowly premed and all..I am indeed interested in othro (and yes I understand this may completely change once I am in medical school and also depending on how successful I am and blah blah blah) but it seems that there are not a lot of women representing this field of medicine. True I don't have contact with all of the women in America who are doctors but generally I get this feeling.

I'm female and planning on ortho. (It's "r" before "th.")

 

[PunkmedGirl]

Which is one reason why it's so much fun.



I'm female and planning on ortho. (It's "r" before "th.")

LOl oops thanks for the spell check. That's nice that your a woman as well.😀😀

 

[GoBuckeyes913]

Do you get other students, residents, and attendings that guess you are going into a specific field because of your appearance or mannerisms?

Everyone I initially encounter thinks I'm a nurse (esp. patients)


When I introduce myself to new residents and attendings, and we share the "what-do-you-wanna-do-with-your-life talk", they go "You going into Derm? Peds?"

Nope, but thanks for the stereotype! haha😉

 

[jocg27]

Any more guys out there going into peds?? It seems to still catch some people here and there by surprise when I mention it, though they usually don't say what they had expected me to go into...I'd guess internal medicine I suppose...As far as I know, 🙂confused:🙄😎) I don't particularly stand out as looking like I'm clearly going into any one field.

 

[PeepshowJohnny]

Any more guys out there going into peds?? It seems to still catch some people here and there by surprise when I mention it...

Warning, the following post is horribly sexist, but it's my experience.

Women who go into peds tend to be different from guys who go into peds. They both care about kids and tend to be compassionate, but the women tend to be a LOT more touchy feely then the guys. The guys aren't like, ortho type "boys club", but definitely not like their female counterparts, with group hugs and having "private talks" about their feelings.

Also, they seem to have different career goals. A much higher % of male peds residents and students applying have interest in pursuing subspecialty training or a fellowship. The majority of female applicants want to work as a general pediatrician (and the few who want subspecialty training want NICU).

In general, if I had to put it on one thing, males seem more interested in the pathophysiology that affect children and the females are more interested in the children themselves.

 

[DoctorFunk]

In general, if I had to put it on one thing, males seem more interested in the pathophysiology that affect children and the females are more interested in the children themselves.

This whole post actually describes me perfectly. I thought I was the only guy going into peds who had more of an internal medicine mindset than the cuddly-feely peds personality.

Thinking peds subspecialty as well. Well-child checks are intellectual suicide for me.

 

[45408]

This whole post actually describes me perfectly. I thought I was the only guy going into peds who had more of an internal medicine mindset than the cuddly-feely peds personality.

Thinking peds subspecialty as well. Well-child checks are intellectual suicide for me.

It's not so much LIKING the children as it is HATING venous stasis, CKD, CHF, CAD, DM, HTN, and this that and the other thing.

 

[Long Dong]

But to get back on topic, most people assume I'm in Urology because I'm such a giant d***.

Well most surgeons are giant pricks to begin with, add a grueling residency and you get a prick with blue balls.😀

 

[BlondeDocteur]

In general, if I had to put it on one thing, males seem more interested in the pathophysiology that affect children and the females are more interested in the children themselves.

God yes. The physical exam on *attending rounds*, at the Children's Hospital of New York no less, consisted entirely of "oh you're so cute... you're so cute... isn't he so cute!!" Smile, baby!!" These kids were hellasick, had fascinating, weird problems... but all I got out of the rotation was an eternal playback, in squeaky little voices, of how much we all love babies rolling through my head.

 

[Feynmann]

Oh yeah... Everyone thinks that I am going to drop out because I am Hispanic.

 

[indo]

Oh yeah... Everyone thinks that I am going to drop out because I am Hispanic.

ha...you prolly snuck in to med school to begin with! [/bigotry]

 

[AggieSean]

I've gotten the ortho stereotype before, which is funny to me because I'm not even remotely interested in ortho. I think its one of the easier stereotypes in medicine.

Stereotypes tend to be based on qualities that can be easily discerned from the outside.

Female with a nuturing personality? OB
Former jock/sports lover/"Guy" guy? Ortho
Quiet, "nerdy," and shy? Path
Thrill seeker, ADHD, and outgoing? EM
Sensitive, quiet spoken, and overly emotional? Palliative care
A 6 year old in 26 year old shoes? Peds
Neurotic, cocky, arrogant? [insert surgery specialty]
Greedy, superficial, but crazy smart? Plastics

The stereotypes are there for a reason. Certain people naturally gravitate towards certain niches of medicine which cater to their strengths. But I've seen plenty (even extensive) exceptions in every area of medicine. As long as you are comfortable with yourself and know what makes you happy, when it comes to what others think, well... screw em.

What about neurotic, sports lover, and outgoing? With a touch of ADHD.

 

[sendwich]

What about neurotic, sports lover, and outgoing? With a touch of ADHD.

sounds like EM.

 

[ZonaRidicularis]

z

 

[mumiitroll]

I think OB's actually have pretty much the opposite stereotype as you describe -- they get a bad rap. In reality some are nurturing, rather than what they were stereotypically supposed to be.

As for ortho, I think the stereotype is that the smarter former jocks go into ortho, and stereotypically the less intellectually gifted former jocks go into PM&R. I've heard a group of orthos standing around comparing marathon times (not kidding), so I don't know that merely a sports lover or guy guy would fit in with steroetypical orthos.🙂

no offence, but how can orthos have the time to really play sports? i think that even if someone as gifted as Michael Jordan had a strenuos job 80hrs/wk, he wouldnt be much of an athlete... So i feel people who really value things like sports/travel/leisure are the ones in the lifestyle specialties.

completing a marathon doesnt make you an athlete. you can just walk the entire distance. and the same is true of discussing a football game. maybe these people are just overachievers who think it's cool discuss sports. while people in EM, Radiology, etc actually play sports.

 

[mumiitroll]

The ER doc and OBGYN comics were very funny. And that chart has some basic truth in it. I know people are saying "You don't know what specialty you'll pick until you're in med school," but some of us are really "mean" in certain ways (usually confidence is misinterpreted as hubris) and working with people won't work that well, ergo have to choose specialty with little people contact, like surgery.

People usually joke about me being a doctor because no one can understand my handwriting, including me (if the sample is old enough). I know how nurses hate the bad handwriting.

Have you guys noticed a trend with good looks and specialty? People are definitely biased when it comes to looks and if your residency interviewer has the same bias, then maybe they could create a selective filter based on looks.

Check this test - it is supposed to tell you what specialty you'll fit in after you answer 130 questions: http://www.med-ed.virginia.edu/specialties/TestStructure.cfm

Another thing I wonder is the relationship between psychometrics (Myers-Briggs, Keirsey, etc) and specialty. I'm guessing surgery = introverted.

i wonder what you can say about someone's personality based on how long it took him to take this test(assuming all individuals had equal desire to complete the test and answer the questions as honestly as possible)?

 

[ElZeekio]

12medicalspecialtystereotypesfull.jpg

OMG that's so funny. Thank you!

 

[TexasTriathlete]

People assume I'm going to be a surgeon, because I'm a ****ing *******.

 

[TheRealMD]

After one month of med school, 4 people have pegged me for ortho.

 

[TarHeelEMT]

Most people assume I'm going into EM because, well... the VHF EMS/rescue pager constantly attached to my backpack kind of gives it away.