Fear of not matching into desired specialty?

[ratman7]

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Should this fear make you reconsider your desire to become a doctor- that you'll be stuck in a specialty that you never wanted?
Or with hard work and motivation, will everything turn out fine in the end?

 

[Lucca]

Well I think it's far too early to know which specialty we want. I'm saving that judgement for clerkships. If you are going into medical school you should go in with the idea that you would be at the very least satisfied in any specialty. It's easier to be turned off by surgery at least since those are the more competitive ones but if you are turned off by medicine or primary care then you really might want to reconsider since those are the ones most people match into.

 

[gyngyn]

Many talented, accomplished MS4's applying in specialties with a small number of positions will not match.
There are far more over-qualified applicants than positions. This is inevitable.
Everyone needs a parallel plan.

 

[Dr.Freedman MedEdits]

When deciding what specialty to pursue, it is important to be honest about your competitiveness which is determined by many factors including the medical school attended (US allopathic, osteopathic, vs. off-shore), grades, board scores, letters of reference, admissions documents and interview experience. Students who don't match typically overestimate their competitiveness. Here is an SDN article about this topic: http://www.studentdoctor.net/2009/08/residency-match-success-lessons-learned/. The NRMP offers a ton of useful data that can help students determine how competitive they are for a certain specialty: http://www.nrmp.org/match-data/main-residency-match-data/.

As soon as medical school begins, you are basically preparing for the next admissions process - the match!

 

[Lysinee]

I thought a premed would be more concerned about getting a med school acceptance than not matching into a specific specialty. 🙄

 

[AspiringERMD]

I thought a premed would be more concerned about getting a med school acceptance than not matching into a specific specialty. 🙄

Yes, but at the latter point, you've really sunk a lot into it! You can turn back as a pre-med.

 

[Lysinee]

Yes, but at the latter point, you've really sunk a lot into it! You can turn back as a pre-med.

The premed has made his specialty decision based on limited experiences from shadowing, reading SDN, interactions from family members who are Drs, etc. This isn't the same as 3rd year rotations when you are in different rotations and start to get a feel for different specialties. Chances of matching into a specialty is also based on the application (board scores, research, rotations grades, etc). If you don't have the stats, it becomes harder to match.

Listen carefully to the fields first year med students say they are currently interested in and compare that to match day. Many people change their interests and some aren't competitive so they apply to another field.

 

[Cytarabine]

I agree with most of what's been posted. My personal opinion - I wouldn't enter med school if I didn't have potential interest in entering a specialty that was at most of average competitiveness. You simply can't predict how well you'll do in medical school to bank on matching into PRS, derm, etc.

The premed has made his specialty decision based on limited experiences from shadowing, reading SDN, interactions from family members who are Drs, etc. This isn't the same as 3rd year rotations when you are in different rotations and start to get a feel for different specialties. Chances of matching into a specialty is also based on the application (board scores, research, rotations grades, etc). If you don't have the stats, it becomes harder to match.

Listen carefully to the fields first year med students say they are currently interested in and compare that to match day. Many people change their interests and some aren't competitive so they apply to another field.

I'm not sure if you're speaking in generalities or know this sdn poster, but I always try to catch myself before I generalize premed experience. Sure, the majority (including myself) were traditional applicants, but one could very well have been a PA in a derm clinic for 10 years. I would say that's more insight into the field than any 3rd or 4th year tends to get.

 

[IlDestriero]

Should you also not apply to medical school because you're afraid that you might not get a residency or a permanent job in your desired area because it is a tight market in a very desirable area?
Your question is ridiculous.
There is some self selection that makes match statistics unreliable. Ultimately you have to ask yourself if you want to be a physician or not. Not everyone can do Derm, ortho, or even anesthesia. Some can't even match in anything at all over multiple cycles. Though those are usually people with a lot of red flags and/or a foreign medical degrees.

 

[ratman7]

Can volunteering in a hospital during undergrad slightly improve your chances in getting residency at the same hospital if your application is competitive?

Are you restricted to applying to residency only near the hospitals near your medical school or can you apply even cross country wide residencies if you like? (I have a feeling the latter, but just checking)

 

[Stlblues17]

This topic I always find interesting. I have premed/ms1-2 friends with limited exposure (or none) to specialities, that of course are the most "prestigious", they have already deemed they want or are going to be. They take this matter of fact stance as if they would ONLY be a certain type of physician, and the thought of doing "less prestigious" specialities does not even cross their mind as a possibility.

I will be the first to admit I am certainly no expert on GME. I will start medical school in the fall (c/o 2019!!!), and at the ER where I work, I often am asked by coworkers "what type of doctor do you want to be?" To which I respond I honestly do not have a clue. Of course I have my interests (EM for example), but until I rotate and see/experience what various specialities are about, I find it silly to assume I will get into a certain speciality or even LIKE that specialty until I experience it.

All I know is I want to become a physician, and medical school will help me find out "what kind" that is. OP, if one cannot go into the field with at least an open mind, I suspect they will set themselves up for disappointment.

 

[operaman]

I'm a non trad who came to medicine with a specific field in mind and am currently finishing up interviews for residency in that same field. One of our attendings was a non trad who did the same thing in the same field. That said, I think there are many other specialties where I could do fulfilling work, earn a good living, and enjoy life. I definitely came in with some parallel options.

A good exercise is to ask yourself what about your desired field appeals to you and then see what else may be similar. Ask people in that field what else they considered as fourth year students.

Gauging your competitiveness as a pre med is nearly impossible. I've known top full scholarship recipients who weren't even in the top 25% of the class and I've known people with 99th percentile step 1 scores who had to apply multiple times just to get in to med school. Too many variables to make any sort of accurate prediction how competitive you'll be. Generally, if you go to a U.S. md school and get average grades, above average boards, and get involved early in med school in your chosen field with research and whatnot, you will probably be fine. That may or may not be the case a few years from now when you apply for residency.

 

[giantswing]

Can volunteering in a hospital during undergrad slightly improve your chances in getting residency at the same hospital if your application is competitive?

Are you restricted to applying to residency only near the hospitals near your medical school or can you apply even cross country wide residencies if you like? (I have a feeling the latter, but just checking)

No.
No.
Get into med school. Bust your a.. First and second year. Kill step 1. Bust your a.. Third year, while keeping your mouth shut and your head down. Kill step 2.

 

[Lysinee]

I'm not sure if you're speaking in generalities or know this sdn poster, but I always try to catch myself before I generalize premed experience. Sure, the majority (including myself) were traditional applicants, but one could very well have been a PA in a derm clinic for 10 years. I would say that's more insight into the field than any 3rd or 4th year tends to get.

Of course there are exceptions to the rule where an applicant might have more exposure to a field. But, the best decision is made during 3rd year when you get exposure to more fields.