Just out of curiosity, for those of you with previous healthcare experience did you find yourself interested in the same areas/setting as you previously worked? I’m a medical SLP (applying next cycle hopefully) and have always preferred working with adults in an acute care setting vs working in outpatient. My favorite shadowing experiences so far have been anesthesiology, emergency medicine and inpatient pediatrics. Has anyone found that their previous work preferences were true as they transitioned to medicine? Just for my own curiosity as I have a long way to go. Thanks for your input!
For those with previous healthcare experience
- Thread starter DadIsFat
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I work in women's health currently and plan to be an Ob/Gyn. 😀
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I went into school thinking I'd really focus on areas I had work experience but now I'm interested in totally different fields. Most med students in general change their mind multiple times and I don't think that prior healthcare workers are necessarily an exception to that! Just go into school with an open mind and see where it takes you. Good luck.
Thank you both for your replies! I know I have a long way to go but am enjoying the process so far. It’s been a lot of fun to shadow different fields and be on a different side than I am used to. It’s also interesting to hear from others who also have previous experience. Best wishes to you guys!
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I worked in the OR for the better part of a decade. I did primary care/urgent care type stuff for about a year too. I’m really interested in FM and IM. Planning on keeping an open mind though.
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Nope - I worked ER and crit care/ICU - going into something completely different.
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i am a lab tech and no real desire to be a pathologist. though i did love the ER when I shadowed and emergency medicine in general
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I work in health admin/policy so not exactly the same, but it is still something I want to do. It just turns out that no one listens to you if you’re not a Dr.
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No one listens to you when you are a doctor either.
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Both.
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I work in step-down and ICU and do NOT want to do pulmonology. I got to thinking about it and a large portion of my patients are vegetative. I wouldn't get as much job satisfaction out of it as I would some other medical fields.
And its strange, because I would expect a pulmonologist to be more knowledgable generally than a hospitalist, but frankly, I have been disappointed by the majority of our pulmonologists except maybe one, and impressed by the majority of our hospitalists. I don't know enough to say definitively (Don't know how long they've all been attendings etc) but this is just a general trend I've seen.
VERY impressed with our ENT department.
And its strange, because I would expect a pulmonologist to be more knowledgable generally than a hospitalist, but frankly, I have been disappointed by the majority of our pulmonologists except maybe one, and impressed by the majority of our hospitalists. I don't know enough to say definitively (Don't know how long they've all been attendings etc) but this is just a general trend I've seen.
VERY impressed with our ENT department.
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I was always interested in medicine but my previous work experience sealed the deal (feel free to PM me if you're curious and want more details) but I loved everything about it and felt super excited and fulfilled by the work. Ironically, it used to be a field that one could practice in without an MD, but they are getting much more stringent as they move into the ACGME fold. There are still opportunities for midlevel providers, but some who I spoke with felt frustrated by not having as much autonomy as they'd like. So I bit the bullet and went to med school.
Ironically, in med school some of the times I've felt the most down are when the area I'm passionate about comes up. It just gets such cursory treatment and so many students/providers are super dismissive. Overall I love med school and don't mind being a novice at everything - so much of what we learn is super fascinating and I can't believe the opportunities we have. But when I get a taste of the things I went into medicine for, it just makes me sad that I can't do it full time and won't be able to for a very long time. Despite that, I still can't imagine wanting to do anything else more.
Ironically, in med school some of the times I've felt the most down are when the area I'm passionate about comes up. It just gets such cursory treatment and so many students/providers are super dismissive. Overall I love med school and don't mind being a novice at everything - so much of what we learn is super fascinating and I can't believe the opportunities we have. But when I get a taste of the things I went into medicine for, it just makes me sad that I can't do it full time and won't be able to for a very long time. Despite that, I still can't imagine wanting to do anything else more.
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