good specialties for ADD personalities

[texasranger2003]

I have ADD and just began my third year of medical school. As of right now, I have no idea what field I want to go into. Anyone have any ideas on what fields an ADD doctor might excel in? Are there any docs out there with ADD who found something they loved and could shed some light on the issue?

Thanks in advance

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[texasranger2003]

anyone?

 

[pillowhead]

emergency medicine. i think you'll find many EM docs who consider themselves a little on the ADD spectrum.

 

[Winged Scapula]

anyone?

Please give people time to respond.

You posted this in the wrong forum yesterday and I moved it to this one not more than 30 minutes before you asked again for responses.

Agree with above that EM is probably the one speciality that attracts most with ADD (including my med school roommate).

 

[McGillGrad]

ADD does not control your life. Do whatever you like and deal with it. And remember to pop your pills.

 

[Rendar5]

EM is the classic answer, but honestly, do a bunch of different rotations and see what you like. While I consider myself ADDish, my friend who is actually diagnosed as ADD hates EM and loves optho.

 

[AmoryBlaine]

If you actually have ADD you'll be terrible at EM. Multitasking does not come easily to people with ADD. Nor does working in distracting environments.

Get ready for the deluge of posts telling you that a psych diagnosis that is defined by an inability to stay on task makes them BETTER emergency physicians.

Cheers.

 

[AmoryBlaine]

FWIW I doubt there is a specialty that is better or worse for someone with ADD. The question is whether or not the disease is controlled. If so then you should be able to do anything you want right?

It's like asking "what is the best specialty for people with major depression?" or OCD or panic disorder.

 

[lowbudget]

Please give people time to respond.

LMAO. Hence... the ADD.

 

[Winged Scapula]

LMAO. Hence... the ADD.

You're right...I didn't catch that.

 

[CambieMD]

Anesthesia !




Cambie

 

[TopSecret]

I have ADD and just began my third year of medical school. As of right now, I have no idea what field I want to go into. Anyone have any ideas on what fields an ADD doctor might excel in? Are there any docs out there with ADD who found something they loved and could shed some light on the issue?

Thanks in advance

Pathology might be a good fit if you can work at your own pace and are not too easily distracted. Radiology might also be okay.

Specialties that require a lot of patient contact, listening, and managing multiple seriously ill patients simultaneously might not be such a good fit.

 

[docdaname]

dude, primary care!! Work in your own clinic. Some primary care docs see 40-50 patients in a day. a new patient every 7.5 minutes! if thats not for someone ADD I dont know what is. what were we talking about again?

 

[Shalom77]

Surgery is ADD friendly. in my opinion.
But actually it really depends on your interest. It makes a difference if you experience the add hyperfocus in the OR or if you find the OR boring. (I remember laughing when I read about a psychiatrist with ADD who found therapy sessions so focusing.

But seriously, with adequate treatment you can do any specialty that interests you. Key is that it interests you. Some specialties, however, come with their own adrenaline.

As you can see everyone has their own opinion - I know docs who do think ER med is ADD friendly. Personally - I can't see how anesthesia is ADD friendly - but obviously not everyone agrees.

 

[McGillGrad]

If you have bad ADD then you're not passing med school. Ergo, you can do pretty much anything after med school.