How do you pick a surgical subspecialty...?

[Surgeonizer]

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I'm an M3 and I'm pretty much convinced that I want to become a surgeon for a variety of reasons. However, the only exposure to surgery that I get this year is general surgery and one branch of g surg (e.g., trauma). How can I possibly choose one of the surgical subspecialties with minimal to no exposure as an M3?

I was just wondering if anyone else has wrestled with this issue. If so, how did you pick a surgical subspecialty like ENT, ophthy, etc? It almost seems like you have to enter med school knowing that you want to go into one of these fields.

Any feedback on this would be great.

 

[Blade28]

Research? Fourth year rotation? Elective?

 

[mysophobe]

Uh, duh!

 

[Pir8DeacDoc]

I don't think this should be blown off so easily. In a lot of competitive fields figuring out in the fourth year you want to do them is too late. It's a tough question that I'm sure a lot of surgically orientated med students grapple(d) with, myself included. Wish I had a good answer for you.

 

[Blade28]

In the same way, those who aren't interested in the cores - medicine, peds, psych, OB/GYN, surg, ER, FP - usually have to rely on 4th year rotations to find other interests. That, or previous exposure via research, volunteering, shadowing, etc.

 

[Dunce]

I'm an M3 and I'm pretty much convinced that I want to become a surgeon for a variety of reasons. However, the only exposure to surgery that I get this year is general surgery and one branch of g surg (e.g., trauma). How can I possibly choose one of the surgical subspecialties with minimal to no exposure as an M3?

I was just wondering if anyone else has wrestled with this issue. If so, how did you pick a surgical subspecialty like ENT, ophthy, etc? It almost seems like you have to enter med school knowing that you want to go into one of these fields.

Any feedback on this would be great.

I'm in the same boat. -- zero specialty exposure during 3rd year

My advice would be to do some solid thinking about which subspecialty interests you the most. There tons of ways to find out about the different fields (internet, SDN, journals, actual people -- always a good choice 😉 ).

Try to get an idea of the field that seems to excite you and grab your interest. Then hop on the first chance you get to set up some shadowing. That seems like a good way to get your feet wet. Should you remain interested, you will then have some good connections that you can develop. Maybe try to add in some more shadowing during 3rd year breaks, like around the holidays. Also, you can try to get in on some research opportunities to learn some more and help out with that whole competitiveness BS.
I would first test out the field that you think you might like, but definitely try to expose yourself to other areas that may interest you.

The bad part about trying out different fields in your 4th year seems to be that you have so little time to do so before you start working on your applications.

Most importantly, try to keep your options open throughout your third year. It's tempting, but you don't want to be one of the gung-ho people and end up missing out on a totally different field that you might have loved.
cliche -- yeah I know

 

[Nutmeg1621]

You can also go to OR-live.com and watch surgeries under specialties to kind of get a feel for if you would like to do it or not.

 

[Dunce]

You can also go to OR-live.com and watch surgeries under specialties to kind of get a feel for if you would like to do it or not.

Oh I completely forgot about that!

It's a really cool site and is great for anybody wanting to get a taste of what different types of surgery are like. I highly recommend it for anybody interested in surgery of any kind.
If you don't get sucked into watching that stuff you probably should reconsider surgery as a possible career choice.

 

[jeffsleepy]

I dunno... I think I'd like the site more if 90% of the videos weren't endovascular, laproscopic, or basically an advertisement for a product.

 

[HTD]

This is a very good question. Not all of us are born knowing what we want. If you have a surgical slant, spend some time outside of the rotation system getting exposure. Residents and staff appreciate interested students and very few would object to your observing them in a clinic or OR setting. You will need above average motivation but you will be rewarded with better information to make your choice.

Although this is probably a rare example, I put in my first central line as an MS2 and scrubbed regularly on burn unit cases during that year as well. How? I went out of my way to get to know surgery staff and residents. I helped them with clinic(and their notes) before class in the spring of my MS2 year. In turn, they were willing to teach me procedures when I had the occasional morning or afternoon free time. They had a 7:00 am clinic and we had 8:00 class. It was perfect. The clinic had been that way for years, yet no one else had ever done that before my pal and I. Two years later, we both matched into that surgery program.

I only give you my personal story to remind you that many opportunities exist, but you must take the opportunity for it to help you. 🙂

Good Luck!

 

[Surgeon24]

Hi,

My gf had the same problem before finding she wanted to pursue a residency in ENT. Maybe if you elaborate on why you want to become a surgeon, it could help us (and you) to get some insight about your goals. Also, a very important question you should ask yourself is how life outside work is important to you.

Having said that, the best advice I have is to go 'talk, see and watch'. You could always read on the net or in the books, but I believe you need to follow a surgeon or resident to really feel what they're doing and if it suits you.
This could always help you: http://www.facs.org/residencysearch/

Give us some feedback.

 

[njbmd]

I'm an M3 and I'm pretty much convinced that I want to become a surgeon for a variety of reasons. However, the only exposure to surgery that I get this year is general surgery and one branch of g surg (e.g., trauma). How can I possibly choose one of the surgical subspecialties with minimal to no exposure as an M3?

I was just wondering if anyone else has wrestled with this issue. If so, how did you pick a surgical subspecialty like ENT, ophthy, etc? It almost seems like you have to enter med school knowing that you want to go into one of these fields.

Any feedback on this would be great.

Hi there,
One of the greatest advantages that you have is that you are a MS3. You have some time to ask questions and get some information. Approach faculty and residents from any and every surgical specialty at your institution and get some information. Most are more than happy to give you the pros and cons of their specialty. Use this information to guide you in exploring deeper.

After your first fact-finding information experiences, choose one or two surgical subspecialties that you might like to do an elective in to get some solid experiences. This should be done as early as possible fourth year as you need to be working on your residency application as early as possible. (Some may be under the SF Match which is earlier than the regular MATCH)

You also need to be sure that you have the scores and grades for your chosen surgical subspecialty. Most require a fairly competitive applicant so have some frank discussions with the home program directors at your institution.

Good luck!
njbmd 🙂