How to answer "expected career path" prompt when you don't know

[suckitupbuttercup]

I'm having some trouble answering these secondaries that ask you to state your career plans in depth and explain why you're qualified for them. Isn't it a little naive to think you know exactly what you're going to be doing ten years from now? I mean I have some ideas, and there are specialties that appeal to me more than others. But I know I'm going to see things in med school (if I am lucky enough to go ) that I can't even imagine at this point. That's half the fun for me - getting on this ride and seeing where it takes me. And I would hate to answer the question sort of arbitrarily and have it count against me because I picked X and they were looking for Y, when really I'd probably be perfectly happy doing Y too.

Is it better to just pick a lane and go with it? Can I write about being open to many possibilities without seeming wishy-washy? Should I just take a couple of Xanax and hit submit?

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[bluepeony]

I feel like it would seem less naive if you can back up your proposed career path with volunteer/internship/shadowing/research/work experiences in that field. You can also acknowledge the fact that you are open to other fields but right now this is what interests you due to your X,Y,Z experiences in that field.

 

[Hi_I'mPaul]

Completed agree with @bluepeony. There is no "right answer" to this (although, there are wrong ones...). Med schools just want to see that you've thought about the future and are self-reflective. Of course, things will most likely change during medical school and that's okay. Be honest with your interests. If you can tie it in with your experiences (like shadowing, work, etc.), then even better!

Just don't come out of the gate with "I'm going to become the best orthopod in the state of Wyoming and there is nothing else I'd do." Being too wishy-washy isn't the best either. Doesn't show you've really thought about things. Usually sticking to more general fields rather than specific subspecialties is the way to go as well (gives you wiggle room). Good luck! Don't overthink it!

 

[LizzyM]

Do you like working with kids and young adults? Do you like old folks? Are you committed to serving people in their reproductive years? Do you like asking people probing questions about themselves and their life history? Do you like tinkering with machines and electronics? Do you like working more with your hands or your head? Are you an early adopter of new technology?

Would you like long term relationships with a relatively small population of patients over many years or decades or very short term interactions with a much larger pool of patients? Do you like doing the same thing over and over such that you develop a specific expertise or would you like to know a little about a great many things but very little in any depth?

Do you want to practice medicine or do you want to go beyond that to a role in research ( testing new drugs on patients in your care or assessing the effectiveness of health care services or doing basic science research at the bench) and/or teaching/mentoring medical students, residents and fellows?

Think about these questions and see if they lead anywhere in terms of the age/sex of the population(s) you'd most like to work with, whether you'd prefer primary care or speciaty care, whether you'd prefer a procedure-based specialty or one that is more "high touch" than "high tech", and if you are interested in clinical care alone or in combination with teaching and research as a clinical facutly member. If you can compare and contrast different docs you've shadowed to show that you've seen some different styles of practice and you have an idea of what you think is the best fit with your interests and personality, then you are all set.

 

[suckitupbuttercup]

Thank you all! This is great food for thought. Most of my clinical volunteering has been in one area (different roles but same type of environment) but I can compare and contrast with different shadowing and life/work experiences. I think I can build a more complete picture of paths that might be a good fit for me without saying "NeuRO oR BuSt!!11!!!!!"

 

[Select All That Apply]

@suckitupbuttercup An interest in neuro is very flexible and cross applicable to other specialties when it comes to treating general patient populations. The first thing that is assessed in a head to toe physical assessment is going to always be neurological status, consciousness, orientation, and other factors. Understanding the patient is always going to be a critical component when it comes to patient care, therefore having an interest in aspects of neuro/psychiatry is going to always be pertinent when it comes to dealing with almost every patient.

 

[suckitupbuttercup]

Haha, thanks @Select All That Apply - I actually just picked that as the stereotypical premed thing to say. I do actually find neuro fascinating, and I get a lot of exposure to it in my day job, neurosurgery in particular. I'm way too old to sign myself up for the longest possible residency track though, even if I thought I had the stats. Neurology might be more reasonable on both counts, or as you said, just putting a neuro spin on other specialties.