How to figure out which specialties are in demand in Boston?

[Gauss44]

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I would prefer to stay in Boston and would like to know which specialties would be easiest to get a job in here. Or how to figure that out.

PS - I am NOT saying that I am unwilling to work elsewhere, just that I would PREFER to stay here. This is indeed one factor in my decision making. I would prefer to find out now and update my research as needed rather than just put it off.

 

[22031 Alum]

If you are indeed pre-medical, you're extremely far away from in-demand specialties factoring into your life in any way. Or am I misunderstanding your question?

 

[Law2Doc]

I would prefer to stay in Boston and would like to know which specialties would be easiest to get a job in here. Or how to figure that out.

PS - I am NOT saying that I am unwilling to work elsewhere, just that I would PREFER to stay here. This is indeed one factor in my decision making. I would prefer to find out now and update my research as needed rather than just put it off.

Boston is extremely popular for young professional twenty-something's, so basically your odds are going to be steep. You'll be competing with top graduates of the many residency programs in Boston for a relatively finite number of jobs, so it's not really just a matter of wanting to be there. I would pick your specialty independent of what's in demand and strive to excel in it.

 

[Gauss44]

STILL LOOKING FOR AN ANSWER TO MY QUESTION.

Does anyone have an answer to the question asked?

(BTW, I am sickened by the apparent assumptions on here that I am anything less than a successful young adult with top notch grades and a top notch MCAT. I am a human rights activist who has so far refused to flaunt my stats in order to consciously NOT promote classism.)

 

[Gauss44]

If you are indeed pre-medical, you're extremely far away from in-demand specialties factoring into your life in any way. Or am I misunderstanding your question?

Please do NOT respond to any more of my posts if all you have to say is:
1. Am I really what I say I am.
2. That you think I am far away from needing an answer to my question.

(I am still asking so please leave me alone if you don't have an answer.)

 

[Gauss44]

Boston is extremely popular for young professional twenty-something's, so basically your odds are going to be steep. You'll be competing with top graduates of the many residency programs in Boston for a relatively finite number of jobs, so it's not really just a matter of wanting to be there. I would pick your specialty independent of what's in demand and strive to excel in it.

Please leave me alone if all you have to say are:
1. My odds of success are slim when I didn't ask you about my odds.
2. That you would ignore the very question I am asking.

I wish that anyone with this sort of a non-answer would leave me alone permanently.

 

[Law2Doc]

Please leave me alone if all you have to say are:
1. My odds of success are slim when I didn't ask you about my odds.
2. That you would ignore the very question I am asking.

I wish that anyone with this sort of a non-answer would leave me alone permanently.

1. Asking which specialty would be "easiest" actually is asking about your odds.

2. I actually did answer you if you took a moment to grasp what im saying -- the answer is "none -- don't do this." If you read the post you would see that I'm responding to your question AND saying your approach is all wrong. There is no shortage in ANY specialty in the most competitive cities. So pick what you like and excel and that will be your best shot. Part of the reason you aren't getting answers you like is that nobody can point to a specialty that is particularly "in demand" in that city. Its a small city with lots of residency programs and a lot of appeal for young professionals, so the turnover is pretty low in all fields. We can all point to a lot of supersaturation in most specialties. A lot of us know people who had to settle for neighboring states, and a lot of us know a few people who found spots in various specialties, without much of a pattern, usually because they were coming from top programs elsewhere. But nobody can really say -- go into X and you'll have a great shot.

 

[Gauss44]

I actually did answer you if you took a moment to grasp what im saying -- the answer is "none -- don't do this." If you read the post you would see that I'm responding to your question AND saying your approach is all wrong. There is no shortage in ANY specialty in the most competitive cities. So pick what you like and excel and that will be your best shot. Part of the reason you aren't getting answers is that nobody can point to a specialty that is particularly "in demand" in that city. We can point to a lot of supersaturation. But nobody can say -- go into X and you'll have a great shot.

I actually did read your post. I thought you seemed to be contrasting me with twenty-somethings and top graduates of residency programs, as if I were not a twenty-something and would not be a top graduate of a residency program. Now that you've clarified, you have a good point. In this case, I need to rephrase my question so that it's relative, "What are the most available specialties or jobs for doctors in Boston? How does one figure that out? On the other had, which specialties are the most difficult to get? How can one figure that out?" I hear that the residents often moonlight in other hospitals, so a moonlighting job probably isn't too hard to get... but then I'm unsure what exactly they're doing on these moonlighting shifts....

(I want to know this even if it seems like the wrong strategy.)

 

[Law2Doc]

I actually did read your post. I thought you seemed to be contrasting me with twenty-somethings and top graduates of residency programs, as if I were not a twenty-something and would not be a top graduate of a residency program. Now that you've clarified, you have a good point. In this case, I need to rephrase my question so that it's relative, "What are the most available specialties or jobs for doctors in Boston? How does one figure that out? On the other had, which specialties are the most difficult to get? How can one figure that out?" I hear that the residents often moonlight in other hospitals, so a moonlighting job probably isn't too hard to get... but then I'm unsure what exactly they're doing on these moonlighting shifts....

(I want to know this even if it seems like the wrong strategy.)

Again that's the same question. Most in demand = most available. My answer is the same.

"Moonlighting" means working at a job outside of your training program. I doubt that's what you mean, because it doesn't generally translate to a job. Whether you can get such a moonlighting gig depends on (1) whether your program allows it, and (2) how comfortable you are getting your own insurance and practicing in a field you aren't yet fully trained in. And moonlighting opportunities tend to be most available at hospitals without residency programs, or they'd just use their own residents as internal moonlighters.

 

[ThoracicGuy]

STILL LOOKING FOR AN ANSWER TO MY QUESTION.

Does anyone have an answer to the question asked?

(BTW, I am sickened by the apparent assumptions on here that I am anything less than a successful young adult with top notch grades and a top notch MCAT. I am a human rights activist who has so far refused to flaunt my stats in order to consciously NOT promote classism.)

This is just precious.

 

[mw18]

You seem really combative, OP. I think the general consensus here is that since Boston is such a popular and desirable place for many people, and since there are so many extremely well-trained (MGH, Brigham, etc) people who will likely want to stay in Boston (an adcom once told me research shows that many people end up staying where they do residency), that every specialty will be in demand in that city. People also generally have to take less money to live in these desirable places, so if big money is not as important to you then it will help you.

To psuedo-answer your question, the specialty that will make you the most competitive in medicine is the specialty that you are the best at. If all things are equally in demand, then you need to be the best. So do what you're good at.

I also assume you mean the easiest jobs to get as an attending. As a resident, you could nail your boards and apply to a specialty that isn't as competitive at a program in Boston (then use those connections to become an attending). Your personal preference for a type of practice would also be very important. I haven't seen it, but I may have missed it. Private practice or academic medicine, clinic-heavy or research heavy, etc.

 

[Meridian32]

Hi OP - I would guess that the answer is generally the same in Boston as nationwide - since there is a growing need for adult primary care docs and a relative shortage of these docs, family medicine and general internal medicine will maximize your odds of being able to practice in the city of your choice. However, as Law2Doc has said above, doctor jobs in every specialty will be difficult to find in Boston.

Also, while I know you did not ask for this advice, I would recommend developing a thicker skin to perceived slights. I thought the first two replies to your post were reasonable and no cause for offense. Medical training involves years of working in a hierarchy where you will receive feedback every day from those above you that you will not always find fair or reasonable. The sooner you learn to accept this feedback gracefully and not take it personally, the easier it will go.

 

[cabinbuilder]

I would prefer to stay in Boston and would like to know which specialties would be easiest to get a job in here. Or how to figure that out.

PS - I am NOT saying that I am unwilling to work elsewhere, just that I would PREFER to stay here. This is indeed one factor in my decision making. I would prefer to find out now and update my research as needed rather than just put it off.

Google: physician jobs Boston.