I am not enjoying this process

[fj25]

I feel like my decision is being rushed. I feel like I havent had time to think.

After 3rd year I took Step 2 Cs and CK and then I started my rotations. It has been non stop since then.

I feel like I am picking a specialty because I am running out of time, not because I really know it is that I what. You have to start choosing where you what to go on Sept 1. That is time for only 2 rotations.

I keep hearing different things about stuff I am interested in and I can't keep my head straight on what I what. I guess they all have "positives" and "negatives"

For example, emergency sounds good because of shift work but then youre dealing with "life or death" then psych sounds good but then "do I want to be analyzing for the rest of my life" sports/fam was okay but sports/ortho was not that much different just a longer residency and I think they have to have working all the time but I'm not sure.

I guess you need to have faith.

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[gagolden]

I guess lifes not fair. Oh yeah, I learned that lesson when my dog died when I was 9.

Im a jerk huh...

 

[tridoc13]

I feel like my decision is being rushed. I feel like I havent had time to think.

After 3rd year I took Step 2 Cs and CK and then I started my rotations. It has been non stop since then.

I feel like I am picking a specialty because I am running out of time, not because I really know it is that I what. You have to start choosing where you what to go on Sept 1. That is time for only 2 rotations.

I keep hearing different things about stuff I am interested in and I can't keep my head straight on what I what. I guess they all have "positives" and "negatives"

For example, emergency sounds good because of shift work but then youre dealing with "life or death" then psych sounds good but then "do I want to be analyzing for the rest of my life" sports/fam was okay but sports/ortho was not that much different just a longer residency and I think they have to have working all the time but I'm not sure.

I guess you need to have faith.

I went through the same thing. I finally got the choices down to two, decided to apply to both and gave myself a month to do a sub-internship in one of them, knowing that it would really tell me if I wanted to do that field for life. Half-way through I knew it was not what I wanted and I put the rest of my energy into applying to/interviewing for the other and am very happy to be where I am today. This is too big of a decision to rush through. Worst case scenario you do a transitional year and give yourself some more time to figure it out. This is the rest of your life, so do whatever you need to do to be sure you're making the right choice.

 

[fj25]

Thanks. I think I'll pick two and take it from there. When I wrote my message this morning i was frustrated and writing was a good outlet.

I went through the same thing. I finally got the choices down to two, decided to apply to both and gave myself a month to do a sub-internship in one of them, knowing that it would really tell me if I wanted to do that field for life. Half-way through I knew it was not what I wanted and I put the rest of my energy into applying to/interviewing for the other and am very happy to be where I am today. This is too big of a decision to rush through. Worst case scenario you do a transitional year and give yourself some more time to figure it out. This is the rest of your life, so do whatever you need to do to be sure you're making the right choice.

 

[mlw03]

I feel like my decision is being rushed. I feel like I havent had time to think.

After 3rd year I took Step 2 Cs and CK and then I started my rotations. It has been non stop since then.

I feel like I am picking a specialty because I am running out of time, not because I really know it is that I what. You have to start choosing where you what to go on Sept 1. That is time for only 2 rotations.

I keep hearing different things about stuff I am interested in and I can't keep my head straight on what I what. I guess they all have "positives" and "negatives"

For example, emergency sounds good because of shift work but then youre dealing with "life or death" then psych sounds good but then "do I want to be analyzing for the rest of my life" sports/fam was okay but sports/ortho was not that much different just a longer residency and I think they have to have working all the time but I'm not sure.

I guess you need to have faith.

I feel your pain. I'm an MS3 and I'm already thinking I'm going to have the same problem. I feel like 1 month is not enough to decide if I want to do something the rest of my life, but like you said, there's only so much time at the beginning of MS4 to do electives and try to figure it out. Even worse for me, 2 of the things I'm considering (path and neuro) I won't get to give a real look at until MS4. at least medicine people have a few years of general IM before having to subspecialize, but if you want a non-"core" specialty, it seems like the decision may become as much process of elimination as genuine passion for a particular area of medicine.

 

[raspberry swirl]

just wanted to let you know that you're not the only undecided person out there. im having the hardest time picking between psych and peds. i've decided just over this past month to go with psych, but im applying to some transitional internships just in case i have a freak out between now and the time rank order lists are due. its just frustrating when it seems like most of your classmates have known exactly what they want to do all along, and haven't wavered on their choice at all. i say narrow it down to two, throw in a transitional internship or two, and then see how interviews go. you may fall in love with a hospital, a program, a city, rather than a specialty, and that may end up being your deciding factor, and there's nothing wrong with that.

 

[Annette]

The US system for choosing your future sucks. The UK lets you so rotations as a resident before you have to decide, so you get a better idea.

If you have an inkling about something that isn't part of your core 3rd year rotations, try talking to several different specialties. You can even try to make it part of your "core" experience. For example, talk with the pathologist when tracking down path in surgery. Tell your resident that you want to look at the slides. Trust me, we'll usually be more than happy to go exploring after you get your work done! Talk with the radiologists when looking at films. Talk with the different consultants as they round on your patients. While you won't get necessarily get an objective view, sometimes it can help you weed out things, and introduce you to things you didn't realize existed. (PMR? Didn't even hear of that until I was an intern!) Also, see if you can shadow for part of a day. Most people are very willing and open to discussing career choices.