I would love your opinion on my situation

[kentuckyman]

I would love to get some feedback on my situation here.

I am a 2nd year medical student and am pondering what residency to choose.

I have narrowed it down to Ophthalmology and Radiology. Here are the reasons why.

Ophthalmology: My father is an Ophthalmologist and wants me to take over his private practice. He has a great practice and I do enjoy Ophthalmology. I don't really like the business aspect of a private practice, though. I would much rather work in a situation where I don't need to worry about a lot of administrative garbage. I just want to practice medicine. Plus, I don't think that Ophthalmologists are in that high of demand right now, and I think their salaries will continue to go down as medicare keeps cutting fees (not that salaries are all that important, though).

Radiology: I also really enjoy radiology. I think the field is amazing and has a brighter future than the Ophthalmology field (in terms of demand and salary, I have heard there is an oversupply of ophthalmologists). Plus, I wouldn't have to deal with tons of administrative problems and be in charge of huge amounts of overhead and employees. If it weren't for my father and his practice I might take over, I would do radiology. But as of now I am undecided.

Anyways, I just wanted to see if anybody had an opinion, or what you would do if you were in my shoes. (I know the decision ultimately is mine to make and live with, I just like to here what others think.)

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[Pinner Doc]

My advice: don't discount other specialties so early! One of the best pieces of advice I got before 3rd year was to approach each rotation as if I *was* that particular type of doctor.

I know you think you know what you want... so did I. However, I'm NOT going into pediatrics as planned. I'm going to be an emergency physician!

 

[TMP-SMX]

Why don't you see what you get on Step I first...

 

[ZagDoc]

Demand or not, opthalmology is one of the most competitive residencies to get into right now (definitely a 'lifestyle' specialty), mainly due to LASIK/PRK and its high reimbursement and elective nature. Definitely a high STEP I score is required and some form of research is highly preferred. So waiting to see how that shakes out might be recommended. Inheriting a practice is a pretty lucrative and enticing motivating factor though, IMHO. Many physicians work most of their professional career on establishing a patient/referral base and that would be a big plus to walk into a good situation like that.

I second the recommendation of waiting till 3rd year when you get experience in different fields before making a decision. If you don't love the field, practicing medicine becomes a job instead of a passion. Who knows what you might find yourself loving.

 

[Tiger26]

I'm a 2nd year too, and radiology's a potential, but dude, I'd at least wait until step 1 before you start locking yourself into any one mindset on a specialty

 

[Green Chimneys]

The reading of imaging studies is about the only physician job that can be outsourced overseas. Granted, most of the stories of this actually happening are exaggerated and sensationalized, but who knows what will be happening 20 years in the future. I would hazard that both radiologists and ophthalmologists will have enough work and solid pay in the future, but nothing is safe these days. Figure out what you want to do with your workday and you'll find your calling...oh and you don't have to decide just yet!

 

[SocialistMD]

I just want to practice medicine.

And you think the career path that will give you the best opportunity to do this is...

Radiology

Interesting.

 

[SomeDoc]

Why don't you see what you get on Step I first...

 

[pressmom]

I may not be a med student, but at my parents' local hospital they fired all the radiologist and started electronically sending the images to a hospital over 200 miles away to be read because they'd do it for cheaper. There's still a couple of private radiology practices, but don't count on the hospital jobs being there. I'm surprised they didn't send the jobs to India...

 

[GoBuckeyes913]

Why don't you see what you get on Step I first...

Board scores and grades, although helpful, don't necessarily seal the deal for a residency spot. Who you know and whether or not you rotate at the place you want to attend for residency often outweigh the latter. Hopefully the OP has an epiphany and realizes which path to follow... either way you dad will be proud of you and you will be happy. Good luck

 

[TMP-SMX]

Board scores and grades, although helpful, don't necessarily seal the deal for a residency spot. Who you know and whether or not you rotate at the place you want to attend for residency often outweigh the latter. Hopefully the OP has an epiphany and realizes which path to follow... either way you dad will be proud of you and you will be happy. Good luck

True, but low scores can certainly make many specialties out of the question.

 

[mules05]

Radiology: I also really enjoy radiology. I think the field is amazing and has a brighter future than the Ophthalmology field

interesting word choice...hehe.

 

[Blade28]

Board scores and grades, although helpful, don't necessarily seal the deal for a residency spot.

A good Step 1 score may not guarantee anything, but a bad one will rule out many options.

 

[KECKington]

A good Step 1 score may not guarantee anything, but a bad one will rule out many options.

When you guys say a BAD score...what range are you referring to?

 

[H_Caulfield]

Just curious...is it a coincidence that these are both lifestyle, "ROAD" specialties? If so, then I'd think some more before ruling out fields which cover more than a quarter of somebody's face and/or a computer screen. There's a lot of fascinating stuff in medicine, if you're willing to dive more into the thick of it.

 

[roja]

Wait until you have done some rotations. You never know what is going to appeal. We had a woman who was 3rd in our class, all set for derm and did her derm rotation first off during fourth year and hated every moment. Ended up doing fp and loving it.

I was going to be a peds rheumatologist.

 

[vtucci]

When you guys say a BAD score...what range are you referring to?

A bad score is entirely dependent on what specialty you are pursuing. For example, a 220-225 is a good if not great score for family, internal, psych etc. but may be viewed as a bad score for derm, rads, optho, ortho etc.

As a general rule, a score under 200 is almost universally bad.