M.D. Careers having to do with the brain

[minigirly17]

I am really intersested in the neuro system , and I was wondering what careers may catch my interest while in med school. I know that this may be a vast subject, but I was wondering if anyone could give me just a fiew of my options. I am worried that when I get into med school I may not know what I want to do and have a panic attack.

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[Droopy Snoopy]

Yikes. Neurology, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, academia, anesthesia. In EM you'll get to SEE a lot of brains, albeit it'll usually be laying on the guy's shoulder.

 

[minigirly17]

Would you suggest psychiatry as a career to go into if you like to deal with the brain? Please list the bad points about psychiatry , so that I may avoid it if needed.

 

[medgirl20]

You won't be able to avoid psych as a student it's a core rotation. I found psych the theory and psych the practice to be very different things. The theory is amazing eg the MRI changes in schizophrenics. However if you like things to be clear cut and have definitive tests for everything psych isn't the career for you.

 

[Bitsy3221]

Above listed specialties is a good list.

Just a word of advice for you: you DO NOT need to have a panic attack if you do not know what you want to be when you get into medical school. Most people don't know, and many of those who do end up going into something different. Relax.

As far as your concerns about psych, try reading some of the threads in the psych forums, or using the search function. There are lots of post about this, but I again think you are putting the cart before the horse. Focus in getting in to medical school, then get through first and second years, do well on your boards and then use your third year to gain as much exposure to fields of interest as possible. THEN you can make an informed decision about specialties. But since I see you have already started another new thread asking if psych "really sucks," I guess I am a little late with my advice.

 

[jocg27]

I propose that you become Chairman of Diagnostic Medicine.

 

[turkleton]

I propose that you become Chairman of Diagnostic Medicine.

Oh man... you pre pre pre allo's really crack me up sometimes. How did all the med students not slap their foreheads when they read the title of this thread.

 

[Droopy Snoopy]

Just a word of advice for you: you DO NOT need to have a panic attack if you do not know what you want to be when you get into medical school. Most people don't know, and many of those who do end up going into something different. Relax.

Yeah, it's pretty rare to have a fresh new M1 know what they want to do right from the start and actually end up in that career. Most of us have some idea, like wanting to work in the OR or something in primary care, etc. But you really don't know until 3rd year when you start spending weeks and months in different services actually doing stuff, not just hearing about it from Ph.Ds or watching it on television. I don't know what stage of the process you're in, but my undergrad offered several classes and even a minor in neurobiology, with great opportunities for research and the like. Might want to check that out, but honestly it's ridiculous to try and map out your residency or fellowship 5 or 8 years in advance.

 

[yeahok]

If your still an undergrad, you might want to consider doing a PsyD or a PhD in clinical neuropsychology. Hard as hell to get into, but they do all kinds of stuff, from dealing with psychos to things like assessing patients with brain injuries and providing therapy. I dunno if you could get into those programs if ur not majoring in psych in undergrad, but look into it.

 

[Law2Doc]

Would you suggest psychiatry as a career to go into if you like to deal with the brain? Please list the bad points about psychiatry , so that I may avoid it if needed.

This seems to be a common focus for you -- you also started another thread inquiring about the negatives of psych recently. The best advice I can give is to chill out. Maybe read more threads, start fewer. Once you actually take psych you will see what psych is like. As a prior poster indicated, it is unavoidable -- it is part of the med school curriculum. Similarly you will cover neuroanatomy and neuro in med school. You may like it, you may not. No real point focusing in on it when you are still at the stage that you are referring to fields as "careers having to do with the brain". The future will happen when you get there. Good luck.

 

[MarzMD]

This seems to be a common focus for you -- you also started another thread inquiring about the negatives of psych recently. The best advice I can give is to chill out. Maybe read more threads, start fewer. Once you actually take psych you will see what psych is like. As a prior poster indicated, it is unavoidable -- it is part of the med school curriculum. Similarly you will cover neuroanatomy and neuro in med school. You may like it, you may not. No real point focusing in on it when you are still at the stage that you are referring to fields as "careers having to do with the brain". The future will happen when you get there. Good luck.

LOL

 

[NRAI2001]

Yikes. Neurology, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, academia, anesthesia. In EM you'll get to SEE a lot of brains, albeit it'll usually be laying on the guy's shoulder.

Opthamology and anesthesia?? Really? I didnt know anesth. delt with a lot of neuro concepts (seriously)?

There is also radiology, neuroradiology, interventional radiology, interventional neurology.

 

[Law2Doc]

Opthamology and anesthesia?? Really? I didnt know anesth. delt with a lot of neuro concepts (seriously)?

There is also radiology, neuroradiology, interventional radiology, interventional neurology.

Proctology.

 

[Droopy Snoopy]

Opthamology and anesthesia?? Really? I didnt know anesth. delt with a lot of neuro concepts (seriously)?

There is also radiology, neuroradiology, interventional radiology, interventional neurology.

If you're a retina guy or neuroophthalmologist at least. Even your standard ophtho has to know more about the CNS than say an FP or OB/GYN, since the first manifestations of many brain tumors occur as visual field or eye movement deficits. Anesthesia well, I guess they know as much as anybody about neurotransmitters, CNS anatomy and the like.

 

[NRAI2001]

Proctology.

You dont need med school to become a proctor?

 

[smq123]

I am really intersested in the neuro system , and I was wondering what careers may catch my interest while in med school. I know that this may be a vast subject, but I was wondering if anyone could give me just a fiew of my options. I am worried that when I get into med school I may not know what I want to do and have a panic attack.

I actually thought that neuropathology might be interesting, even though I really don't want to be a pathologist.

First, make sure that you want to go to med school, and then during MS2/MS3 decide what you want to do.

Opthamology and anesthesia?? Really? I didnt know anesth. delt with a lot of neuro concepts (seriously)?

There is also radiology, neuroradiology, interventional radiology, interventional neurology.

Anesthesia does deal with a lot of neuro stuff. Among other things, he respiratory and consciousness control centers are in the brainstem, which is obviously important to an anesthesiologist. There's also a lot of stuff dealing with pain management, which is also neuro/psych related.