Med School: Showing interest in subject

[liquidwmn]

Hello,

I was going through some of the specific made sites (dermatology, OBGYN, etc.) and someone stated a person in med school had to make it known (to those that need to know, I guess) what interests you might have in the first year...is this right?
Up till this point I was under the impression that a med student in thier 1st year didn't have to think about this, just do well to get into the 2nd year of med school.

Also, I've been checking out some schools in the New England Territories (RI, NH, etc.) and was wondering if anyone else is interested in schools out there...maybe we could discuss some of the schools highlights (???). Or, even better, if you are currently attending a school out there (out there, cause I live out here...lol), maybe you could tell me how it's going and stuff (please )???

And, lastly...does anyone know what "ambulatory care" entails? Is this hands on, observation, ?????

Thanks soooo much.

liquidwmn

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[UseUrHeadFred]

This is hearsay. I hope it helps.

For competitive specialties - like Dermatology, Radiology, Ophthalmology, and a few others - it is advantageous, but not required, to do some stuff to help your application out. For example, doing some research in the field and getting a publication. They really don't care about undergraduate publications at that point - they pretty much ignore undergrad entirely. Kind of like how they "forget about" high school for med school applications.

The thing to bear in mind is that it's not exactly like Pre-Med, where you have to do every activity under the sun AND have good MCAT scores AND have a good GPA. Board scores are far and away the most important thing. The secondary stuff - like research, M1 and M2 grades, and rotation evaluations - aren't even close to as important. Basically, board scores are as important to a med student as GPA and MCAT *COMBINED* are for Pre-Meds. If your boards aren't high enough, you won't get a competitive residency. It's pretty much that simple.

The real wrench in the works is that you only have so much time to figure out what specialty you want. Elective time is scarce (if it exists) during M1, M2 and M3, and you can only get two or three rotations in fourth year before it's time for the residency match. What's worse is that some specialties, like Ophthalmology, match even earlier than that! It's pretty much up to you to get exposure to the fields you're interested in during your already limited spare time.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

Ambulatory care is generally hands on work in an out patient unit.

 

[fielight]

it doesn't mean very much, so you shouldn't worry about it. in my school, the curriculum office asked us what we may potentially want to do on the first day of orientation, but they also stressed that it will very likely change. they basically used the information to match us to an advisor, hopefully in the specialty that you indicated, so that we could have a guide of sorts. and once you get into med school, the school uses these online tests/surveys/resources hosted by the AAMC that are supposed to help you figure out your future; these are usually done over time, and not all on the first day. anyway, if you don't know, just put down internal medicine or something. it really won't matter very much, because whatever residency you decide to do when you're an M4 will depend on a combination of M1/M2 grades, Step 1 grades, and performance in clinical rotations as an M3 (if anything, your choices will be limited by your performance in school... for residencies like dermatology or plastic surgery, you basically have to be an all-star student).

i'm not sure what you mean by ambulatory care... in the context of healthcare facilities, ambulatory care generally means freestanding facilities in the community that are not associated with hospitals (e.g., clinics, physician's offices, surgical daycare centers, etc). if you're looking for volunteering experiences, it can vary with location; you'll never do much actual healthcare procedures, but supposedly, i have heard that some free clinics put more responsibility on its volunteers.

 

[liquidwmn]

Thanks everyone!!!
The information was very helpful...

By the way, does anyone know of (or attend themselves ) anyone who attends school in the New England Territories (Conneticut, Maryland, Rhod Island..etc.)?
I would really like to know what they think of thier school...and the program in general.

Thanks again!!!

 

[constructor]

dermatology is competitive??? LOL

 

[Blake]

dermatology is competitive??? LOL

The joke is on you. Dermatology is one of the most competitive fields in USA.

 

[constructor]

yes, that's exactly what i was laughing about...

 

[AsianDoc816]

The joke is on you. Dermatology is one of the most competitive fields in USA.

I think it actually is THE most competitive, but I could be wrong.

 

[constructor]

dermatology doesn't seem all that interesting compared to other specialties and dermatologists don't make as much money as some other specialists so i wonder what's so attractive about it... the hours maybe??

 

[Blake]

dermatology doesn't seem all that interesting compared to other specialties and dermatologists don't make as much money as some other specialists so i wonder what's so attractive about it... the hours maybe??

You're kididng, right ? Not interesting ? it depends on people ( personally, I'd say no, even it it paid a lot. I didn't enter medicine to give Botox shots ). The thing is, they make a lot of money, and the hours are great. Besides, they don't have to deal with lawsuits ( yet ) and it's not very stressful ( you won't be making life/death decisions ).

 

[UseUrHeadFred]

dermatology doesn't seem all that interesting compared to other specialties and dermatologists don't make as much money as some other specialists so i wonder what's so attractive about it... the hours maybe??

Source

Dermatologists have a mean $219,000 annual salary while working an average of 42 hours per week. The residency is 3 years long after a trasitional year. In 2003, only 51% of US Seniors mathed - leaving almost 200 without a Dermatology residency.

For comparison, Neurosurgery mathes 85% of US Senior applicants. They have a median annual salary of $230,000 while working an average of 60 hours per week after 7 years of residency training.

 

[constructor]

that's a good link. most of the other surgical specialties involve a higher income although they work more hours. i guess dermatology is good if you want a life and want to keep a low-profile (few high-stress cases and not that exciting surgically which in my opinion is boring and sucks) but still make a decent amount of money.

 

[Jason110]

New England Territories (RI, NH, etc.)

What are they? Like the Northwest Territories?

Jason

 

[UseUrHeadFred]

A bunch of people in the Residency forums recommend disgruntled students follow the ROAD to happiness.

R adiology
O phthalmology
A nesthesiology
D ermatology

 

[Psycho Doctor]

You're kididng, right ? Not interesting ? it depends on people ( personally, I'd say no, even it it paid a lot. I didn't enter medicine to give Botox shots ). The thing is, they make a lot of money, and the hours are great. Besides, they don't have to deal with lawsuits ( yet ) and it's not very stressful ( you won't be making life/death decisions ).

you hit the nail on the head, and i agree, i certainly didn't go into medicine to help people look younger.

and i wouldn't bet on no lawsuits..if they don't already exist, they are quickly approaching