"Med Specialty Selector" accuracy

[Espressso]

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I just did it for the first time, And I'm pretty surprised with how well it aligned with what I'm interested in. 3 of the top 4 results were my top three.

Has any already in 3rd or 4th year notice any correlations with what you got on that and how satisfied you were with those rotations? Or is the quiz a total crap shoot?

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Honestly I think it's skewed towards telling people to go into derm or rheumatology.

 

[Mad Jack]

Honestly I think it's skewed towards telling people to go into derm or rheumatology.

Odd, I ended up with both of those quite low.

 

[ortnakas]

My top 4 on the (virtually tied) are IM-oncology, pediatrics, IM and FM. I want to do IM, would consider oncology if I was more interested in fellowship. Don't want to do peds or FM but don't hate either of them, either.

My bottom 5 on the list are urology, general surgery, colorectal surgery, otolaryngology and orthopedic surgery, which sounds accurate. I was pretty miserable in the OR.

 

[Espressso]

Odd, I ended up with both of those quite low.

Same with me. And I have no interest in those two specialties.

 

[FrkyBgStok]

I think it is skewed to tell people what they want to hear. If I say, "I think EM is cool and sexy" then whenever I take the test, I am going to answer the questions accordingly like "I like quick care more than continuity," or "i like doing more than thinking." It may not give me EM as my number one, but it will give me a list of the "cool and sexy" specialties based on my current interest.

The problem lies with not knowing what you want in the first two or three years. I liked the idea of EM, but an anesthesia rotation my third year taught me how to apply physiology in medicine, and ever since then, I've known I have to go into a field with a lot of physiology application. In addition, my fourth year, I did some ICU rotations and realized that I want to have an more intense relationship with patients than a quick, "you aren't going to die." I am in peds now so as a direct example: seeing a kid, suturing his forehead, and sending him on his way is exponentially less important and satisfying to me than sitting down with a new ALL patient and their family and spending the time to answer all of their questions, help with all of their fears, and show them how we are going to do everything we can for them.

And I only say all of this because every specialty quiz i took said EM or something surgical, both of which I would hate to be in right now.

 

[_ Aquarius _]

Honestly I think it's skewed towards telling people to go into derm or rheumatology.

Peridot? ... Wow.

 

[Promethean]

So, if you answer it with some prior knowledge of what the specialty you want it to recommend is like, then yes, you can skew it to give you whatever answer you'd like.

Every time I've taken any such survey, it tells me that FM is for me, and that is dead on. I have that touch feely hippy dippy FM-revolution personality. I like people. I like patient education. I like noncompliant patients that need a cheerleader, or a coach, or someone to hold them accountable and kick their rear when they aren't. (Partly because I'm one of those patients myself, so I understand that there can be a gulf between knowledge and good intentions and actual human behavior.) I don't know how I could possibly fail to have that turn up as my top result. Is it because I'm answering intentionally to skew the quiz? Or is it that the quiz, like a tarot reading, is not really about telling you big secrets that you didn't already know so much as providing a structure to make you think about what you do already know that you want?

I haven't taken it in a while. I'm curious to see how today's turns up. BRB....

 

[D4C]

Got the specialty I matched in towards the bottom, and neurosurg toward the top. What is reality

 

[Scrubs101]

Every time i take it it changes a wee bit, which is expected as my views and preferences change a wee bit. But rheum is always number 1 or 2, so far not at all interested in it though. The specialties im actually interested usually end up somewhere in the middle of the pack, very strong chance ill change my mind once i start getting a better idea about what the life and work of the specialties im interested in are actually like. Who knows i may actually end up in rheum, check back in a couple years


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[Mo'MedMules]

The specialty that "matched" my personality?
"Colon/Rectal Surgery"
Hilariously specific. Time to reevaluate my personality, I guess.

 

[Electric Head]

I caught myself selecting the answers that would cause it to recommend the specialty I wanted. I'd look at it as a tool to expand your horizons, not to tell you what field you want.

 

[DocWinter]

It does a good job at shuffling your interests to the top half and dislikes to the bottom half.
I wish it was more focused on core specialties and less on the paper-thin slices of the medical pie such as rhemuatology, hematology and the like.

 

[DocEspana]

Id taken it a few times during my training. I always scored with urology or ER as my #1 and #2.

I fell in love with urology. I ended up in emergency medicine. Go figure. Seemed to work well for me.

 

[NecrotizingFasciitis]

University of Virginia: Radiology
SDN: Radiology
Whetherby Healthcare: Neurology
Pathway Evaluation Program for Medical Professionals: G.I.

Bias: Have worked in radiology for 4 years. Might be used to this environment? No idea. Never seriously considered being a radiologist. Not sure how I feel about that.

Neurology sounds fun and G.I. could be cool. None of these are my top choice lol. Who knows where I'll be 4 years from now though.

 

[neurodjent]

University of Virginia: GS/Rads/Occ Med/Otolaryngology/Optho/Gas
SDN: Rads/Gas
Whetherby Healthcare: Pediatrician
Pathway Evaluation Program for Medical Professionals: Optho

I have absolutely no interest in Peds or Optho. Leaning towards Rads and Neuro but Neuro didn't even show up in the top 5 for any quiz. We'll see what happens in 4 years.