Most underrespected specialties?

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Mesinan

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List the the top 10 most respected and top 10 least respected.



Here's a list of specialties:

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Pediatrics
Hematology
Anesthesiology
Radiation Oncology
Family Medicine
Ophthalmology
Occupational Medicine
Medical Oncology
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Internal Medicine - Nephrology
Dermatology
Colon and Rectal Surgery
Surgery - General
Plastic Surgery
Internal Medicine
Rheumatology
Gastroenterology
Orthopaedic Surgery
Infectious Diseases
Thoracic Surgery
Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
Aerospace Medicine
Pulmonary Disease
Urology
Nuclear Medicine
Cardiology
Psychiatry
Radiology - Diagnostic
Emergency Medicine
Allergy and Immunology
Neurological Surgery
Medical Genetics
Pathology
Preventative Medicine - Public Health and General
Endocrinology and Metabolism
Neurology
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Proctologist. That is all.


loljk, not really

but i only have a minute. I'll come back and make up my real opinionated list later
 
Actually I'd argue that proctology, urology, and the "gross" fields are actually some of the most respected.


Least Respected (Note that it honestly depends who you ask. These aren't my views, just what I seem to understand from the general population):
Orthopedic Surgery
Radiology
Anesthesiology
Plastic Surgery (The aesthetic plastic surgeons, not the actual reconstructive ones)



Most Respected:
Anything involving oncology
Pediatrics
Internal Medicine
Neurology
Family Medicine

I'd say most of the rest are about in the middle in terms of respect. Also note, pretty much anyone with an MD or a DO is respected to some degree.
 
Last edited:
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This is based on my own opinion and observations, not actual data...
1. Obstetrics and Gynecology

In my area, many people fail to see the importance of reproductive and sexual health.

2. Public Health

Many officials travel constantly, have to "diagnosis" an entire community, find themselves in unfamiliar places, etc... . Basically, Epidemiologists and other Public Health practitioners have very similar job descriptions when compared to those of physicians; however, they are often not as recognized.

3. Family Medicine

Yes, I am likely a bit biased because I have an extreme interest in Family Medicine; however, it cannot be dismissed that this specialty requires someone to be a "jack of all trades". Family physicians, particularly those in underserved areas, must be able to deal with everything from newborns to adults and acute trauma to chronic illness. The scope of practice includes Mental and social perturbations in addition to more physical issues; I actually remember reading somewhere that anxiety and depression were in the top ten conditions most commonly treated by Family practitioners. Despite this significant role, Family Medicine is sometimes seen as a "watered down" field that only refers patients to other more specific specialties.
 
Respect will mean different things to different people. For example, in the lay public you get the "oohs and ahs" being a surgeon or an emergency medicine physician.

The least respected is probably psychiatry because the lay public tends to discount the importance of mental health.

Respect for different specialties may not be the same amongst physicians compared to the lay public.

This has been surveyed before but I don't have time to look it up right now. I'm sure that if you search the Internet you can find the answer to your question.
 
I would say Family Medicine is both the most and least respected. The least respected by medical students "ooo you must have done poorly in med school to have to pursue Family Med" and the most respected by anyone that has a clue because we realize how hard they work, how vital a good PCP is for a patient and that I am sure glad there are people that want to do Family Med because I would be miserable!

Survivor DO
 
DreadfulGlory said:
I'm inclined to say plastic surgery because that is the field I want to go into. But, I want to elaborate on what the guy a few posts above said about it.

First thing, I don't think there a single person on this planet that kind make a convincing argument that reconstructive surgeons are not interested in truly helping people. However, they are in the same league as the cosmetic surgeons and those guys get a bad rap. With that said, the entire field of plastic surgery is highly underrespected because people hear "plastic surgery" and immediately think of boob jobs and liposuction. Which is not the case. Most plastic surgeons work like this:
40% reconstructive
60% cosmetic

Now those numbers vary by surgeon, but that is roughly how most surgeons today work. Especially the ones in private practices. No matter what, the reconstructive surgeons should be getting more credit than they do.

Next, people misunderstand the purpose of cosmetic surgery. It is not to feed people's egos and take money from rich housewives like TV has made it look like. It is to relieve psychological pain and stress that cannot be fixed with psychology. The point is to help people build their self-esteem. I think everyone here can (or at least should) be able to sympathize with people that feel oppressed by a certainly bodily feature. A birthmark, a flat chest, a small penis, an unshapely midsection. Whatever the issue, it should not be so bad that it prevents you from doing things you want or need to do. You want a good job working for Sak's (yes I'm using an example from Nip/Tuck) but you have a flabby stomach? Well, you've managed to get rid of all the other fat on you but that stomach won't go, its fair to say that lipo would be a good choice.

Unfortunately, the market has been riddled with vain people, but the vast majority of people that walk into the office and want something done are doing it because it is preventing them from being all they can be. And that is where the information is lost.
Click to expand...

I don't have anything against plastic surgery. Way I see it, people can blow their tits up so big that the FAA would have to create regulations regarding how big they could be. However, my views vs the views of society as a whole are completely different.
 
DreadfulGlory said:
Well, on these forums, the majority of people at least consider the real reason behind plastics. You're not an idiot like 70% of the real world. At least I assume you're not if you're going into medicine. But you're right, its really the social aspect that needs the "makeover."

See what I did there?
Click to expand...

That was good! :laugh:
 
ok so this is by no way a real list, just my opinions being a high school student 😛

Most respected 3 -

Any kind of surgeon
Cardiology
Neurology

Less Respected -

Pediatrics
Family Medicine
Psychiatry
Anesthesiologist
 
I'm fairly surprised I'm the first one to say it but I'd argue psychiatry is probably the least respected specialty at least in public opinion. A lot of the general public doesn''t understand the difference between a psychiatrist and psychologist and believe that psychiatry is simply psychotherapy. Additionally you have prevalent ignorance about mental disorder that still exists today (though that is changing). As well psych tends to be the joke around other doctors who believe that psychiatrist are not real doctors. Finally, the job is rather emotionally taxing and the pay isn't exactly great (though the potential to make more always exists).
 
Syc said:
I'm fairly surprised I'm the first one to say it but I'd argue psychiatry is probably the least respected specialty at least in public opinion. A lot of the general public doesn''t understand the difference between a psychiatrist and psychologist and believe that psychiatry is simply psychotherapy. Additionally you have prevalent ignorance about mental disorder that still exists today (though that is changing). As well psych tends to be the joke around other doctors who believe that psychiatrist are not real doctors. Finally, the job is rather emotionally taxing and the pay isn't exactly great (though the potential to make more always exists).
Click to expand...

One of the greatest specialties in medicine IMO.
 
DreadfulGlory said:
I'm inclined to say plastic surgery because that is the field I want to go into. But, I want to elaborate on what the guy a few posts above said about it.

First thing, I don't think there a single person on this planet that kind make a convincing argument that reconstructive surgeons are not interested in truly helping people. However, they are in the same league as the cosmetic surgeons and those guys get a bad rap. With that said, the entire field of plastic surgery is highly underrespected because people hear "plastic surgery" and immediately think of boob jobs and liposuction. Which is not the case. Most plastic surgeons work like this:
40% reconstructive
60% cosmetic

Now those numbers vary by surgeon, but that is roughly how most surgeons today work. Especially the ones in private practices. No matter what, the reconstructive surgeons should be getting more credit than they do.

Next, people misunderstand the purpose of cosmetic surgery. It is not to feed people's egos and take money from rich housewives like TV has made it look like. It is to relieve psychological pain and stress that cannot be fixed with psychology. The point is to help people build their self-esteem. I think everyone here can (or at least should) be able to sympathize with people that feel oppressed by a certainly bodily feature. A birthmark, a flat chest, a small penis, an unshapely midsection. Whatever the issue, it should not be so bad that it prevents you from doing things you want or need to do. You want a good job working for Sak's (yes I'm using an example from Nip/Tuck) but you have a flabby stomach? Well, you've managed to get rid of all the other fat on you but that stomach won't go, its fair to say that lipo would be a good choice.

Unfortunately, the market has been riddled with vain people, but the vast majority of people that walk into the office and want something done are doing it because it is preventing them from being all they can be. And that is where the information is lost.
Click to expand...

Plastic surgery goes beyond the body. It helps people feel beautiful about themselves and improve their self-esteem.
 
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IM, Pediatrics, FM are only not respected by arrogant pre meds. The rest of us respect them.
 
Most Respected

Pediatrics
Plastic Surgery
Internal Medicine
Orthopaedic Surgery
Infectious Diseases
Pulmonary Disease
Cardiology
Radiology - Diagnostic
Emergency Medicine
Neurological Surgery

Least Respected

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Occupational Medicine
Aerospace Medicine
Psychiatry
Emergency Medicine
Allergy and Immunology
Medical Genetics
Preventative Medicine - Public Health and General
Nuclear Medicine
Family Medicine
 
Ibuprofen said:
Most Respected

Pediatrics
Plastic Surgery
Internal Medicine
Orthopaedic Surgery
Infectious Diseases
Pulmonary Disease
Cardiology
Radiology - Diagnostic
Emergency Medicine
Neurological Surgery

Least Respected

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Occupational Medicine
Aerospace Medicine
Psychiatry
Emergency Medicine
Allergy and Immunology
Medical Genetics
Preventative Medicine - Public Health and General
Nuclear Medicine
Family Medicine
Click to expand...

Ummm..... are you sure? Are these just your opinions or something?

P.S. How can EM be on both lists?


Congrats on the Twin Cities acceptance btw.
 
nysegop said:
Ummm..... are you sure? Are these just your opinions or something?

P.S. How can EM be on both lists?


Congrats on the Twin Cities acceptance btw.
Click to expand...


Yes, these are just my opinions (not me literally, I truly think all of these specialties are valuable to have great a great medical community) of what society deems as respected and not respected.

The more they know about the topic, the most they can realize it's important. The average person has know idea what preventive physicians and flight surgeons do on a daily basis, so they will consider it not as important, when infact it is.

I put EM on both lists b/c it's the only one I have personal experience with...EM seems to have a love/hate relationship, just depends on who you talk to. 🙂
 
The entire premise of this thread is subjective. For instance, I would personally rate EM as one of the most respected specialties due to its fast-paced nature. However, an argument may also be made for darker professions such as oncology or psychiatry due to the emotional toll they take on physicians.
 
Aerospace medicine is actually quite competitive.
 
Eiot said:
The entire premise of this thread is subjective. For instance, I would personally rate EM as one of the most respected specialties due to its fast-paced nature. However, an argument may also be made for darker professions such as oncology or psychiatry due to the emotional toll they take on physicians.
Click to expand...

That's the point. I want people's opinions.
 
Well if we're going to do our own opinions, here are mine:

Most Respected:
-All Medical Specialties

Least Respected:
-None


Everybody plays a role in healthcare, including non-physicians. It wouldn't work without everybody chipping in.
 
nysegop said:
Well if we're going to do our own opinions, here are mine:

Most Respected:
-All Medical Specialties

Least Respected:
-None


Everybody plays a role in healthcare, including non-physicians. It wouldn't work without everybody chipping in.
Click to expand...

oh cmon, many people are bound to have opinions about certain specialties in healthcare. I mean, people even say specialties make fun of other specialties all the time. imo, that's like saying there's no nerds or jocks in high school. These things just tend to happen. It's not that they aren't respected, because all of them receive a certain degree of respect, I just think there's preconceptions about them just like there are anywhere else. Maybe that's just me, but I don't think so.
 
Tolbert said:
oh cmon, many people are bound to have opinions about certain specialties in healthcare. I mean, people even say specialties make fun of other specialties all the time. imo, that's like saying there's no nerds or jocks in high school. These things just tend to happen. It's not that they aren't respected, because all of them receive a certain degree of respect, I just think there's preconceptions about them just like there are anywhere else. Maybe that's just me, but I don't think so.
Click to expand...
Compare a fighter jet pilot against a helicopter pilot. They're both badass and command respect, though you may prefer one over the other.
 
Eiot said:
Compare a fighter jet pilot against a helicopter pilot. They're both badass and command respect, though you may prefer one over the other.
Click to expand...

my point exactly 👍
 
Eiot said:
Compare a fighter jet pilot against a helicopter pilot. They're both badass and command respect, though you may prefer one over the other.
Click to expand...

👍
 
Depends on who you ask.

Lay people: depends on what's on TV. We're the ER, Scrubs, House, Nip/Tuck, Gray's Anatomy generation. So people get very excited about EM and anything surgical. Btw, proctology isn't a thing anymore, it's called colorectal surgery. It's actually pretty interesting and they treat some pretty terrible cancers. Lay people also seem to like stuff that seems "heroic" in some way, so any subspecialty of pediatrics (I've seen girls ooh and aah over pediatric cardiologists and such), heme/oncology, cardiology et al. They are less likely to respect the seemingly "get rich quick" doctors like dermatologists, radiologists or purely cosmetic plastic surgeons, pathologists (they assume they all like dead people) and boring stuff like geriatricians.

Med students: depends on the grades/scores it takes to get there. So the most highly respected specialties tend to be the most competitive to get into (plastics, rad/onc, derm, ortho, etc) and the least respected ones tend to be the ones that make you wonder if your classmate failed the boards or something (family medicine etc). Which is totally ridiculous and dumb.

Residents: Some of the med student stigma remains, but now you also start to hate whoever gives you the most work and is a pain in your butt. So it depends on your specialty. Pretty much everyone thinks all EM residents are complete idiots (because they create work for all other specialties). Most people begrudgingly respect surgery because they're always around and have awful hours. No one likes the residents that don't have to work that hard. Psych isn't that highly respected because what they do is just so different, and their hours are pretty good. Everyone wishes they'd just done radiology instead, but I don't know that it's so much respect as it is just everyone wishing they could spend some time in a quiet dark place sitting in a comfy chair staring at pictures for a while.
 
Anon212 said:
Depends on who you ask.

Med students: depends on the grades/scores it takes to get there. So the most highly respected specialties tend to be the most competitive to get into (plastics, rad/onc, derm, ortho, etc) and the least respected ones tend to be the ones that make you wonder if your classmate failed the boards or something (family medicine etc). Which is totally ridiculous and dumb.

Residents: Some of the med student stigma remains, but now you also start to hate whoever gives you the most work and is a pain in your butt. So it depends on your specialty. Pretty much everyone thinks all EM residents are complete idiots (because they create work for all other specialties). Most people begrudgingly respect surgery because they're always around and have awful hours. No one likes the residents that don't have to work that hard. Psych isn't that highly respected because what they do is just so different, and their hours are pretty good. Everyone wishes they'd just done radiology instead, but I don't know that it's so much respect as it is just everyone wishing they could spend some time in a quiet dark place sitting in a comfy chair staring at pictures for a while.
Click to expand...

I don't know anyone who wishes they'd chosen radiology instead...I know a lot of people who can't believe radiologists are actually happy because it like sounds mind-numbing, utterly boring work. I've had plenty of conversations with people along the lines of "what do radiologists regard as a 'crazy' day?". It certainly isn't the same existence of having multiple codes and a never ending stream of admissions that IM/Peds people see, crazy OR cases for surgeons/anesthesiologists or even just the ridiculous stories our psych colleagues get to tell.


The medical student stigma definitely pervades well into residency - as a pediatrician, I've had this conversation with former classmates, and until you place a critically ill child in front of them (and then they have no idea what to do), they think it's all ear infections and vaccines. Once they have kids of their own, then the views of pediatricians change dramatically.
 
BigRedBeta said:
I don't know anyone who wishes they'd chosen radiology instead...I know a lot of people who can't believe radiologists are actually happy because it like sounds mind-numbing, utterly boring work. I've had plenty of conversations with people along the lines of "what do radiologists regard as a 'crazy' day?". It certainly isn't the same existence of having multiple codes and a never ending stream of admissions that IM/Peds people see, crazy OR cases for surgeons/anesthesiologists or even just the ridiculous stories our psych colleagues get to tell.


The medical student stigma definitely pervades well into residency - as a pediatrician, I've had this conversation with former classmates, and until you place a critically ill child in front of them (and then they have no idea what to do), they think it's all ear infections and vaccines. Once they have kids of their own, then the views of pediatricians change dramatically.
Click to expand...

Oh see all my surgery, IM and peds friends would constantly be like "do radiology". I think they mostly said it tongue-in-cheek, and especially if they'd had a bad day but it was sort of a running joke for the med students. Especially on medicine, we'd get that a lot. That or they'd tell us to do derm.
 
When you say underrespected, dop you mean in regards to how the public views the specialties or how others in the medical field view them.
 
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