Moving from General Surgery to IM, how to address in Personal Statement?

[letmeinwillya]

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A close friend wants to apply to Internal Medicine after completing three years of General Surgery training in the US. She is having trouble with how to address this in personal statement. The real reason is that she wants to spend more time with family and simply doesn't want to continue into the general surgery as a long term career path.

Thoughts, ideas that could help her address this in the personal statement? Or she should skirt the issue in the personal statement and simply touch upon what she has learned working with patients and that knowledge and experience coupled with her interest will make her a good candidate?

I'm not in a position to give her advice as I'm PGY-1 in IM and don't have experience with this kind of thing.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

The real reason is that she wants to spend more time with family and simply doesn't want to continue into the general surgery as a long term career path.

Put that in her personal statement.

 

[letmeinwillya]

Got it..is it that simple..say I don't like it any more and no IFs and BUTs about it?

Put that in her personal statement.

 

[AdmiralChz]

Be honest and ready to discuss it during interviews, because it will be the first thing brought up each time I'd wager.

Explain why IM is a better fit than surgery, definitely try to go beyond just hours because almost all specialties have better hours than surgery.