Overthinking what specialty to pursue

[Bulliedinschool2doc]

Hello folks,

I am an above-average medical student at an established medical school with very high match rates (trying to stay anonymous but give people here an idea). As I commence through my first year, I am trying to get involved with clubs/research/etc. to help put me in the best position to match given the kerfuffle about matching in this day in age. I want to do something like EM or General Surgery, but all of the information I see about how hard it is to match into anything that's not rural FM makes me want to not waste my time for the next 3 years.

I really am passionate about EM, but I am aware of the market saturation. How do I move forward in school (aside from crushing my grades and boards) to ensure I am in the best position come residency applications start rolling around? What should I do to research different specialties aside from waiting until rotations?

Thank you

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[kirtar]

If you want something that can just be done on a computer, you can try looking through the AAMC's Careers in Medicine resources. My school had us do the MSPI over winter break in first year just to get the though process rolling.

 

[hellosnd]

Focus on your preclinical education. Do well on step 1/2 and that will probably guide your decision. Also, third-year rotations can also guide your decision.

I ended up switching specialty after doing a third-year elective + receiving my step 1 score back (kind of sucks you guys won't have this metric to help guide you)

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

it’s hard to recommend EM given the ACEP report as I’m sure you already know about. That being said, it seems like many of the EM residents at my school are opting for fellowships/non-EM jobs so maybe that’s an option. As for general surgery, it’s doable as a DO but apparently one has to be very solid to match. Don’t know what this means in a post step world but probably 240+ step II, no red flags, research output if possible

 

[Bulliedinschool2doc]

it’s hard to recommend EM given the ACEP report as I’m sure you already know about. That being said, it seems like many of the EM residents at my school are opting for fellowships/non-EM jobs so maybe that’s an option. As for general surgery, it’s doable as a DO but apparently one has to be very solid to match. Don’t know what this means in a post step world but probably 240+ step II, no red flags, research output if possible

So what should I do for the next few years? I don't want to waste my time joining clubs/doing research for specialties that I don't want to do. Do most people wait until the third year to gear their residency applications?

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

You should probably start doing research asap if you might want something competitive. Clubs don’t really matter from what I’ve heard

 

[hellosnd]

So what should I do for the next few years? I don't want to waste my time joining clubs/doing research for specialties that I don't want to do. Do most people wait until the third year to gear their residency applications?

join clubs and do research in fields you are passionate about right now. People switch specialties all the time and residencies know that too. You still bring in those experiences into whichever new field you decide on.

Outside of doing well on your pre-clinicals, you should maybe attend a few conferences in your field of interest. For IM/FM/EM, you probably don't need to worry about doing anything spectacular all the way until 3rd year if not 4th year auditions. For surgery, you might wanna start stuff ASAP

 

[hellosnd]

You should probably start doing research asap if you might want something competitive. Clubs don’t really matter from what I’ve heard

Clubs don't matter much, try to get a leadership position to pad your application/have something to talk about during interviews.

Applying to residency is sadly very similar to applying to medical school

 

[Bulliedinschool2doc]

join clubs and do research in fields you are passionate about right now. People switch specialties all the time and residencies know that too. You still bring in those experiences into whichever new field you decide on.

Outside of doing well on your pre-clinicals, you should maybe attend a few conferences in your field of interest. For IM/FM/EM, you probably don't need to worry about doing anything spectacular all the way until 3rd year if not 4th year auditions. For surgery, you might wanna start stuff ASAP

You should probably start doing research asap if you might want something competitive. Clubs don’t really matter from what I’ve heard

Does my research need to be pertinent to the specialty in pre-clinical years? I can't do anything related to acute appendicitis unless I do some type of summer internship at a clinical site.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

Does my research need to be pertinent to the specialty in pre-clinical years? I can't do anything related to acute appendicitis unless I do some type of summer internship at a clinical site.

No. It’s better if it does especially for specialties like ent, ortho, optho etc, but something is better than nothing

 

[Bulliedinschool2doc]

@Goro what do you tell your students?

 

[hellosnd]

No. It’s better if it does especially for specialties like ent, ortho, optho etc, but something is better than nothing

^ this.

Also EM isn’t a super research heavy speciality. Only thing that seems to really matter for EM is SLOE’s.

Surgery on the other hand, you would want any form or research preferably in surgery given its considerably more competitive

Also don’t need research for IM/FM unless you wanna go to academic places which will be an uphill battle for DOs in general regardless of research.

 

[Bulliedinschool2doc]

^ this.

Also EM isn’t a super research heavy speciality. Only thing that seems to really matter for EM is SLOE’s.

Surgery on the other hand, you would want any form or research preferably in surgery given its considerably more competitive

Also don’t need research for IM/FM unless you wanna go to academic places which will be an uphill battle for DOs in general regardless of research.

it’s hard to recommend EM given the ACEP report as I’m sure you already know about. That being said, it seems like many of the EM residents at my school are opting for fellowships/non-EM jobs so maybe that’s an option. As for general surgery, it’s doable as a DO but apparently one has to be very solid to match. Don’t know what this means in a post step world but probably 240+ step II, no red flags, research output if possible

Just because we are here, what are some good fellowships from EM?

Just an example of what I found:
Administration
Critical Care
Clinical Informatics
EMS (ACGME)
Global Emergency Medicine
Medical Ed. Scholarship (SAEM)
Innovation & Design
Pediatric EM (ACGME)
Physician Wellness
Simulation
Social Emergency Medicine
Ultrasound
Wilderness Medicine (SAEM)

I feel like critical care would be solid because I think it would be my backup if EM actually turns into a **** show like they're saying ( I hope it doesn't). Anything else you recommend?

 

[hellosnd]

Just because we are here, what are some good fellowships from EM?

Just an example of what I found:
Administration
Critical Care
Clinical Informatics
EMS (ACGME)
Global Emergency Medicine
Medical Ed. Scholarship (SAEM)
Innovation & Design
Pediatric EM (ACGME)
Physician Wellness
Simulation
Social Emergency Medicine
Ultrasound
Wilderness Medicine (SAEM)

I feel like critical care would be solid because I think it would be my backup if EM actually turns into a **** show like they're saying ( I hope it doesn't). Anything else you recommend?

You are thinking wayyyy to far in advance. Tackle preclinical, once you do that, worry about clinicals, then residency, then fellowship.

There are multiple paths to critical care with IM/Anesthesia being the main ones. Both of which require really good board scores (academic IM).

Just focus on doing well on preclinical and with whatever time you have left over, mental health and activities you are genuinely interested in.

 

[DOVinciRobot]

So what should I do for the next few years? I don't want to waste my time joining clubs/doing research for specialties that I don't want to do. Do most people wait until the third year to gear their residency applications?

Get the best grades you can and do research.

Research does not have to be specialty specific outside of small handful of specialties (largely surgical subs like ortho, ENT, Neurosurgery)

 

[Goro]

Hello folks,

I am an above-average medical student at an established medical school with very high match rates (trying to stay anonymous but give people here an idea). As I commence through my first year, I am trying to get involved with clubs/research/etc. to help put me in the best position to match given the kerfuffle about matching in this day in age. I want to do something like EM or General Surgery, but all of the information I see about how hard it is to match into anything that's not rural FM makes me want to not waste my time for the next 3 years.

I really am passionate about EM, but I am aware of the market saturation. How do I move forward in school (aside from crushing my grades and boards) to ensure I am in the best position come residency applications start rolling around? What should I do to research different specialties aside from waiting until rotations?

Thank you

What planet have you been living on? E m is the third most DO-friendly specialty!

And general surgery is definitely doable for DO graduates.

One of the things you could do during your summer between year one and year two is to do some more shadowing. There might even be some fellowships/internships available for med students at your local hospitals

 

[FalconSlice]

Just because we are here, what are some good fellowships from EM?

Just an example of what I found:
Administration
Critical Care
Clinical Informatics
EMS (ACGME)
Global Emergency Medicine
Medical Ed. Scholarship (SAEM)
Innovation & Design
Pediatric EM (ACGME)
Physician Wellness
Simulation
Social Emergency Medicine
Ultrasound
Wilderness Medicine (SAEM)

I feel like critical care would be solid because I think it would be my backup if EM actually turns into a **** show like they're saying ( I hope it doesn't). Anything else you recommend?

Lol you're gonna look back at this and facepalm so hard when you eventually switch specialties like ca. 70% of med students do.

Think of your next several years as a smorgasbord of specialties to choose from: you can be any kind of doctor you want! enjoy the options!

 

[Neopolymath]

Study hard and do research. Do a BS leadership position if you want/must. Change your premed attitude and mature into someone who needs to secure a residency spot but ultimately needs to do things based on improving character traits and becoming a physician. Decrease the amount of checkbox thinking a little bit.

What I said above is applicable in one way or another to every single specialty.

It's not a waste to be literate and experienced in research as a primary care physician just because it's a waste of energy to do it just to secure a residency position. You are doing it to be a doctor. So even if you don't pursue ortho you should do some and have no regrets.

It's not a waste to study hard and try your best even if it's not directly related to the field you choose in the end. It allows you to be a better physician and it allows you to communicate with and understand your colleagues in different fields when you interact with them. Even if peds doesn't require great scores to match it doesn't mean we don't need docs who understand how to work hard and synthesize info quickly.

The language of your post in this thread is that if a self-sabotager and perhaps somewhat lazy. Basically "why put in effort if I might not match X field." I recommend you think about this a different way to gain some motivation regardless of where med school takes you. It will help when things get stressful and or challenging and it will prevent self-sabotage.

 

[Bulliedinschool2doc]

Study hard and do research. Do a BS leadership position if you want/must. Change your premed attitude and mature into someone who needs to secure a residency spot but ultimately needs to do things based on improving character traits and becoming a physician. Decrease the amount of checkbox thinking a little bit.

What I said above is applicable in one way or another to every single specialty.

It's not a waste to be literate and experienced in research as a primary care physician just because it's a waste of energy to do it just to secure a residency position. You are doing it to be a doctor. So even if you don't pursue ortho you should do some and have no regrets.

It's not a waste to study hard and try your best even if it's not directly related to the field you choose in the end. It allows you to be a better physician and it allows you to communicate with and understand your colleagues in different fields when you interact with them. Even if peds doesn't require great scores to match it doesn't mean we don't need docs who understand how to work hard and synthesize info quickly.

The language of your post in this thread is that if a self-sabotager and perhaps somewhat lazy. Basically "why put in effort if I might not match X field." I recommend you think about this a different way to gain some motivation regardless of where med school takes you. It will help when things get stressful and or challenging and it will prevent self-sabotage.

Yes, I agree! Thank you.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Do you have a pulse? Congrats on matching EM

 

[evert1de101]

Do you want to be a real doctor? I would suggest picking a real specialty. Not EM. The only upside of EM is the time off. Fellowships are meaningless except for ICU. However, if you want to be an intensivist, I would seriously consider EM->ICU route. Great way to learn what you need and have EM to supplement your income.

 

[Doctoscope]

Do you want to be a real doctor? I would suggest picking a real specialty. Not EM. The only upside of EM is the time off. Fellowships are meaningless except for ICU. However, if you want to be an intensivist, I would seriously consider EM->ICU route. Great way to learn what you need and have EM to supplement your income.

ok boomer