Picking a specialty..

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stonewall22

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I'm a couple years from needing to make a decision, but it's something I think about periodically. How do you go about picking a field? I know one idea is to use your electives to rotate through different areas and pick the one that feels right. However, what if, for example, you think you might be interested in a really competitive specialty (ortho, derm, anth, etc.) where it would be really beneficial to do away rotations for interviews? This cuts out your other elective time. How did you guys choose?

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Lifestyle, lifestyle, lifestyle, genuine interest.

You have to set your priorities for yourself. As for me Lifestyle was key.
 
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According to this algorhythm, I should be in emergency medicine. Unfortunately I thought I should do Family Medicine, which I have discovered has made me actually contemplate various methods of suicide. (Don't worry, I do not have a plan, so nobody has to officially intervene).

Needless to say, I am switching fields. Now I have to start all over again and do all that expensive 4th year stuff like ERAS, interviews, etc.

I already confessed to my Program Director, who actually seems to understand my dilemma. (He even offered to help, as long as I don't f*&^ up his first year call schedule and make him look bad).

Does anyone have any ideas on where to start? Of course I will complete this first year, and I am told it might not count for squat, and even repeating 1st year does not deter me from switching.

He also warned me that I may not be competetive enough for Emergency Medicine, which was what I was told about getting into medical school, but that never stopped me. I didn't even try for EM in 4th year. (Plus, I had my only Emergency rotation after the ERAS ball was already rolling so I didn't know at the time how suited I was for EM).

Now that I have rotated in EM as a resident, I don't want to be anywhere else.

So, what next? Is there a secret EM handshake I need to learn?
 
I'm a couple years from needing to make a decision, but it's something I think about periodically. How do you go about picking a field? I know one idea is to use your electives to rotate through different areas and pick the one that feels right. However, what if, for example, you think you might be interested in a really competitive specialty (ortho, derm, anth, etc.) where it would be really beneficial to do away rotations for interviews? This cuts out your other elective time. How did you guys choose?

As osteopaths, we really need only to pick a fellowship since we all go in family medicine. Which is nice because your options are now limited to OB, Sports med, Palliative, Geriatrics.
 
on a similar note. anyone know of a link which lists specialties based on how hard it is to get in. both aoa and ama

I know in general PCP is easier then Surgery but i was just wondering if someone had a ranking system somewhere
 
my recommendation is to imagine someone holding a gun to your head and forcing an immediate decision.

yea, its kinda like that. because you will have to live with that specialty, not do it for false motivation, others' expectations, peers, other baggage.
 
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