Realizing you may have picked the wrong field...?

[dwil75]

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Any advice from anyone about what to do if you realize you may have gone into the wrong residency? (Not specific program, but the wrong field in general...) Specifically - I'm wondering if clinical medicine is for me and strongly considered pathology but for a variety of reasons matched into a clinical field. I was very torn during 4th year and probably should have waited to match until I felt certain, but I didn't, my mistake, and this is where I am. Any perspectives on this, anyone who has gone through anything similar and can speak from experience, advice greatly appreciated, thanks. Welcome to send a private message if you prefer.

 

[toxic-megacolon]

Any advice from anyone about what to do if you realize you may have gone into the wrong residency? (Not specific program, but the wrong field in general...) Specifically - I'm wondering if clinical medicine is for me and strongly considered pathology but for a variety of reasons matched into a clinical field. I was very torn during 4th year and probably should have waited to match until I felt certain, but I didn't, my mistake, and this is where I am. Any perspectives on this, anyone who has gone through anything similar and can speak from experience, advice greatly appreciated, thanks. Welcome to send a private message if you prefer.

I chose the wrong field for me... Did a year of it and started over as an intern in my new field. BUt that said, give it at least 6 months. Just remember intern year is supposed to be painful in almost all fields.

 

[skypilot]

Any advice from anyone about what to do if you realize you may have gone into the wrong residency? (Not specific program, but the wrong field in general...) Specifically - I'm wondering if clinical medicine is for me and strongly considered pathology but for a variety of reasons matched into a clinical field. I was very torn during 4th year and probably should have waited to match until I felt certain, but I didn't, my mistake, and this is where I am. Any perspectives on this, anyone who has gone through anything similar and can speak from experience, advice greatly appreciated, thanks. Welcome to send a private message if you prefer.

At least you don't want to get out of medicine completely. Plus you realized you want to make a change early enough to do it without much problem! 🙂

Two good friends of mine switched. One from Internal med into Psychiatry and the other from Surgery into ObGyn.

 

[jeff2005]

Switching is usually pretty easy, unless you're after a highly cometitive field. A year of clinical medicine will be valuable to you even if you later switch to path. I just did the opposite switch - from path to clinical, and it wasn't a big deal. Most programs are understanding.

 

[totalbodypain]

I should have been a rock star. Never get up before noon. Money, girls, virtually no responsibility. Only that whole talent issue held me back. I am coming to grips with it though (sniffle, sniffle).

 

[u_r_my_serenity]

If it makes you feel better I think all of the new interns, myself included, are pretty scared and stressed right now. If you think it's the wrong field because you can't remember what you learned before, don't know what to do, your heart is pounding at times, call is killing you, you're scared you will sleep through a page, etc- then I think you will overcome it. These stressors are not what clinical medicine is about. Hell, I think I was better at the end of my third year in medical school than now as an inern because fourth year was like a year of vacation. You will become a better, more efficient resident with experience. If you don't like having relationships with patients or balancing risk versus benefit or something along those lines then maybe clinical medicine is not for you. Residents always say the learning curve of intern year is steep. If you are an intern you couldn't really have worked for much more than a week, which probably means your basing this decision (or uncertainty) on all the new responsibilities that you didn't expect. This is happening to all of us right now; at least it is to me.

 

[DazedMD]

Switching is usually pretty easy, unless you're after a highly cometitive field. A year of clinical medicine will be valuable to you even if you later switch to path. I just did the opposite switch - from path to clinical, and it wasn't a big deal. Most programs are understanding.

Hey jeff2005...I am just curious why and when you decided to switch from path to clinical medicine. I have heard of many people switch from clinical to path but not the other way. I graduated from med school this may but taking a year off because I can't decide on what to do with my life. I hate managing clinical problems but I also cannot stand grossing specimens and formalin burning my eyes. What made you switch?

 

[dwil75]

If it makes you feel better I think all of the new interns, myself included, are pretty scared and stressed right now. If you think it's the wrong field because you can't remember what you learned before, don't know what to do, your heart is pounding at times, call is killing you, you're scared you will sleep through a page, etc- then I think you will overcome it. These stressors are not what clinical medicine is about. Hell, I think I was better at the end of my third year in medical school than now as an inern because fourth year was like a year of vacation. You will become a better, more efficient resident with experience. If you don't like having relationships with patients or balancing risk versus benefit or something along those lines then maybe clinical medicine is not for you. Residents always say the learning curve of intern year is steep. If you are an intern you couldn't really have worked for much more than a week, which probably means your basing this decision (or uncertainty) on all the new responsibilities that you didn't expect. This is happening to all of us right now; at least it is to me.

Thanks, that's sound advice, and I agree it is stressful. I have heard this advice from my friends a year or more ahead, and I do plan to give the intern year a chance for at least 6 -12 months to see what happens, but part of my problem is that I really found I disliked clinical rotations as a third and fourth year student as well, while a lot of other people were enjoying them. It wasn't the case that I loved those years and then, a month before intern year, started to panic and dislike what I'd chose (although it does make me nervous 🙂 ) In the meantime I think it would be wise of me just to start thinking about what else I could do, should this not be for me. I think the decision to leave medicine is huge and that it would be really depressing to not have other options somewhat lined up in your mind when and if you quit. Path is one of those for me, and I'm open to thinking about others. I think there are a lot of ways to make good of your life and contribute; I'm just trying to make sure I'm ultimately doing the one that's right for me and right for the people I'll be working with.

 

[Hard24Get]

Out of curiosity, if you never liked your clinical rotations, why didn't you go or Path or radiology, etc from the outset? 😕

Thanks, that's sound advice, and I agree it is stressful. I have heard this advice from my friends a year or more ahead, and I do plan to give the intern year a chance for at least 6 -12 months to see what happens, but part of my problem is that I really found I disliked clinical rotations as a third and fourth year student as well, while a lot of other people were enjoying them. It wasn't the case that I loved those years and then, a month before intern year, started to panic and dislike what I'd chose (although it does make me nervous 🙂 ) In the meantime I think it would be wise of me just to start thinking about what else I could do, should this not be for me. I think the decision to leave medicine is huge and that it would be really depressing to not have other options somewhat lined up in your mind when and if you quit. Path is one of those for me, and I'm open to thinking about others. I think there are a lot of ways to make good of your life and contribute; I'm just trying to make sure I'm ultimately doing the one that's right for me and right for the people I'll be working with.

 

[turtle md]

... talent issue ...

I can think of some for whom this is not a problem... 😀

 

[dwil75]

Out of curiosity, if you never liked your clinical rotations, why didn't you go or Path or radiology, etc from the outset? 😕

I thought that it might be different as a resident who is directly resposible for much more of a patient's care, than as a medical student who is often on the fringes of things even when they try to become involved. I felt I needed to give it a chance. Truthfully, it WAS a very hard call and my decision worried me. But I can always leave clinical medicine for another area or another profession. I think it might be harder to go the other way. That's just my thought. If the decision had been clear cut I wouldn't be posting on this forum right now. 🙂

 

[spalatin]

I chose the wrong field for me... Did a year of it and started over as an intern in my new field. BUt that said, give it at least 6 months. Just remember intern year is supposed to be painful in almost all fields.

Why is intern year "supposed to be painful?"

Does it make one a better doctor?
...or does it feed the fragile egos of bullys who went through it themselves?