Repetitive?

[HTxFrog]

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I'm about to finish my first year of med school, and I'm trying to decide what to specialize in. I've been thinking mostly about ophthalmology, and I'm doing research in the ophtho department this summer. I like what I've seen from shadowing the faculty in our program, but one thing I was wondering is whether it starts to get repetitive after a while. I obviously am really interested in eyes and there are many things that I like about the specialty. My only reservation about it is that it can be so specialized. It seems like the retina surgeon just does retinas all the time and the cornea guy does corneas and so on. If all I'm going to do is corneas etc. some day, I kind of feel like a lot of the things I'm learning now are going to be fairly useless. I know I've still got a little while to figure things out, but I'd appreciate any feedback. Does it get repetitive after a while, and are there any things you don't like about the specialty? Thanks!

 

[2oRadio]

Everything gets repetitive after a while. Especially in this age of specialization where everyone is trying to grab their very own small piece of the pie.

 

[orbitsurgMD]

I'm about to finish my first year of med school, and I'm trying to decide what to specialize in. I've been thinking mostly about ophthalmology, and I'm doing research in the ophtho department this summer. I like what I've seen from shadowing the faculty in our program, but one thing I was wondering is whether it starts to get repetitive after a while. I obviously am really interested in eyes and there are many things that I like about the specialty. My only reservation about it is that it can be so specialized. It seems like the retina surgeon just does retinas all the time and the cornea guy does corneas and so on. If all I'm going to do is corneas etc. some day, I kind of feel like a lot of the things I'm learning now are going to be fairly useless. I know I've still got a little while to figure things out, but I'd appreciate any feedback. Does it get repetitive after a while, and are there any things you don't like about the specialty? Thanks!

Many parts of any practices get repetitive, but that does not mean it is not satisfying. Cataract surgeries do not differ all that much one from another, usually, so the occasional different one is appreciated. But the satisfaction can come from having done work well even if it does not vary much job to job. That is an attitude almost everyone has to come to to find satisfaction in work. And yes, there can be drudgery, too.

Ophthalmology at least gives you many subspecialties to choose from, if that is what you like as well as a robust practice opportunity as a generalist, if that is what you prefer.

 

[7ontheline]

I personally still find a lot of satisfaction in a surgery that is done well. When the patient comes back seeing 20/20 and is really happy, it's pretty gratifying. Glaucoma surgery is especially sweet when it turns out well (probably because there are so many ways for it to go horribly wrong). As everybody else says, everything gets repetitive. But if you like what you're doing it's not so bad.