So far -> what specialty are you leaning towards?

[coolness]

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Questions for MSIII and MSIV:

What specialty are you leaning towards and why?

Before you entered medical school, what was your primary choice of specialty and why?

 

[DOtobe]

Now - FP because I want to be able to treat both adults and kids. That, and FP was one of my favorite rotations during MS3.

When I first started med school - Peds because I love kids, but I have now realized that I don't want to deal with their parents ALL DAY and that I would like to be able to have an intelligent conversation with at least some of my patients.

 

[irlandesa]

before=Peds, b/c I love kids and liked the idea of treating the future generations to come..

after=IM, b/c I love the variety, the intellectual aspect of solving various problems and putting things together to help patients. Plus, the residents and teachers I've met in Medicine have been phenomenal, while not at all so in Peds. Teaching is big in IM, and IM also tends to attract a more diverse and well-rounded bunch of residents than many other fields (I like the idea of enjoying being around my co-workers). Good match for me I must say.

 

[Amy]

Early on (when i really hadn't had much exposure at all to the medical field), I was thinking IM. I thought I'd like the whole dealing w/ complex pts thing.

Now - surgery. I started my year w/ surgical stuff (OB and then Surg) and LOVED it. Cutting people open and fixing them is the coolest thing ever. I love seeing all the anatomy. The OR was usually a fun place to be (listening to music, cracking jokes, etc.) Many of the residents and attendings were excellent teachers. I've liked other stuff, but nothing's had the same effect on me. I've also discovered that all IM is is mental masturbation. I guess I'm not enough of an intellectual to appreciate it.

Interesting thread, BTW.

 

[Mirror Form]

before: radiology
now: ophthalmology: b/c I realized that I want to cut, but care too much about my life to ruin it by doing gen surg.

 

[kem]

before med school: ob-gyn
M3 year: ob-gyn

I think I'm a little obsessed. 🙂 I did have a few months where I was thinking peds, though, but I like surgery and talking about contraception so ob-gyn has been the only choice for me!

-kem

 

[jakstat33]

before school: plastic surgery (i wanted to do residency in brazilian, the plastic surgery capital of the world!! after observing a few procedures with a plastic surgeon 1st year, i decided this wasn't my calling...)
now: ortho or IM/Cards... i love these 2 fields, and although they look different on paper (primary care v. surgical subspecialty), many similarities exist such as the procedure based aproaches both use

 

[SKloggGirl]

Before med school: pediatric cardiothoracic surgery

In the MSIII/MSIV gray zone: psychiatry

I won't try to offer the reasons that I think that there is actually a connection between the two and that I'm not as frenetic as these facts would make me seem. Instead of waxing poetic about such things which I don't think anyone would care much about, feel free to presume instead that I had a seizure somewhere in my second year, and I'm still in the post-ictal state. 😎

 

[kedhegard]

Anybody know what kind of Step 1 score you need to do neprology?

 

[Jaded Soul]

Anybody know what kind of Step 1 score you need to do neprology?

I don't know what kind of number, but something where you'll get into a good academic program so that you'll be in a good position to apply for a fellowship after residency.

 

[QuantumX]

Before Med school: General Surgery
During: Internal Medicine

 

[QuantumX]

Before Med school: General Surgery
During: Internal Medicine

 

[Vincristine]

M1 and M2: EM
M3 (about to be M4): Surgery, probably general followed by a trauma/critical care fellowship.

Why? Because I don't do IM in any form -- that means even the very short form of EM. I had ruled out surgery because of the inpact on my life, but once I got to surgery there was no turning back. It's so much who I am and the way I think that I hardly notice the long hours. Residency is not the rest of my life and I know there's enough variation in hours worked/time on call that I'll be able to find a job to fit my wants and needs.

 

[amy_thumbelina]

Before school: ENT: I'm interested in deaf culture.
Now: Family Practice--I was indignant when the ENT attending told me I didn't need to use my stethoscope! Plus, I've rather liked the continuity of care, as cliched as that may be.

 

[osteodo]

Before med school: FP
Now: IM with subspecialty-GI or Renal
funnny how rotations can change things!

 

[kcrd]

Before Med School: Peds
M1/M2: Internal Med
End of M3: Psychiatry. I just really enjoy the pathology and the luxury of spending a long period of time with patients. Peds and IM didn't fit my personality.

 

[bobbyseal]

Pre-Med: Pathology, Radiology, or EM. (The 3 specialties I had an actual experience spending time on the service/doing research).

MSI-II: Ortho surgery, ENT, Neurosurgery, or Plastic Surgery

MSIII: Urology or Gen Surg.

Things have a tendency to change over time....

 

[TommyGunn04]

before=Peds, b/c I love kids and liked the idea of treating the future generations to come..

after=IM, b/c I love the variety, the intellectual aspect of solving various problems and putting things together to help patients. Plus, the residents and teachers I've met in Medicine have been phenomenal, while not at all so in Peds. Teaching is big in IM, and IM also tends to attract a more diverse and well-rounded bunch of residents than many other fields (I like the idea of enjoying being around my co-workers). Good match for me I must say.

I completely agree...peds is just so much less intellectual and teaching-driven, at least at my school (Duke). I found myself so much more stimulated by IM, both by the unbelievable teaching and the fun of differential diagnosis in a real life setting, where you have to interpret lots of data, decide what other tests to order, etc. I wonder though if peds isn't more intellectual at a place like CHOP. I also wonder about the caliber of the residents...the medicine program at Duke is much better than the peds program, so maybe that's part of the difference, on top of the big difference in program size/funding.

Coming into med school I was thinking peds heme/onc. Now I'm thinking either medicine or med/peds, and eventually either adult or pediatric oncology.

 

[rubyness]

Before med school-->ms3: Ob/GYN

After OB rotation & ms3 --> surgery

 

[daelroy]

Did any laid back and personable people find themselves enjoying surgery? I'm a very laid back type of person who likes joking around. I don't enjoy yelling or being rude to people and have never enjoying hazing others or being hazed. I have always thought of myself as an PM&R or Radiology type of person. However, the idea of surgery intrigues me. I love anatomy and working with my hands. I don't think I would like IM because I'm much more of a doe'r than a problem solver. But I don't think I have the personality for surgery. Were any of you in this situation?

 

[doc05]

Did any laid back and personable people find themselves enjoying surgery? I'm a very laid back type of person who likes joking around. I don't enjoy yelling or being rude to people and have never enjoying hazing others or being hazed. I have always thought of myself as an PM&R or Radiology type of person. However, the idea of surgery intrigues me. I love anatomy and working with my hands. I don't think I would like IM because I'm much more of a doe'r than a problem solver. But I don't think I have the personality for surgery. Were any of you in this situation?

look into GU, ortho, or ENT. I've found the subspecialist residents to be way more laid-back and friendly.

 

[Whisker Barrel Cortex]

Did any laid back and personable people find themselves enjoying surgery? I'm a very laid back type of person who likes joking around. I don't enjoy yelling or being rude to people and have never enjoying hazing others or being hazed. I have always thought of myself as an PM&R or Radiology type of person. However, the idea of surgery intrigues me. I love anatomy and working with my hands. I don't think I would like IM because I'm much more of a doe'r than a problem solver. But I don't think I have the personality for surgery. Were any of you in this situation?

Although the attendings are still rude and old school, I find that the vast majority of the current crop of surgical residents are pretty laid back and relatively nice guys.

 

[salsadoc44]

before med school: peds or surgery
now (end of med3): ENT

it's the best combination of working w/ kids, surgery, and lifestyle.

 

[Pediatron47]

Before third year: Radiology
At end of MS3: Pediatrics

Gotta have heart...

 

[lowbudget]

Before: Peds, ID, Hem/Onc
End MS3: FP (Ignorance is bliss)

 

[gwyn779]

FP, all the way. I love and want to do everything. Plus, throughout the entire year, the nicest, most laid-back and well-rounded residents on every rotation, were the FP residents. I'm on my outpatient IM rotation right now and the other day we had a pregnant woman come in and I was so excited. My attending had actually forgotten how to measure the fundal height, so I got to remind him.

 

[ecpiii]

Start of med school: Neurosurgery, Pediatrics, FP or OB
End MS3: Neurosurgery

I only was interested in neuro to start because of a fatal TBI in my family just before med school started. I tried during my 3rd year rotations to find something else, as my personality and love of life outside medicine were more in tune with Peds and FP. I gave it all an honest and complete look (except IM, no offense to those insanely intelligent people who can handle complex train wreck patients). But in the last rotation (FP), I realized I liked treating adults too much to give them up, even though the well baby checks were still the most fun overall. And I can't deal very well with chronic disease, day in and day out. And you can't do OB without having to do some Gyn. After weeks of tortured self-reflection, I realized I could not tear myself away from the brain, the spine, and the mysterious. It was hell, and I am still not 100% with my decision, but 99% was close enough for me.

The end of 3rd year seems the most exciting yet, as I feel about to blast off to the rest of my life. I offer a sincere good luck to the incomings. It is way better than studying for the ****ing boards.

Coincidentally, just as a recommendation to all incoming third years who may be worried about grades; if you give each rotation an genuine look, work hard and get excited about coming in every day, you will get honors. The only class I didn't was medicine. Was it because it is the hardest clerkship, or because I couldn't get my go up? Who knows...