Specializing - when to know?

[bluevet]

Just finished 2nd year. Pretty sure I don't want to do large animal. Never thought I'd want to do general practice.

Problem: I have no idea in what field I'd want to specialize. I am worried if I wait til I am through clinics to commit then I won't get the externships and experience I need in order to get an internship.

I feel like I shouldn't worry because it will all fall into place once I do clinics and get more experience, but my classmates seem to think otherwise.

Thoughts?

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[Angelo84]

Just finished 2nd year. Pretty sure I don't want to do large animal. Never thought I'd want to do general practice.

Problem: I have no idea in what field I'd want to specialize. I am worried if I wait til I am through clinics to commit then I won't get the externships and experience I need in order to get an internship.

I feel like I shouldn't worry because it will all fall into place once I do clinics and get more experience, but my classmates seem to think otherwise.

Thoughts?

So you have decided you want to do small animal and possibly specialize in something right? So the most straight forward plan is to do a rotating internship that will expose you to various specialties and then decide. Externships aren't particularly important (unless you do them to evaluate prospective sites) so I wouldn't worry too much at this point. You don't apply for internships until December of your fourth year.

 

[Bill59]

Yeah, if you're sure you want to specialize the first step is to get a rotating internship, so focus on that. Most people don't decide on a specialty until hospital year or into their internship year.

 

[bluevet]

Actually, I am not sure what I want to do. I either want to do a small animal specialty (not sure what), lab animal medicine, or go on to do a phd. I know I didn't really narrow it down.

I came into school thinking I would like to do research or LAM, not wanting to practice at all. Now I am starting to toy with the idea of practicing and if I did that I think I'd want to specialize.

I just don't want to get behind on the game because I am not sure what aspect I want to pursue yet. The problem is that I feel like I am falling behind on my clinical experience. I worked in a clinic for 2 years full time before coming to vet school and over the past couple of summers I have done research.

I don't want my clinic skills to get rusty or have a resume filled with research if I decide to go into practice. Wouldn't that make it harder to find a job / internship after graduation?

**To clarify: You mean I should focus on doing well in clinics, get a rotating internship after graduation, then decide on a specialty and apply for residency? I just want to make sure I know what you mean by rotating internship.** Thanks!!

 

[alliecat44]

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**To clarify: You mean I should focus on doing well in clinics, get a rotating internship after graduation, then decide on a specialty and apply for residency? I just want to make sure I know what you mean by rotating internship.** Thanks!!

I think that's exactly what Bill was saying. However, for lab animal, an internship isn't required--but it certainly would be helpful in your decision-making process (and excellent experience as well).

My advice: do well in clinics and if your school has a lab animal elective lecture course and/or senior rotation, then take advantage of it. If your school doesn't have a lab animal rotation, do one at another site as an elective rotation. That will really help inform you and, if lab animal is something you decide to pursue, shows your interest/aptitude at an early stage. You'll be doing tons of clinical/practice stuff your senior year regardless.

 

[Bill59]

**To clarify: You mean I should focus on doing well in clinics, get a rotating internship after graduation, then decide on a specialty and apply for residency? I just want to make sure I know what you mean by rotating internship.** Thanks!!

Yes. Rotating internships are what most people mean when they talk about an internship. It's 1 year in large or small animal where you rotate among various medical and surgical services.

(There are also specialty internships, such as surgery and emergency medicine internships where you focus in one area. These are usually done after a rotating internship)

In general I think it's a mistake to lock in on a specialty until you actually have some clinical experience in that area. You will get a lot of that during your hospital year(s) in vet school. A rotating internship provides even more experience to help you know for sure before committing to a 3-4 year residency. I would guess that up to half our interns change their mind about residency within the first 6 months of their internship.