Specialties and number of positions available after residency

[somethingdeep]

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MS0 here, thinking a bit ahead to specialty choice. I've heard that some specialties, such as radiation oncology, have very few job openings nationwide available for someone who just finished residency. I know this shouldn't be the determining factor in choosing a specialty, but it does seem like it's going to have lifestyle impact if you are limited to a very small number of jobs to apply for and thus places to live. Is there some resource that lists the approximate number of job openings in each specialty annually (perhaps alongside the number of newly board certified doctors in that specialty each year)?

 

[SoulinNeed]

Search for the job openings on a website like indeed.com and see what you get. Remember, there may be few job openings, but there are likely very few applicants for that job, anyway.

 

[Law2Doc]

MS0 here, thinking a bit ahead to specialty choice. I've heard that some specialties, such as radiation oncology, have very few job openings nationwide available for someone who just finished residency. I know this shouldn't be the determining factor in choosing a specialty, but it does seem like it's going to have lifestyle impact if you are limited to a very small number of jobs to apply for and thus places to live. Is there some resource that lists the approximate number of job openings in each specialty annually (perhaps alongside the number of newly board certified doctors in that specialty each year)?

There is not such a resource. People actively doing job searches can tell you if it's a good or bad market based on their own efforts, but that's only a very vague sense of the market at large, and to a larger extent it varies regionally. But I would caution that trying to gauge the job market 7+ years before you are actually going to be looking for a job is a lot like trying to guess what the weather will be like on a specific day next year -- your odds of getting it right simply aren't that good. A lot depends on what the economy is doing, who we have as a president, their views on healthcare, etc. That basically brings you back to the just "pick a specialty you will enjoy" mantra. If it makes you feel better most people in your med school won't have the test scores or research to realistically consider rad onc anyhow so you are putting the cart way ahead of the horse.

 

[somethingdeep]

Thanks for the replies. I guess I'm not specifically trying to gauge the job market so much as wondering how large each specialty is. It seems like if there are three positions nationwide for rad onc, and a few hundred for peds, even though there will be tons more applicants in peds, it seems like an applicant in peds would have more latitude in the job search and in the choice of a place to live. (Rad onc and peds just being examples, I really have no idea what I'm interested in yet.)

 

[thesauce]

MS0 here, thinking a bit ahead to specialty choice. I've heard that some specialties, such as radiation oncology, have very few job openings nationwide available for someone who just finished residency. I know this shouldn't be the determining factor in choosing a specialty, but it does seem like it's going to have lifestyle impact if you are limited to a very small number of jobs to apply for and thus places to live. Is there some resource that lists the approximate number of job openings in each specialty annually (perhaps alongside the number of newly board certified doctors in that specialty each year)?

You heard wrong. There are LOTS of jobs in radonc - it is just limited in the big cities/"highly desirable areas." If you are willing to go to a mid or small town, especially the midwest, SE, or Texas, there are lots of available positions that will try to entice you with big offers to lock you in long before you finish residency. You will not be unemployed, but you may have to settle for a place/practice that you aren't super excited about while you try to get a spot in a competitive city.

As law2doc said: this is something you will not be able to predict down the road, so you're better served just finding out what you like.

 

[somethingdeep]

You heard wrong. There are LOTS of jobs in radonc - it is just limited in the big cities/"highly desirable areas." If you are willing to go to a mid or small town, especially the midwest, SE, or Texas, there are lots of available positions that will try to entice you with big offers to lock you in long before you finish residency. You will not be unemployed, but you may have to settle for a place/practice that you aren't super excited about while you try to get a spot in a competitive city.

Thanks for the info. That's basically what I'm curious about--which specialties have limited jobs in big cities. Happen to know of others besides rad onc?

 

[thesauce]

Thanks for the info. That's basically what I'm curious about--which specialties have limited jobs in big cities. Happen to know of others besides rad onc?

Ophtho and Path are a couple others that I've heard

 

[somethingdeep]

Ophtho and Path are a couple others that I've heard

Ok, thanks. I'm sorry to hear that about pathology, which I'm pretty interested in.