specialties

[amiga]

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I guess it is harder for non-traditional students to choose specialties. Too much to balance, life style, family needs, salary, and interest. Do not get me wrong, I do not think any of us go into medicine just for the paycheck and the life style. However, it is harder to deal with the 200k+ debt, a new baby (or the thought of having one), the late calls, and the 70h per week work schedule (more for some specialties), when you are 30 something. It is going to be hard to start over again.
Interviewers want to see that we are determined. After all, we are more mature and had extra time to think about this. I thought I wanted to do oncology, but that 6 more years of training after school is getting to me when I start to think about having a family. So what you all are thinking about doing after school? Sorry if it is too early for those still struggling with the application procedure, but it is never too early to talk about, since you might have to during interviews.

 

[Uncle_Tbag]

I'm 31 and still 2 years away from even taking the MCAT; it's a long and daunting process that's easy to get discouraged about.

Above all, I always tell myself that those years will pass anyway and it's better work your tail off and have something to show for it, than have those years passed in relative mediocrity, not accomplishing something that's important to you. For me the thought of starting practice when I'm in my early 40's is kind of a bummer; the thought of not being able to practice at all, or in a specialty I like, at that age is much more of a bummer.

 

[RxnMan]

6 years isn't so bad. You will getting paid (admittedly not much) for that time. Most surgical specialites have 5 year residencies with a year or two of fellowship. Check out the AAMC website for speciality info (years training req'd, expected salaries). There are threads in this forum and others that talk about when to start a family.

 

[amiga]

It all depend on how sure you are about your specialty, and how much you want to sarcrifice to get it. Whenever there is family, there are lots of responsibilities, tons to think about and balance. I am very grateful that my better half went along with my idea of starting med school. Between having kids, paying off loans for med school, and stressing out about the patients, I guess I start to question myself a little bit.

6 years isn't so bad. You will getting paid (admittedly not much) for that time. Most surgical specialites have 5 year residencies with a year or two of fellowship. Check out the AAMC website for speciality info (years training req'd, expected salaries). There are threads in this forum and others that talk about when to start a family.

 

[Law2Doc]

I thought I wanted to do oncology, but that 6 more years of training after school is getting to me when I start to think about having a family. So what you all are thinking about doing after school? Sorry if it is too early for those still struggling with the application procedure, but it is never too early to talk about, since you might have to during interviews.

Bear in mind that with the more competitive specialties, they sometimes get omitted from your selection process merely by virtue of how well you do in med school and Step 1. I wouldn't stress about it until you get close to the decision point (assuming you are not there already) -- things may fall into place as various door open and close.

 

[MiesVanDerMom]

a good place to look is the specialty threads Q and A. I have been researching this for the past couple years since i have 2 kids and want more. anasthesiology is a good balance of hours/pay and so it emergency medicine. if you're top of the class there is dermatology and rads, but i don't plan on being quite that high on the class rank (rather spend the time with my kids...) Different specialities have different advantages: some no or little call, others have call but reasonable hours/stress or low pay, etc. I don't think there's any one perfect one. And of course you have to actually like what you're doing! That's the main reason I am looking into anasthesiology right now. It really appeals to me for reasons beyond salary/lifestyle. Something like OB also appeals to me but NO WAY am I doing that residency! It's fun to think about this stuff (instead of the fact that MCAT scores are due out next week! 😱 ) good thread...

 

[Sol Rosenberg]

Honestly, pick a specialty that you will LIKE! I got hung up on the extra years of residency, etc but having made the mistake of choosing the easy route and picking engineering because it required less schooling, let me solve the same types of problems, and had a quicker payout then medicine, I DO NOT want to make the same mistake twice.

I have always wanted to be a surgeon, and even though I am considering some more "practical" alternative specialties like EM (Based upon my volunteer and shadowing experiences I think I WOULD like the job of an EM doctor) I think that's where my heart lies. Anesthesiology is popular now, especially because there is a shortage of anesthesiologists, the $$$ is really good, and the residency is short, but that may change in the future. The most attractive feature of gas to me is that it is one of the few specialties that allows you to work regularly in the OR, besides surgery, so it IS a specialty that I am considering.

Anyways, if I follow my heart, I will probably go with surgery. If I TOTALLY follow my heart, I will go with neurosurgery, but the 7+ year residency seems daunting to me (even in the context of this "Do what makes you happy" post.) I dunno. I should stop thinking about this now and get back to finishing my TMDSAS application! One step at a time!

 

[amiga]

Good luck with your application, and thanks to everybody for the input.
I agree that you should go where your heart lies, but sometimes, it is not such a clear choice. A lot of factors will change the decisions. Plus, I do not want to end up like radiologists and anesthesiologists in the mid-90s (nobody would know what the job prospect would be in another 7-10 years). I want to be able to find a job after residency, close to where my family decide to live. I want to have enough money to pay back my med school debts and still be able to pay the morgage. In my dreams, I also want to have enough time to have kids, and see them growing up. I guess I am just asking for a lot.
Sorry, everyone. Getting stressed out since the tuition due date is getting close. Do not want to be the 1-2% of doctors jobless after residency.

Honestly, pick a specialty that you will LIKE! I got hung up on the extra years of residency, etc but having made the mistake of choosing the easy route and picking engineering because it required less schooling, let me solve the same types of problems, and had a quicker payout then medicine, I DO NOT want to make the same mistake twice.

I have always wanted to be a surgeon, and even though I am considering some more "practical" alternative specialties like EM (Based upon my volunteer and shadowing experiences I think I WOULD like the job of an EM doctor) I think that's where my heart lies. Anesthesiology is popular now, especially because there is a shortage of anesthesiologists, the $$$ is really good, and the residency is short, but that may change in the future. The most attractive feature of gas to me is that it is one of the few specialties that allows you to work regularly in the OR, besides surgery, so it IS a specialty that I am considering.

Anyways, if I follow my heart, I will probably go with surgery. If I TOTALLY follow my heart, I will go with neurosurgery, but the 7+ year residency seems daunting to me (even in the context of this "Do what makes you happy" post.) I dunno. I should stop thinking about this now and get back to finishing my TMDSAS application! One step at a time!

 

[RxnMan]

Good luck with your application, and thanks to everybody for the input.
I agree that you should go where your heart lies, but sometimes, it is not such a clear choice. A lot of factors will change the decisions. Plus, I do not want to end up like radiologists and anesthesiologists in the mid-90s (nobody would know what the job prospect would be in another 7-10 years). I want to be able to find a job after residency, close to where my family decide to live. I want to have enough money to pay back my med school debts and still be able to pay the morgage. In my dreams, I also want to have enough time to have kids, and see them growing up. I guess I am just asking for a lot.
Sorry, everyone. Getting stressed out since the tuition due date is getting close. Do not want to be the 1-2% of doctors jobless after residency.

Nobody's asking you to decide anything right now. You'll have plenty of opportunities to find out what fits you between now and when you do the Match. Relax, allow the med school process to take over, and let it guide you through the process. Time after residency will come on it's own.

 

[MJB]

If nothing else, go to work for a Pharma company...research/clinical trials, etc...

 

[chrisjohn]

I guess I am just asking for a lot.

No career is perfect. It's all about expectations. Hey, I hear the Army is hiring.

The physicians who can't find jobs are mental. The only physicians I know who have had difficulty locating/keeping employment shouldn't be practicing. There are exceptions surely, but I wouldn't loose any sleep over it, unless you are an IV drug user with ties to hard core pornography, you'll be able to find a position. Nope, not making that up either.

One of the coolest things about a medical degree is there are an infinite number of ways to practice and if you're not under the gun to make insane amounts of money, they're open to you. You would have to try to make less than 100K.

 

[amiga]

Are there lots of job opportunities like that? Would I still have any patient contact? Do I have to be in specific residency program to get that?
I can already go to Pharma for research, but I really prefer some patient contact though.

If nothing else, go to work for a Pharma company...research/clinical trials, etc...

 

[chrisjohn]

Are there lots of job opportunities like that? Would I still have any patient contact? Do I have to be in specific residency program to get that?
I can already go to Pharma for research, but I really prefer some patient contact though.

Yes. Almost every teaching hospital with a cancer treatment center runs a lot of clinical trials.

No, most clinical data manager positions are personal sinecures for the physicians.

You'll get plenty of patient contact.

 

[MJB]

I honestly don't know a lot about the jobs, I just know that you would be more than qualified to do many things in the industry, and I'm living proof that working for them doesn't get a lot more "cush"...

 

[njbmd]

Good luck with your application, and thanks to everybody for the input.
I agree that you should go where your heart lies, but sometimes, it is not such a clear choice. A lot of factors will change the decisions. Plus, I do not want to end up like radiologists and anesthesiologists in the mid-90s (nobody would know what the job prospect would be in another 7-10 years). I want to be able to find a job after residency, close to where my family decide to live. I want to have enough money to pay back my med school debts and still be able to pay the morgage. In my dreams, I also want to have enough time to have kids, and see them growing up. I guess I am just asking for a lot.
Sorry, everyone. Getting stressed out since the tuition due date is getting close. Do not want to be the 1-2% of doctors jobless after residency.

Hi there,
Since most of the people who post in the forum have not entered medical school, you cannot make any predictions about job market for any specialty. Things in medicine go in yearly cycles and specialties that are in demand one year tend to fall off the next year.

As a PGY-4 (finishing) general surgery resident, I really cannot predict what my practice conditions will be like and I am one year away. You choose something that you love and go from there.

It is doubtful that you will be jobless as a physician unless you have an impairment that prevents getting a license. The practice of medicine has many options.

njbmd 🙂

 

[Non-TradTulsa]

Since most of the people who post in the forum have not entered medical school, you cannot make any predictions about job market for any specialty.

That's a good point and absolutely true, but I'm impressed that non-trads on SDN do realize that, despite predictions of continuing physician shortages, there were periods of over-supply in certain subspecialties within my professional career in hospitals that I remember well.

I don't start school until August, but the one thing that I doubt will change is that I'll do my residency in Internal Medicine. Right now, I'm willing to try to help the primary care shortage despite the difficult lifestyle. I'm particularly attracted to being a hospitalist - this is an emerging specialty with great demand and it generally comes with no call and a decent lifestyle (not a fabulous salary, but more than enough for me). After 20 years of working in hospitals, I know how the system works and I think I'd be comfortable. If I change my mind, I'm pretty confident that I'll just go on to a fellowship in a subspecialty.

The lifestyle of rads is very attractive. But physical structures and anatomy just don't really turn me on - I'm more interested in biochemistry and cellular biology. I used to think that not being crazy about anatomy would make me a bad doc - but, the truth is, I just prefer patients who have their upholstery on.