Stating I want to do primary care....

[sharpieLIFE]

Hey,
If I mention my goal is go into into primary care in my personal statement - is that a turn off at all to any US MD schools? I'm just under the impression that MD schools are more geared towards specializing.

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[workethic712]

not at all. you are under a false impression.

 

[22031 Alum]

You may want to do a bit more research about individual schools. Some schools, particularly state schools, have entire primary care tracks. I don't see how you could think that MD schools in general shy away from primary care, unless you haven't looked at a single website.

 

[Nymphicus]

Top schools want top students who want to excel at their chosen field.

 

[road2md]

Hey,
If I mention my goal is go into into primary care in my personal statement - is that a turn off at all to any US MD schools? I'm just under the impression that MD schools are more geared towards specializing.

Not at all. If anything, it would help you if you are applying for a track with emphasis on primary care. Whatever it is that you state you want to do in your personal statement, make sure you can back it up with evidence. Otherwise they'll see right through it.

 

[Salt Salt]

I'll disagree just to add some variety. Yale in the past has controversially stated that they're not looking to address America's primary care shortage. What they meant by that was not that they discouraged students from pursuing primary care. What they meant was that they wants their students to become leaders in medicine, not merely work in the clinics. So, depending on whether you're applying to a top tier school or not, I would choose what to emphasize in your app. If you're applying to top schools, I would make an ambitious statement that hints at leadership, research, and institutional change, like "I want to improve the accessibility and quality of the frontline of healthcare."

 

[LoveIR]

It generally rubs me the wrong way when pre-meds say they want to do "Primary Care". If they say they love kids and therefore want to do Peds I think that's great. If they are all about delivering babies and therefore OB/GYN I get it. But saying they want to do "Primary Care" says to me that they have already decided to rule out 90% of their specialty options before they've even tried them out.

I would much rather read a PS where someone talks about how they love the longitudinal care of Family Med than the vaguely political idea of "Primary Care". Too much baggage attached to it.

 

[NeuResurgens]

If you know you're into primary care before starting medical school, I think there are actually distinctive advantages to that. Think scholarships/career tracks.

 

[Goro]

No.

Hey,
If I mention my goal is go into into primary care in my personal statement - is that a turn off at all to any US MD schools? I'm just under the impression that MD schools are more geared towards specializing.

 

[otterxavier]

saying they want to do "Primary Care" says to me that they have already decided to rule out 90% of their specialty options before they've even tried them out.

Isn't this true of any premed who expresses a particular interest in any area of medicine?

 

[einsteinm]

If anything, mentioning primary care should be looked at favorably considering the shortage.

 

[wegotthis14]

There's going to be a significant shortage of primary care doctors soon. Medical schools really want students who are willing to commit to primary care.

 

[songl4a]

.

 

[einsteinm]

Just be honest. If you try and fake it they will know.

 

[sazerac]

I said I wanted to do primary care in my application. I got accepted to MD schools. Funny thing is, I got accepted to generic medical schools, and rejected from schools whose mission is primary care. Whatever.

 

[NickNaylor]

I would state interests rather than definitive career plans. Unless you have extensive (and I mean extensive) primary care experience few people are going to put much stock in whatever you say you're interested in doing long-term before you even begin medical school. I also wouldn't make it a focus of your PS unless, again, you have extensive experiences that point to a clear and obvious "theme" that includes being a PCP. Even then, understand that you will have to do many things that aren't primary care during training. Schools will want to make sure that you're able to get through those parts of the curriculum, and if you come across as rigid and disinterested towards things that aren't primary care, that might be seen as a negative.

 

[Psai]

Let me guess, you're interested in helping the underserved

 

[bonnie12]

I would state interests rather than definitive career plans. Unless you have extensive (and I mean extensive) primary care experience few people are going to put much stock in whatever you say you're interested in doing long-term before you even begin medical school. I also wouldn't make it a focus of your PS unless, again, you have extensive experiences that point to a clear and obvious "theme" that includes being a PCP. Even then, understand that you will have to do many things that aren't primary care during training. Schools will want to make sure that you're able to get through those parts of the curriculum, and if you come across as rigid and disinterested towards things that aren't primary care, that might be seen as a negative.

Would it be acceptable to state that you want to work with a particular population in your PS?

 

[NickNaylor]

Would it be acceptable to state that you want to work with a particular population in your PS?

Sure, but if you have nothing to back up that interest (e.g., previous work with that population during undergrad in some way) then adcoms are unlikely to find that interest genuine.

 

[sazerac]

I said I wanted to do primary care in my application. I got accepted to MD schools. Funny thing is, I got accepted to generic medical schools, and rejected from schools whose mission is primary care. Whatever.

I almost included the following in my earlier post, but didn't because I didn't think it applied to the OP's question. But since the thread went there anyway...


My PS was all about primary care, my shadowing was all about primary care, I got an LOR from a primary care provider, and my career plan was primary care. I really didn't have any experience with medical specialties until medical school. Medicine doesn't run in my family, and I came from a small town where the nearest non-primary care provider was 90 minutes away. I think they saw my primary care interest as genuine and not some recent interest to make my application more appealing to adcoms.

For what it's worth, I think I stayed true to the primary care portion of my plans. I originally thought I would do rural FM, but now I am married and want to do urban peds. And I definitely have no plans for a peds fellowship.

 

[takeurmeds02]

Let me guess, you're interested in helping the underserved

What does that mean?