What are some of the hottest medical fields?

[gerrychahal]

I was wondering if anyone out there has an idea as to what some of the hottest medical fields are or will be in the near future. Also, if you could provide your opinion on why you think so?

Thank you.

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[tBw]

the hottest medical field?...tropical medicine!

 

[md2be06]

One word, four syllables: Geriatrics

Don't think I need to explain this one too much.

 

[eagle26]

orthopedic surgery...or transplant medicine: I see big hopes for that one in light of recent advances in tissue engineering

 

[lilycat]

The "hot" ones right now are all the relatively lifesytle-friendly areas -- derm, radiology (has become absurdly competitive in the last couple of years, apparently), ENT, orthopedics, radiation oncology, ophthalmology, plastic surgery, etc. Anesthesiology and EM are supposedly becoming more competitive, but this purely anecdotal. However, many specialties seem to cycle in popularity/competitiveness every 5 years or so, so what may be "hot" when you start medical school, may end up being less popular by the time you graduate.

 

[imtiaz]

Is it true that neurology is not competetive? A few MS-3s told me this and an MS-2 friend of mine said the same thing this year. Why is this the case? Is it because it consists for the most part of interviewing patients armed with questions like "Sir, do you know who the president is? What year is it? What day of the week is it? How many fingers am I holding up?" ??

 

[none]

I second the geriatrics!

 

[DarksideAllstar]

Radiation oncology is pretty competitive now

 

[jargon124]

I, too, think Geriatric medicine is going to be important as the population ages. Do you guys think salaries in the field will perk up as well? As it stands, geriatic medicine involves 3 years of internal medicine residency plus 2-3 years in fellowship (correct me if I'm wrong). That's quite a committment for a specialty that is among the lowest paying. <img src="confused.gif" border="0">

 

[Doc Blondie]

I have to agree with geriatris...we have all the bsby boomers getting old.

 

[silver_eyes]

what about heart surgery?

Oh, i am fourth on geriatrics

 

[Street Philosopher]

my sister, who is doing internal medicine (last year of res) said neuroligists basically don't do squat and she doesn't respect them too much.

but i'm interested in the brain so i might do neurology or neurosurgery anyway.

 

[YBee]

Originally posted by jargon124:
•I, too, think Geriatric medicine is going to be important as the population ages. Do you guys think salaries in the field will perk up as well? As it stands, geriatic medicine involves 3 years of internal medicine residency plus 2-3 years in fellowship (correct me if I'm wrong). That's quite a committment for a specialty that is among the lowest paying. •••

I don't think geriatrics, for the general population of doctors, will ever pay THAT much, because the population of patients is, by law, on Medicare, which doesn't pay jack-diddly-do to the m.d.s.

 

[Vader]

Originally posted by Schoolboy:
•my sister, who is doing internal medicine (last year of res) said neuroligists basically don't do squat and she doesn't respect them too much.

but i'm interested in the brain so i might do neurology or neurosurgery anyway.•••

That's too bad your sister has a pretty jaded view of neurology. It could have resulted from her personal experiences.

The field of neurology involves the study, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases of the nervous system. This includes well-known disorders such as Alzheimer, Parkinson, and Huntington disease, ALS, Multiple Sclerosis, epilepsy, and stroke, as well as a variety of other conditions (i.e. peripheral neuropathies, neuromuscular disorders, ataxias, etc...). Neurologists perform procedures such as EEGs, LPs (spinal taps), and EMGs. A strong knowledge of anatomy is required. The neurological exam includes things like testing reflexes, muscle strength, sensation, coordination, cognitive function, and other functions of the nervous system. It is a very "cerebral" field (pun intended), requiring quite a bit of detective work and problem solving. Neurologists see patients in both the outpatient clinics and on the inpatient wards. The field also offers excellent opportunities for research, both basic science and clinically oriented.

I personally find it a very fascinating and challenging specialty. Definitely not for everyone, but if you are interested, don't let anyone stop you.

 

[Arohanui]

My mate thought that geriatrics was the hot thing especially psychiatry - dementia etc as there will be a few more down the road than right now.

 

[A. Caveman]

I have to agree with ARouhani and the others. with the aging baby boomer population (god knows how demanding they are) and ever-growing life expectancy, geriatrics will be a Hot Hot Hot field. lots of patients, although i don't know how good salaries will be, but i have a feeling that they Will go up just because it will be a more important position, regardless of medicare, etc. anyway, count on the lax a$$ dermatology practice being one of the Most competitive from here until eternity..untill, that is, the average age of a person on this planet is ~45 (could easily happen if people live until their 90's or whatever, on average). with the average person being 45, there just won't be that much of a demand for pimple popping or zit creams. isn't that all they do anyway....

 

[charleb32]

For women, a very big field is OBGYN. Women, are sick of having to go to a man. It's also a big field for URM's

 

[3aliyah]

I read that the hottest field these days is RADIOLOGY. Residencies are bigtime competitive.

 

[brandonite]

Originally posted by 3aliyah:
•I read that the hottest field these days is RADIOLOGY. Residencies are bigtime competitive.•••

Yup. Radiology residencies are just about the most competitive. It offers a pretty good combination of lifestyle, money, and you still get to deal with patients and interesting cases on a fairly regular basis. And there's a whole new realm of new technologies coming out.

 

[Whisker Barrel Cortex]

I agree radiology is very hot right now. The reasons are brandonite says plus the amazing market for private practice radiologists right now. There are 900 residents graduating per year and I have seen estimates that there is a need for 4000-5000 radiologists right now. This doesn't include those retiring.

Residents are getting offers in the 200,000 dollar range to start with partnership in 2-3 years. Partnership often means 300,000+ income and 10+ weeks of vacation. I don't know if these are the average offers but there are plenty of these opportunities around.

As for geriatrics, I agree it will be a busy field in the future but I don't think it will ever have a good income or lifestyle. To me it is also often very depressing taking care of very old patients with little to no quality of life in a nursing home.

 

[brandonite]

Originally posted by Whisker Barrell Cortex:
•As for geriatrics, I agree it will be a busy field in the future but I don't think it will ever have a good income or lifestyle. To me it is also often very depressing taking care of very old patients with little to no quality of life in a nursing home.•••

I personally couldn't do geriatrics. I have a great deal of respect for those who can, but I don't think I could deal with having almost every patient I see die... It would just be too depressing. I know we're supposed to be in this for the good of the world and all, but I just know I couldn't take it...

 

[USeF]

well then, Brandon, how about being on the OTHER end of the spectrum of diseased dying people, preventive medicine?!?! My specialty flavor of the year

In nearly every health care reform or medicine's history or medicine's future books I read, along with UF's, Pitt's and some other guidebooks, Preventive Medicine is the specialty and field that is in most demand. There just seems to be SOO few that want to go to the social, cultural -along with physical- root of diseases. It perplexes me, because what are Americans being killed by? Is it some virus? some infection that the population is perpetually getting? NO! It's lifestyle diseases. Preventable Diseases!

Yet I see the lack of patient contact, and instant gratification (making health care reforms take ~decade to show results) may deter all but those that are so idealistic. Besides, all that population statistics and empirical data is only attractive to those freaks that like numbers...

 

[YBee]

Originally posted by A. Caveman:
•I have to agree with ARouhani and the others. with the aging baby boomer population (god knows how demanding they are) and ever-growing life expectancy, geriatrics will be a Hot Hot Hot field. lots of patients, although i don't know how good salaries will be, but i have a feeling that they Will go up just because it will be a more important position, regardless of medicare, etc. anyway, count on the lax a$$ dermatology practice being one of the Most competitive from here until eternity..untill, that is, the average age of a person on this planet is ~45 (could easily happen if people live until their 90's or whatever, on average). with the average person being 45, there just won't be that much of a demand for pimple popping or zit creams. isn't that all they do anyway.... •••

I think dermatology will probably get even hotter after the average age hits 45, 'cause dermatologists also do dermabrasion, laser resurfacing etc.; that is: remove wrinkles!!

 

[drdrtoledo]

REMEMBER THE ROAD TO HAPPINESS!!!
R-O-A-D

Radiology

Opthomology

Anesthesiology

Dermatology

The least amount of work (being on call, ect.) for the largest salary.

But to be honest I would rather do EM!

 

[Ranger Bob]

I've noticed several different viewpoints on what constitutes a "hot" medical field:

1) Difficulty in matching with residency program
2) Pay after completion of training
3) Demand for services
4) Personal preferences

In other words, we're all talking about different things when we say that a particular specialty is "hot."

On the topic of geriatrics - To my knowledge, there isn't such a thing as a "geriatrics" residency, and while it's possible to do a fellowship in geriatrics, few docs choose to do one. The vast majority of elderly people go to internists and family practice docs without any special training in geriatrics.

 

[Ranger Bob]

Originally posted by USeF:
•well then, Brandon, how about being on the OTHER end of the spectrum of diseased dying people, preventive medicine?!?! My specialty flavor of the year

In nearly every health care reform or medicine's history or medicine's future books I read, along with UF's, Pitt's and some other guidebooks, Preventive Medicine is the specialty and field that is in most demand. There just seems to be SOO few that want to go to the social, cultural -along with physical- root of diseases. It perplexes me, because what are Americans being killed by? Is it some virus? some infection that the population is perpetually getting? NO! It's lifestyle diseases. Preventable Diseases!

Yet I see the lack of patient contact, and instant gratification (making health care reforms take ~decade to show results) may deter all but those that are so idealistic. Besides, all that population statistics and empirical data is only attractive to those freaks that like numbers... •••

I agree with what you're saying about preventative medicine, and I would add that public health, a related discipline, has done more to increase our life expectancy than all of the "heroic" surgical specialties combined. While things like artificial hearts grab the headlines, things like prenatal counseling, vaccinations, and simple, low-tech screening tests save by far the most lives.

 

[eagle26]

With the increase in the number of Hospices since the mid 1980s coupled with the shifting ideology toward palliative medicine, I think that field will be growing more in the near future.

 

[lady in red]

I am no expert in this, but when I was going for training for my job on radioactivity, they told us that, non-suprisingly, a large portion of cancer patients who were in medical field are--guess who--radiation oncologists. That right there just turned me off completely from this field

 

[Ranger Bob]

Originally posted by lady in red:
•I am no expert in this, but when I was going for training for my job on radioactivity, they told us that, non-suprisingly, a large portion of cancer patients who were in medical field are--guess who--radiation oncologists. That right there just turned me off completely from this field•••

If I understand you correctly, you're saying that many radiation oncologists are, or have been, cancer patients themselves. Why would this turn you off from the field?

 

[md2be06]

Originally posted by Ranger Bob:
•

If I understand you correctly, you're saying that many radiation oncologists are, or have been, cancer patients themselves. Why would this turn you off from the field?•••

She's suggesting there's a correlation between being a radiation oncologist and getting cancer. That would be enough to turn a lot of people off that field.