What speciality you want to go into ?

[MoeDaMan]

I need help answering this question...

How would I answer this into medical school interview? I mean I don't know, how would I if I dont have the experience without rotations?

I have done volunteering work, but I don't know which speciality I like best. I know that I dont like ICU...gosh it is so depressing

but how would I reply? I like surgery cuz its kewl? sounds stupid

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[Popoy]

Here's another something you can try for fun:
Medical Specialty Aptitude Test (MSAT)

When forced to answer this question, I stated I wanted to become a pediatrician possibly Peds ER because of my so and so experience with children....yadayadayada.... I decided to answer this question by ways of presenting what I had done during my college years.... did that make sense? Oh well.... try the test, it's kinda interesting what will come up.... layta'

 

[MoeDaMan]

wow thanks Popoy...awesome site...

U DA MAN

 

[MoeDaMan]

WOW Popoy god bless u man....the test was weird bu it is so odd. I have been doing research on neuropsychiatric diseases for 3 years and my major is neuroscience....

Look at the ranking, it got placed second!



I also like plastic surgery, dermatology and opthamology

U really DA MAN Popoy u DA MAN


1 plastic surgery 47
2 neurology 47
3 emergency med 47
4 occupational med 46
5 preventive med 45
6 pathology 45
7 otolaryngology 45
8 nuclear med 45
9 nephrology 44
10 dermatology 44
11 ophthalmology 44

 

[KeithKow]

if you don't know, be honest and tell them. thats what i did and it seemed to work. i mean, i have a few things in mind, and i told them what they were and a little bit why, but i always told them "i know i'll experience mostly everything in medical school, so right now i want to be open to every possibility and see what i like." and it seemed like they were all satisfied with that answer.
good luck,
keith

 

[Atlas]

I took the test and I'm pleased with the results! I'm interested in Nephrology and it was placed 5th on my list at 45. Actually, it's tied for second at 45! Wow! Here's my results:

1. Radiation Oncology 47
2. Urology 45
3. General Surgery 45
4. Radiology 45
5. Nephrology 45
6. Med Oncology 45
7. Hematology 45
8. Nuclear Medicine 44
9. Neurosurgery 44
10.Rheumatology 44
11.Occupational Medicine 44
12.PM&R 44
13.Pathology 44
14.Colon and Rectal Surgery 44
15.Anesthesiology 44
16.Pediatrics 43
17.Orthopaedic Surgery 43
18.Gastroenterology 43
19.Endocrinology 42
20.Dermatology 42
21.Ophthalmology 42
22.Plastic Surgery 42
23.Psychiatry 42
24.Preventative Medicine 41
25.Thoracic Surgery 41
26.OB/GYN 41
27.Otolaryngology 41
28.Infectious Diseases 41
29.Pulmonology 40
30.Cardiology 40
.
.
.
35.Emergency Medicine
36.Family Medicine

That's my list. It's an accurate assessment of my medical interests. Try it out!

 

[Nova]

Fun test!

I was surprised to see Radiology at the top of the list. I'm suspicious of this result, since the next two down were General Practice and Pediatrics, followed closely by Emergency Medicine. Those three, I get. I understand why they'd require similar skills. Radiology? Am I missing something?

As a side note, I thought I'd be interested in working in a NICU, until I read "Intern Blues". Dear god, what a nightmare to read.

Nova

 

[Popoy]

Glad you folks enjoyed it as much as I did, but the site was posted by someone else so I cannot take credit....

I enjoyed it as well,but again don't take it too seriously.... It's all fun and good....

Later y'all

 

[mcwmark]

Going back to the original question:

Let's just say, if you don't know, you don't know. Interests change so quickly in medical school (especially after would be surgeons find themselves having difficulty cutting up a cadaver!), and during clerkships that no one can really say with certainty...

Of course, to really impress the interviewer, say you're really interested in his or her specialty...no, just kidding!

 

[AJM]

Originally posted by mcwmark:
•Going back to the original question:

Let's just say, if you don't know, you don't know. Interests change so quickly in medical school (especially after would be surgeons find themselves having difficulty cutting up a cadaver!), and during clerkships that no one can really say with certainty...

Of course, to really impress the interviewer, say you're really interested in his or her specialty...no, just kidding!•

It's okay to say that you don't know what you want to specialize in. We all know that everyone changes their specialty at least 3 or 4 times in med school. As an interviewer, I get concerned when an applicant "knows for sure" that he/she wants to do pediatric infectious disease (as an example), especially when it sounds like the applicant will not consider anything else. Plenty of applicants have told me that they don't know what field they want to do, they're keeping their minds open since medicine is such a huge discipline, etc. That is perfectly fine. If there's an area you think you might be interested in, you might want to mention it to show that you have thought about it, but it's not completely necessary.

Speaking of interests changing quickly, when I was applying, I thought I wanted to do neurology. Then, as a preclinical student, I was gung-ho surgery. Now, I'm applying in internal medicine. Never thought that would happen!

 

[star23]

I just came across something last night regarding tests like the one Popoy rec'd. (By the way...it is a cool test) Something to ponder...they can be like a mirror. While taking the test, you put on the "mask" of what you want to look like, then are thrilled when you look into the mirror and see the mask. Ex. you want to be a general surgeon, you may answer the questions like you think a general surgeon would answer them.

 

[Mig2x]

want to do a residency in cardiology it ranked #30!!!!! lol

Rank Specialty Score
1 dermatology 50
2 radiology 46
3 anesthesiology 46
4 radiation oncology 46
5 colon & rectal surgery 44
6 occupational med 44
7 plastic surgery 44
8 gastroenterology 44
9 med oncology 42
10 orthopaedic surgery 42
11 psychiatry 42
12 thoracic surgery 42
13 urology 40
14 general surgery 40
15 otolaryngology 40
16 ophthalmology 40
17 physical med & rehabilitation 40
18 pediatrics 40
19 pathology 40
20 nephrology 40
21 rheumatology 40
22 hematology 40
23 endocrinology 38
24 neurosurgery 38
25 nuclear med 38
26 obstetrics/gynecology 38
27 aerospace med 38
28 pulmonology 36
29 infectious disease 36
30 cardiology

 

[MoeDaMan]

Mig2x want to do a residency in cardiology it ranked #30!!!!! lol
Rank Specialty Score
1 dermatology 50
2 radiology 46
3 anesthesiology 46
4 radiation oncology 46
5 colon & rectal surgery 44
6 occupational med 44
7 plastic surgery 44
8 gastroenterology 44
9 med oncology 42
10 orthopaedic surgery 42
11 psychiatry 42
12 thoracic surgery 42
13 urology 40
14 general surgery 40
15 otolaryngology 40
16 ophthalmology 40
17 physical med & rehabilitation 40
18 pediatrics 40
19 pathology 40
20 nephrology 40
21 rheumatology 40
22 hematology 40
23 endocrinology 38
24 neurosurgery 38
25 nuclear med 38
26 obstetrics/gynecology 38
27 aerospace med 38
28 pulmonology 36
29 infectious disease 36
30 cardiology

Mig2x maybe you should consider dermatology. Who knows maybe you had a hidden passion that you didnt know either

 

[Mig2x]

the funny thing is that i dont want to go to surgery and at least 5 types of specialties in surgery are in my top 15. Dont like dermatology either!! well who knows, gonna start 2nd year in august and im inclining towards cardiology, radiology or ophtalmology, but who knows maybe i'll end up a dermatologist!!!!! Everything and anything is possible in the world of medicine

 

[Linie]

Originally posted by Mig2x:
[QB]want to do a residency in cardiology it ranked #30!!!!! lol

FYI: you can only to a fellowship in cardiology. It comes after internal medicine residency.

 

[Mig2x]

yep, 3 years of internal medicine then three more years of cardiology!!! its pretty exciting!!!

 

[AJM]

Originally posted by Mig2x:
•yep, 3 years of internal medicine then three more years of cardiology!!! its pretty exciting!!!•

And a lot of programs are moving towards 4 year cardiology fellowships!

 

[mojo]

BAM, RADS and pathology at the top!

Rank Specialty Score
1 radiology 47
2 neurology 46
3 plastic surgery 45
4 pathology 45
5 gastroenterology 44
6 psychiatry 43
7 allergy & immunology 43
8 thoracic surgery 42
9 dermatology 42
10 nuclear med 42
11 colon & rectal surgery 41
12 anesthesiology 41
13 hematology 40
14 neurosurgery 39
15 ophthalmology 39
16 otolaryngology 38
17 general surgery 38
18 rheumatology 38
19 pulmonology 38
20 nephrology 38
21 infectious disease 38
22 endocrinology 38
23 general internal med 37
24 urology 37
25 occupational med 37
26 physical med & rehabilitation 37
27 aerospace med 36
28 obstetrics/gynecology 35
29 emergency med 34
30 med oncology 34
31 radiation oncology 34
32 orthopaedic surgery 33
33 pediatrics 32
34 preventive med 32
35 cardiology 32
36 family practice 29

 

[apple638]

I want to do an ob/gyn residency and it was ranked 25 on my list

 

[12R34Y]

I am a paramedic and of course ER is what is most naturally to me right now and it ranked first on my list. Who knows though?

later

 

[TwoSteveSquared]

So apparantly I'm cut out for Nuclear Medicine. But, I don't know what Nuclear Doc is. I guess I better find out if that's what I'm gonna do, so anybody know what Nuclear Medicine is about?

 

[scootad.]

I think it involves the use of radioactive tracers to create images of the inside of the patients' body for diagnostic purposes.
I once shadowed a nuclear cardiologist.
Its a highly specialized field that uses high-tech equipment.

 

[together]

Neuropsychiatry.

 

[DocToBe]

I also want to go into neuropsychiatry.

 

[8deuce]

i want to go into otolaryngology. i have always wanted to do it because it is a surgical specialty with primary care aspects. i hear it is a very difficult residency to get into but hey, i gotta go for it!!!!!! ent rules anybody else thinking about ent? take care all

 

[wannabe_doctor]

OK, I just did that MSAT thing and my specialty rank list was a little weird. I didn't think I was a pathologist type person...nothing against pathologists

Here is mine...

Rank Specialty Score
1 pathology 48
2 nuclear med 47
3 neurology 45
4 neurosurgery 45
5 pulmonology 45
6 thoracic surgery 44
7 radiology 44
8 occupational med 43
9 plastic surgery 43
10 nephrology 43
11 rheumatology 42
12 hematology 42
13 general surgery 42
14 preventive med 41
15 endocrinology 41
16 general internal med 41
17 infectious disease 41
18 colon & rectal surgery 41
19 allergy & immunology 40
20 radiation oncology 40
21 cardiology 40
22 aerospace med 40
23 physical med & rehabilitation 40
24 otolaryngology 40
25 psychiatry 39
26 urology 39
27 med oncology 39
28 gastroenterology 38
29 obstetrics/gynecology 38
30 anesthesiology 38
31 orthopaedic surgery 37
32 dermatology 37
33 ophthalmology 36
34 emergency med 34
35 family practice 32
36 pediatrics 30

 

[jwpelley]

There are two useful links that can help students gather the information they need to choose a specialty. The AAMC site has a section titled MedCAREERS at web page. This is loaded with specific information, and more importantly, it offers an orderly process to follow. It is patterned after a well known program sponsored by Glaxo.

There are a few articles at my web site that elaborate on the importance of personality and specialty choice. Just remember that personality does not limit you to any specialty. Everyone is capable of becoming anything they are willing to work for. The advantage of personality analysis is that it predicts what aspects of a specialty will take more effort and which will be more natural and, in effect, more fun. Like I tell my students, work well chosen is play.

The Type and Doctors articles are at web page.

If you want to answer an interview question on what specialty interests you, just remember that adcoms don't really care what the exact specialty is. The question is just a way to learn about you and how well you know yourself. Usually the students that like procedural areas of medicine (surgery, anesthesia, primary care, etc.) already have a good idea of their interest when they arrive at med school, but the students interested in diagnostic areas (internal medicine, specialty peds, psychiatry) are very undecided. It can take them right up to the application deadline to decide. So, if you are the "undecided" type, in an interview you can talk more about how you will collect information and how you will go about deciding, and just generalize that you like diagnostic reasoning.

jwpelley

 

[joseph-arveson]

Yuck...a career of doing autopsies for me..lol

Actually 7 of the top 9 are fields I'd be the most interested in... I also would be interested in being a Jungian PsychoAnalyst but not a psychiatrist...which was refelcted in the score...

Very interesting...thanks for posting it..

Rank Specialty Score
1 pathology 45
2 neurology 45
3 allergy & immunology 44
4 gastroenterology 43
5 urology 43
6 radiology 43
7 endocrinology 42
8 neurosurgery 42
9 nuclear med 41
10 cardiology 41
11 emergency med 41
12 dermatology 40
13 general internal med 40
14 thoracic surgery 40
15 plastic surgery 40
16 orthopaedic surgery 40
17 pulmonology 39
18 infectious disease 39
19 colon & rectal surgery 39
20 otolaryngology 38
21 occupational med 38
22 ophthalmology 37
23 physical med & rehabilitation 37
24 rheumatology 37
25 nephrology 36
26 obstetrics/gynecology 36
27 aerospace med 36
28 psychiatry 36
29 preventive med 36
30 general surgery 36
31 pediatrics 35
32 anesthesiology 35
33 hematology 34
34 radiation oncology 33
35 family practice 32
36 med oncology 28