What specialty are you most interested in so far?

[Icebird]

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I've always been fascinated with infectious diseases from a virology standpoint and the easy transition into epidemiology and public health opportunities. Just a shame you have to subspecialize after IM and then take a paycut.

Psychiatry is also something that's been hovering on my mind lately but I haven't been able to find shadowing opportunities so I'll be waiting until M1 when it'll be easier to find observational opportunities.

 

[diasterdream]

OB/Gyn because embryology and women's reproductive health really interest me.

I am interested in learning more about pediatrics, family medicine, emergency medicine, anesthesiology, and surgery.

 

[CJhooper123]

Flight medicine

 

[shemer77]

Poop medicine aka GI

 

[moldydorito]

Neuro ent ortho

 

[Cornfed101]

Leaning towards ophtho and gas right now. I like procedures, but also want time with family at some point.

 

[Hi_I'mPaul]

Anything with a good work/life balance lol but so far ophthalmology or radiology pique my interest most!

 

[tessellations]

Emergency Medicine/Med Tox right now. I could also see myself enjoying a pediatric speciality.

 

[deleted1005514]

Gunnin' for rural family med

 

[deleted987519]

Endocrine or GI (Midwest preferably)

 

[pBar]

Palliative Care

 

[pinkowl250]

Either radiology or pathology because I quickly realized within a month of school that I don't want to work directly with patients lol

 

[DNAJB6]

Neurology, Internal Medicine, Cardiology, Pulmonology, Emergency Medicine, and maybe Pediatrics

 

[dr_kateb]

Neurology, Internal Medicine, Cardiology, Pulmonology, Emergency Medicine, and maybe Pediatrics

Damn you really have it narrowed down.

 

[deleted859689]

General surg > EM > IM

 

[imbesrs]

Ent anesthesia optho

 

[allantois]

PCP or psych

 

[StudentDoGter]

Infectious diseases (especially HIV care), primary care, and obstetrics

 

[DNAJB6]

Damn you really have it narrowed down.

😛

The fields look random, but save for the last two the others are related to my interest in neuromuscular diseases and resulting complications (hence the IM--> cardiology or pulmonology).

 

[Dr panda]

EM

 

[BorderlineQueen]

Dermatology or bust.

 

[RTC19]

In my clinical experience, I have tended to gravitate towards babies/children and families and could see myself in Peds or a Peds subspecialty.

Maybe FM too! 🙂 I honestly could see myself being happy doing a lot of things! 🙂

 

[Medic741]

Psych, anesthesia, optho

 

[Sleepingdoc]

Premed's discussing about what they are planning to do? There are med students that dont know what they are doing even a week before the residency apps.

 

[deleted987519]

Premed's discussing about what they are planning to do? There are med students that dont know what they are doing even a week before the residency apps.

Okay we take it back

 

[ciestar]

Premed's discussing about what they are planning to do? There are med students that dont know what they are doing even a week before the residency apps.

This was me.

 

[907914]

My Step1 score will determine where I land. Luckily, I cover the spectrum on Step1 possible outcomes. I am interested in, from lowest to highest step 1 score:

Family Medicine

Physical medicine and rehabilitation

Emergency Medicine (Maybe dual EM/IM so I can fall back on IM once that EM burnout kicks in when I am 45, no sure, gotta shadow)

Anesthesia (maybe not enough procedures for my taste, maybe do a pain fellowship, not sure, gotta shadow)

Radiology (maybe not enough procedures for my taste, maybe do IR, maybe IR has too poor of work/Life balance, not sure, gotta shadow)

Otolaryngology (solid maybe, don’t know much other than it is surgical and pretty Cush, not sure, gotta shadow)

“But, Patrick” you ask “If your list is just lifestyle specialties, why doesn’t your list include optho and Derm?”

Well, friends....eyes and skin are just boring anatomy to me. That is all.

 

[ciestar]

My Step1 score will determine where I land. Luckily, I cover the spectrum on Step1 possible outcomes. I am interested in, from lowest to highest step 1 score:

Family Medicine

Physical medicine and rehabilitation

Emergency Medicine (Maybe dual EM/IM so I can fall back on IM once that EM burnout kicks in when I am 45, no sure, gotta shadow)

Anesthesia (maybe not enough procedures for my taste, maybe do a pain fellowship, not sure, gotta shadow)

Radiology (maybe not enough procedures for my taste, maybe do IR, maybe IR has too poor of work/Life balance, not sure, gotta shadow)

Otolaryngology (solid maybe, don’t know much other than it is surgical and pretty Cush, not sure, gotta shadow)

“But, Patrick” you ask “If your list is just lifestyle specialties, why doesn’t your list include optho and Derm?”

Well, friends....eyes and skin are just boring anatomy to me. That is all.

Depending on the program, FM may not be procedure heavy.

Rads you also dont see patients.

Last, eyes are scary

 

[907914]

Depending on the program, FM may not be procedure heavy.

Rads you also dont see patients.

Last, eyes are scary

Yah, if I do FM it will be middle of nowhere (gunning for Missoula Montana #mountains #ohmygodtherearesomanywhitepeople #butthemountainsaresopretty)

But seriously, If I do end up on FM I will want to do something in a program very procedure heavy. That is why straight IM or straight Rads is NOT my jam...I like working with my hands*

*caveat “but why not just do surgery, the lifestyle isn’t that bad” because I want decent lifestyle during residency too, friends. That will be my daughter’s 3rd through 6th grade...

 

[BorderlineQueen]

Yah, if I do FM it will be middle of nowhere (gunning for Missoula Montana #mountains #ohmygodtherearesomanywhitepeople #butthemountainsaresopretty)

But seriously, If I do end up on FM I will want to do something in a program very procedure heavy. That is why straight IM or straight Rads is NOT my jam...I like working with my hands*

*caveat “but why not just do surgery, the lifestyle isn’t that bad” because I want decent lifestyle during residency too, friends. That will be my daughter’s 3rd through 6th grade...

Plastics is a surgical specialty not sure but I think it's a more cush residency than other surgical specialties .

 

[907914]

Plastics is a surgical specialty not sure but I think it's a more cush residency than other surgical specialties .

I could totally dig doing reconstruction. I am not big on elective cosmetic surgery (y’all do you if that is you, just not my jam despite the money), but making people look the way they want to and helping them feel comfortable/confident in their own skin....I would be down. Huh, never thought of plastics. Always thought of it as a gunner/hyper busy environment

 

[907914]

Hell, let the gunner run:

Does anyone have any information on plastics? The residency lifestyle, the job itself, The competitiveness of match, compatibility with a family (during both residency and post attending)? Please feel free to PM so as not to derail the thread. This is a question set I would love answers to, but it is too little to start a new thread for.

 

[Kardio]

Cardiac electrophysiology.

If any of you get the chance to shadow an EP doc, take it. EP studies and ablations are absolutely incredible.

 

[BorderlineQueen]

I could totally dig doing reconstruction. I am not big on elective cosmetic surgery (y’all do you if that is you, just not my jam despite the money), but making people look the way they want to and helping them feel comfortable/confident in their own skin....I would be down. Huh, never thought of plastics. Always thought of it as a gunner/hyper busy environment

Plastics like derm has a very limited number of spots which is why it's competitive. Derm has around 500 spots each match year. Compared to IM which has around 8,000 spots each year. According to NRMP there are 172 plastic positions open yearly. Average Step 1 for someone who matches plastics is 249.Also I’m definitely not interested in surgery. I’m more of a thinker rather than a doer. I prefer the cognitive specialties. Neuro/IM/Psych/Pm&R basically any specialty with no procedures I like.

 

[907914]

Plastics like derm has a very limited number of spots which is why it's competitive. Derm has around 500 spots each match year. Compared to IM which has around 8,000 spots each year. According to NRMP there are 172 plastic positions open yearly. Average Step 1 for someone who matches plastics is 249.Also I’m definitely not interested in surgery. I’m more of a thinker rather than a doer. I prefer the cognitive specialties. Neuro/IM/Psych/Pm&R basically any specialty with no procedures I like.

I thought PMR did a good amount of procedures? Mostly injections, I guess? Maybe...?

Also, I am very much a thinker who is also a doer lol Ideally, surgery is where my mind and body would want to be. But the heart speaks louder for my family’s sake, thus something that is procedure heavy oughta do for me to be content (albeit not 100% satisfied professionally).

So, if there is a surgical specialty that is Cush during residency (maybe not like Derm/psych/some FM Cush, but better than gen surg, urology, ortho....) then point me in that direction!

 

[BorderlineQueen]

I thought PMR did a good amount of procedures? Mostly injections, I guess? Maybe...?

Also, I am very much a thinker who is also a doer lol Ideally, surgery is where my mind and body would want to be. But the heart speaks louder for my family’s sake, thus something that is procedure heavy oughta do for me to be content (albeit not 100% satisfied professionally).

So, if there is a surgical specialty that is Cush during residency (maybe not like Derm/psych/some FM Cush, but better than gen surg, urology, ortho....) then point me in that direction!

You are correct most of the procedures in Pm&R are injections. I wound guess plastics residency is pretty cush but I’m unsure. Your best bet is to ask some plastic surgery residents and attendants about residency hours. But for me any surgical speciality would be out of the question. It’s just not my think like I said I prefer thinking rather than doing.

 

[deleted966164]

EM + palliative care

 

[Cornfed101]

Anesthesia (maybe not enough procedures for my taste, maybe do a pain fellowship, not sure, gotta shadow)

why doesn’t your list include optho and Derm?”

Well, friends....eyes and skin are just boring anatomy to me. That is all.

people are all doom and gloom about CRNAs, but from what I saw when shadowing an anesthesiologist is that he got to do more of the cool/challenging stuff. I think this probably depends on where you practice, but he didn’t sit in on surgeries. He would just help the CRNAs if they were having issues, and in the meantime we did nerve blocks, epidurals, etc. (LOTS of procedures). I loved it, and I’ll definitely check it out again in med school.

also don’t discount ophtho if you like procedures and lifestyle. The eyes are incredible little organs. You can diagnose a number of neurological conditions via the eyes, many system wide disorders manifest in the eyes (diabetes, autoimmune disorders, etc), and the surgeries are quick and make a huge impact on people’s lives. Some of the doctors I work with can do 20 cataract surgeries in a day.

anyway... I say all of this because there are definitely going to be things that surprise me in medical school. I’m looking forward to that!

 

[Sleepingdoc]

You cannot determine which specialty you will be doing until you go and do rotations. The high step scores do not determine what specialty you go to, but it helps to have high step scores to get into competitive specialty.Example- just because you have a high step score, you may or may not not be a fit for surgery or a particular specialty. As a premed, keep your options/minds open, you cannot make this decision just because you shadowed someone.. Shadowing and having responsibility are two different things.

 

[Kirby Smart]

Pretty set on Peds and probably a subspecialty 🙂

As a psych major though, I'm definitely excited for psych rotations to actually experience it since psych shadowing isn't really a thing.

 

[Shunsui]

Gas

 

[deleted966164]

Pretty set on Peds and probably a subspecialty 🙂

As a psych major though, I'm definitely excited for psych rotations to actually experience it since psych shadowing isn't really a thing.

Pediatric psychiatric wards can be quite daunting...

 

[Kirby Smart]

Pediatric psychiatric wards can be quite daunting...

Lol I would imagine...have you shadowed/volunteered/worked in one?

I think I'll do either Peds OR Psych. I think pediatric psych would be too hard...I'd imagine lots of young patients committing suicide and other really tragic things, but idk. I have a strong stomach and am interested in other really sad peds subs like heme/onc, but I think working with children that are tortured by their own mind would be even harder to do every day. But again, no actual experience yet, just my guesses.

 

[Icebird]

You cannot determine which specialty you will be doing until you go and do rotations. The high step scores do not determine what specialty you go to, but it helps to have high step scores to get into competitive specialty.Example- just because you have a high step score, you may or may not not be a fit for surgery or a particular specialty. As a premed, keep your options/minds open, you cannot make this decision just because you shadowed someone.. Shadowing and having responsibility are two different things.

I’ll have to disagree with you here.

You can most definitely see what specialty you’re interested in beforehand and it’s almost required to have knowledge of this early on to match into residencies for the competitive specialties and top academic residencies for all others considering the importance of M1/M2 summer for EC building.

I’m also unsure how “responsibility” will be a factor in regards to medical rotations (which I assume you’re implying) due to the learning position of the student. Along that note, some specialties don’t even get rotation exposure until 4th year if any at all (ex; outpatient psych) so your only way to get experience in the field is shadowing early on.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Plastics is a surgical specialty not sure but I think it's a more cush residency than other surgical specialties .

Lolololol absolutely not.

Hell, let the gunner run:

Does anyone have any information on plastics? The residency lifestyle, the job itself, The competitiveness of match, compatibility with a family (during both residency and post attending)? Please feel free to PM so as not to derail the thread. This is a question set I would love answers to, but it is too little to start a new thread for.

Plastics might be the most competitive specialty in medicine. Residency is as rough as any surgical residency, and post residency will depend completely on what type of practice you have.

I’m also unsure how “responsibility” will be a factor in regards to medical rotations (which I assume you’re implying) due to the learning position of the student.

There is a difference between seeing a field through shadowing eyes and having to actually go through the thought process involved in that field yourself.

 

[chemdoctor]

Cardiology, ophthalmology or nephrology

 

[rahrahb]

You cannot determine which specialty you will be doing until you go and do rotations. The high step scores do not determine what specialty you go to, but it helps to have high step scores to get into competitive specialty.Example- just because you have a high step score, you may or may not not be a fit for surgery or a particular specialty. As a premed, keep your options/minds open, you cannot make this decision just because you shadowed someone.. Shadowing and having responsibility are two different things.

This is just a fun, light hearted post. Most pre-meds are aware that exposure and experience into different fields and can change their initial path.

Currently for me: EM and Critical Care

 

[Icebird]

There is a difference between seeing a field through shadowing eyes and having to actually go through the thought process involved in that field yourself.

Then you could argue the same thing for people who have matched into a residency; how can that resident know that they’re interested in medical specialty without being working and thinking in the shoes of an attending?

Don’t be absurd, you’re allowed to have interests and career aspirations well before medical school matriculation due to specific diseases, patient populations, and areas of expertise in a specialty. You also fail to note that some students have previous clinical experiences years before enrolling into their MD program that allows them insight into a field of choice.

Yes a lot of people go into a different specialty than they originally thought they would, but a lot of people also match into that specialty they always were deadset on from the beginning.

Again; the thread title is “which specialty are you most interested in”, not “which specialty are you matching in 4 years or bust?”

I sometimes feel like people reach for the skies for things to argue or disagree about on these forums.

 

[TheDataKing]

ortho... and psychiatry haha

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Then you could argue the same thing for people who have matched into a residency; how can that resident know that they’re interested in medical specialty without being working and thinking in the shoes of an attending?

Don’t be absurd, you’re allowed to have interests and career aspirations well before medical school matriculation due to specific diseases, patient populations, and areas of expertise in a specialty. You also fail to note that some students have previous clinical experiences years before enrolling into their MD program that allows them insight into a field of choice.

Yes a lot of people go into a different specialty than they originally thought they would, but a lot of people also match into that specialty they always were deadset on from the beginning.

Again; the thread title is “which specialty are you most interested in”, not “which specialty are you matching in 4 years or bust?”

I sometimes feel like people reach for the skies for things to argue or disagree about on these forums.

Lol easy there pre-med. For starters the bolded isn't the same at all, and as to the rest I never commented on any of that, I simply made a factual statement seeing as you showed a misunderstanding of the difference between shadowing and actually doing something as a student. I am a student who will most likely be applying to a field that was one of my biggest interests at the start of medical school. No one said you aren't allowed to have interests and aspirations.

Anyway, the only reason I commented in this thread was to point out the side discussion about plastics had some misconceptions in it that needed to be clarified.

edited to be less condescending.