What specialty are you most leaning towards?

[DoctwoB]

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EM is my first choice.

IM is my backup. Out of the primary care fields, I like the scope of practice for IM the most. Also, there are just so many options for IM sub-specialties (to think about in the future).

Thought about surgery. I love anatomy, but I don't think I'd want to do that 24/7.

How tough is it to land a competetive IM specialty?

If you want to do cards, GI, onc, allergy, etc do you really need to be a top IM resident?

I think that I'd really like oncology or cardiology, but don't like the idea of possibly going 3 PGYs and then not getting a fellowship.

 

[howelljolly]

How tough is it to land a competetive IM specialty?

If you want to do cards, GI, onc, allergy, etc do you really need to be a top IM resident?

I think that I'd really like oncology or cardiology, but don't like the idea of possibly going 3 PGYs and then not getting a fellowship.

To get Cards and GI, you need to be a top resident in a top residency program. Other fellowships like Endocrine or ID are less competitive.

Getting into a top IM program is insanely competitive

But there are much less competitive IM programs. Obviously the less competitive programs will make you a less competitive fellowship candidate.

And of course, none of this is etched in stone. You can go to a small community program for IM, and if you work hard, make good contacts, and do good research, you can get into a competitive fellowship. Its just easier to make the contacts and do research in a big university program.

 

[Hurricane95]

Still undecided, but leaning towards either:

ENT
urology
anesthesia
medicine --> GI or cardio
ob-gyn --> gyn-onc or REI

Basically things that involve lots of procedures/surgery/the OR, but with a good lifestyle/pay.

Currently taking a year off and hoping to have a definite choice by the time I re-start fourth year this summer...

 

[howelljolly]

Still undecided, but leaning towards either:

ENT
urology
anesthesia
medicine --> GI or cardio
ob-gyn --> gyn-onc or REI

Basically things that involve lots of procedures/surgery/the OR, but with a good lifestyle/pay.

Currently taking a year off and hoping to have a definite choice by the time I re-start fourth year this summer...

Good pay? You forgot Pathology --> Dermatopathology

The 5 richest docs in the US are all reproductive endocrinologists and dermatopathologists.

And the cardiologists who make a lot of money dont have a good lifestyle... they're in the cath lab at 3am.

 

[searun]

I am a third year med student. I have been debating between ENT and urology. I have finally decided to pursue ENT and I am happy with my choice.

 

[J ROD]

I am a third year med student. I have been debating between ENT and urology. I have finally decided to pursue ENT and I am happy with my choice.

👍

 

[teddybear]

I will be a surgeon.

 

[searun]

I will be a surgeon.

Cool, Teddy. What kind? Confessions of what kind of a knife?

 

[Redgar]

Plastic surgery all the way! Though if there were the option for a second choice, then anesthesiology would probably come in as a pretty close second. I know, I know, they seem vastly different in some ways, but I like different things in each. Anesthesiology I don't have to stand up all day, can scratch any itch I want to, and don't have to go through as long a residency. And without anesthesia, few surgeries would even be possible... plus it's pretty cool to be an expert at keeping a head alive. On the other hand, plastic surgery is what, right now anyway, inspires me the most.

 

[Hurricane95]

Good pay? You forgot Pathology --> Dermatopathology

The 5 richest docs in the US are all reproductive endocrinologists and dermatopathologists.

And the cardiologists who make a lot of money dont have a good lifestyle... they're in the cath lab at 3am.

Well, good pay/lifestyle are not my ONLY considerations, or I would be considering plastics/derm/rads etc. in there. I have to enjoy what I do too.
I think derm and path are both miserably boring, so no good, as is rads.

Interventional cardio has a pretty crappy lifestyle, but I find it cool enough that I would consider it. I kind of like the whole being the hero/cowboy who rolls in there in time of great need and saves lives on the spot...thats why I thought trauma surgery was super badass, but that lifestyle is REALLY lousy...lousy enough to not even consider.

 

[J ROD]

I will be a surgeon.

Hope you like to cut.....😀

 

[gluon999]

Interventional cardio has a pretty crappy lifestyle, but I find it cool enough that I would consider it. I kind of like the whole being the hero/cowboy who rolls in there in time of great need and saves lives on the spot...

LOL, that sounds great in theory, but wait till you actually start getting paged in the middle of the night, every night, from the cath lab, and have to go in. You will get over the hero complex real fast.

 

[sincity college]

how come no one has mentioned orthopaedics yet? not cool anymore - although the poll suggests otherwise??

 

[howelljolly]

how come no one has mentioned orthopaedics yet? not cool anymore - although the poll suggests otherwise??

Its because most people who are interested in orthopedics don't know how to type.

 

[Mr hawkings]

Its because most people who are interested in orthopedics don't know how to type.

Or they're out playing flag football instead of spending all day on SDN

 

[GoBuckeyes913]

While I'm not certain, I hear a lot about how EM docs burn out after 5 or 10 years. That doesn't seem like the ROAD to happiness to me.

If you ask real EM docs (i.e. the ones that are actually EM trained) they love it. The very few who complain about the ED probably never wanted to be there in the 1st place. I have never met an EM trained doc that didn't love it.

Right now i would be leaning towards Urology....good mix of surgery and medicine, wide range of procedures, and interesting pathology (atleast to me)

The urologist at my hospital has 4 season tickets (floor seats) to the Cavs which cost $18,000 a piece. ED attendings are 10 rows back. LOL. Good pick.

I think this is true for some people who are able to switch nights/days without much trouble. However, I found that I needed a significant amount of time to recover after changing from nights/days . . .so a 36hr shift in the ED could turn into a 60+ hrs if you count this re-adjustment time.

Where on earth is there a place that makes docs do 36 hour shifts? Seriously, I've never heard of a place that has that long of shifts, and if they do I certainly won't apply there after residency. Nights aren't for everyone, no biggie.

What shocks me even more is that something like a critical care fellowship (so doing trauma and SICU) doesn't even increase the rate of pay that much for surgery.

That's because most trauma patients are low socioeconomic class without insurance. Hence, why trauma surgery is not enticing.



On a different note... I'm pretty stoked that EM has a big interest!! It IS pretty awesome.

 

[J ROD]

Sounds like I need to get prepared to compete for EM....😎

 

[ksegnhu]

Huh...

I'm really pumped ab a peds subspecialty (not a huge fan of peds GP). I think I would LOVE neo b/c of the mix of critical care, research, hospital setting, and cool procedures on impossibly tiny patients. And babies. 😍

I'm surprised peds isn't getting more votes. I know it won't pull as much $$, but I want to be happy for decades in my job...and making a bit less dough is fine by me. I think I'll pull in enough $$ to do the things I want to do, and I'll love work. Sounds good to me!

 

[scrubswannabe]

Huh...

I'm really pumped ab a peds subspecialty (not a huge fan of peds GP). I think I would LOVE neo b/c of the mix of critical care, research, hospital setting, and cool procedures on impossibly tiny patients. And babies. 😍

I'm surprised peds isn't getting more votes. I know it won't pull as much $$, but I want to be happy for decades in my job...and making a bit less dough is fine by me. I think I'll pull in enough $$ to do the things I want to do, and I'll love work. Sounds good to me!

I like your attitude 👍

 

[pkpHawks87]

Does anyone here know of any specialty possibilities in wilderness medicine? I did alot of backpacking and outdoor stuff growing up and would like to return to work in that setting. The school I will be attending offers a summer program between ms1/ms2 and a 3/4th yr rotation at the Boy Scout Philmont High Adventure Base in New Mexico. Also, I know that National Outdoor Leadership School offers a rotation in the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico in cooperation with Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residencies. If one went through an EM residency and did a wilderness medicine fellowship (there's one at Stanford I believe) what kind of opportunities exist for a doc with that kind of training?

 

[doctorbaker]

Huh...

I'm really pumped ab a peds subspecialty (not a huge fan of peds GP). I think I would LOVE neo b/c of the mix of critical care, research, hospital setting, and cool procedures on impossibly tiny patients. And babies. 😍

I'm surprised peds isn't getting more votes. I know it won't pull as much $$, but I want to be happy for decades in my job...and making a bit less dough is fine by me. I think I'll pull in enough $$ to do the things I want to do, and I'll love work. Sounds good to me!

I was thinking the same thing about family med (although I don't want to specialize). I feel like I'm one of the few medical students that is actually very interested in it regardless of the pay and competition (or lack thereof). You get to see everything, do procedures, and deliver babies! Yea the hours and pay will suck, but personally its one of the most rewarding!

 

[GoodmanBrown]

Huh...

I'm really pumped ab a peds subspecialty (not a huge fan of peds GP). I think I would LOVE neo b/c of the mix of critical care, research, hospital setting, and cool procedures on impossibly tiny patients. And babies. 😍

I'm surprised peds isn't getting more votes. I know it won't pull as much $$, but I want to be happy for decades in my job...and making a bit less dough is fine by me. I think I'll pull in enough $$ to do the things I want to do, and I'll love work. Sounds good to me!

If I loved kids (and babies in particular), I would never do neo. Talk about heart-wrenching.

It's anesthesiology or FM for me.

 

[ChubbyChaser]

Does anyone here know of any specialty possibilities in wilderness medicine? I did alot of backpacking and outdoor stuff growing up and would like to return to work in that setting. The school I will be attending offers a summer program between ms1/ms2 and a 3/4th yr rotation at the Boy Scout Philmont High Adventure Base in New Mexico. Also, I know that National Outdoor Leadership School offers a rotation in the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico in cooperation with Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residencies. If one went through an EM residency and did a wilderness medicine fellowship (there's one at Stanford I believe) what kind of opportunities exist for a doc with that kind of training?

Jack ****.....atleast long term. Occasionally someone will do an expedition and be looking to hire someone with a medical degree or what not for a bit.

 

[phospho]

Which medical schools have aerospace medicine rotations? 🙂 (I'm assuming it's up there because one chooses based on 3/4 yr experiences.)

wright state is also pretty popular for its aerospace medicine...

 

[J ROD]

I think I am moving Psy up on my list to #2 behind EM.