What to say about specialties

[Lactic Folly]

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Is there any sort of bias against applicants who express interest in specialties with less patient contact such as radiology or anesthesiology?

I know someone who said they were interested in rural medicine partly because they thought it sounded better (they got in).

Of course, people are likely to change their minds in med school, but even as a premed, if you've looked at the field of medicine, you should have some idea of what specialties sound interesting.. so you can't say you have no idea.. Thoughts?

 

[thezero]

keep it real and keep an open mind. Personally I don't think saying you prefer a certain specialty over nother makes to muc of a difference, the ADCOMS know that more likely than not, you have no idea about specialties anyway

 

[UCLAMAN]

Originally posted by Lactic Folly
Of course, people are likely to change their minds in med school, but even as a premed, if you've looked at the field of medicine, you should have some idea of what specialties sound interesting.. so you can't say you have no idea.. Thoughts?

Why can't you say you have no idea(assuming you really don't)?

I was asked this at my OHSU interview and I said I have no idea except that I don't want to do pathology. I told them that I would like to gain some experience with my clerkships first. I told them possibly something surgical but I really don't know. I was #39 on their waitlist. Had I not withdrew from the waitlist I would have gotten in(check the OHSU thread, they are already past 39). OHSU was the only school that asked out of my 10 interviews and the interviewer seemed just curious. Its not like that was one of the questions she was using to psychoanalyze me.

If you are asked this question just be honest. Give them an idea of what you are interested in. They know that med students change their minds a billion times before applying for residency.

And no...there is no bias against someone who chooses rads, pathology or anesthesiology. That makes absolutely no sense because then we wouldn't have rads, paths, or anethesiologists. How else are people who want to become radiologists supposed to become radiologists? How else are they going to get their MD? They have to go through medical school as well. Just because there maybe less patient contact doesn't make them any less valuable to the medical profession. Who else is going to keep my patient happy while I operate on them?

 

[Lebesgue]

It's not exactly you situation, but when I interviewed at my state school, which is rumored to have a huge emphasis on rural primary care, I told them I was interested in specializing in Orthopaedics. After the interview, I got feedback that they were impressed with my honesty and the fact I didn't follow the "tell them what you think they want to hear" flock.

I got in.

I suggest being honest because it'll come across better since it's what you actually want to do. It actually made me more relaxed during the interview. You also aren't forced to make up some stuff about how you want to do primary care in rural areas, when in fact you don't, which they'll probably be able to pick up on. You'll be better at talking about why you are interested in something you actually are, instead of something you're not.

I'd agree with UCLAMAN to talk about being open to all possibilities you'll encounter in your clerkships. You're allowed to have your opinion on what you want to do, and I think they respect that. Also, I was asked what I wanted to do at all 5 interviews I went to.

Good luck.

🙂

 

[Cydney Foote]

A big part of med school is sampling different areas and figuring out what suits you best. A firm decision to pursue one speciality can be a sign of genuine interest, or it can be a sign that you have a closed mind. Your essay will have to convince the admissions committee that it's the former; the latter is a sure path to rejection.

If you're genuinely interested in a specialty, don't hesitate to write about it and talk about it in your interviews. However, be sure to identify the specific things that attract you to the specialty. Demonstrate that you have significant exposure to the specialty (or at least enough to know that you like it), write convincingly about what interests you and why it interests you, and still try to express your openness to learn about other fields as well.