What would you probably specialize in?

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What would you like to specialize in? or you think you would specialize in?

  • Emergency medicine

    Votes: 47 17.5%
  • Family practice

    Votes: 17 6.3%
  • Internal medicine

    Votes: 62 23.0%
  • Obstetrics-gynecology

    Votes: 10 3.7%
  • Orthopedic surgeon

    Votes: 33 12.3%
  • Pediatrics

    Votes: 24 8.9%
  • Psychiatry

    Votes: 10 3.7%
  • Surgery

    Votes: 66 24.5%

  • Total voters
    269

Ella Shepherd

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  1. Pre-Medical
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I'm sorry guyz...I wish I could edit the poll and insert "other". 😛

I know it's quite early to be thinking about this but I'm just asking just for the fun of it. I'm curious and wondering. LOL So, what do you think you would specialize in someday? Or would like to specialize in, if ever? Why? 😀

🙂

I got this list from AMA. There are many more specialties I'm sure but let's focus on these ones. 😛

Emergency Medicine
An emergency physician focuses on the immediate decision making and action necessary to prevent death or any further disability both in the prehospital setting by directing emergency medical technicians and in the emergency department. The emergency physician provides immediate recognition, evaluation, care, stabilization, and disposition of a generally diversified population of adult and pediatric patients in response to acute illness and injury.

Family Practice
A family physician is concerned with the total health care of the individual and the family and is trained to diagnose and treat a wide variety of ailments in patients of all ages. The family physician receives a broad range of training that includes internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry, and geriatrics. Special emphasis is placed on prevention and the primary care of entire families, utilizing consultations and community resources when appropriate.

Internal Medicine
An internist provides long-term, comprehensive care in the office and the hospital, managing both common and complex illness of adolescents, adults, and the elderly. Internists are trained in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, infections, and diseases affecting the heart, blood, kidneys, joints, and digestive, respiratory, and vascular systems. They are also trained in the essentials of primary care internal medicine, which incorporates an understanding of disease prevention, wellness, substance abuse, mental health, and effective treatment of common problems of the eyes, ears, skin, nervous system, and reproductive organs.

Obstetrics-Gynecology
An obstetrician/gynecologist possesses special knowledge, skills, and professional capability in the medical and surgical care of the female reproductive system and associated disorders. This physician serves as a consultant to other physicians and as a primary care physician for women.

Orthopedic Surgeon
An orthopedic surgeon is trained in the preservation, investigation, and restoration of the form and function of the extremities, spine, and associated structures by medical, surgical, and physical means. An orthopedic surgeon is involved with the care of patients whose musculoskeletal problems include congenital deformities, trauma, infections, tumors, metabolic disturbances of the musculoskeletal system, deformities, injuries, and degenerative diseases of the spine, hands, feet, knee, hip, shoulder, and elbow in children and adults. An orthopedic surgeon is also concerned with primary and secondary muscular problems and the effects of central or peripheral nervous system lesions of the musculoskeletal system.

Pediatrics
Pediatricians provide preventive health maintenance for healthy children and medical care for those who are seriously or chronically ill. Physicians trained in pediatrics are experts in emotional and behavioral assessment and can be powerful advocates for troubled children and adolescents. Pediatricians are often the first and best advocates for children who suffer the sequelae of increasingly prevalent psychosocial morbidities, such as homelessness, family violence, and substance abuse. In caring for children's physical health, pediatricians diagnose and treat infections, injuries, genetic defects, malignancies, and many types of organic disease and dysfunction. They work to reduce infant and child mortality, control infectious disease, foster healthy lifestyles, and ease the day-to-day difficulties of children and adolescents with chronic conditions.

Psychiatry
A psychiatrist specializes in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mental, addictive, and emotional disorders such as schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, substance-related disorders, sexual and gender identity disorders, and adjustment disorders. The psychiatrist is able to understand the biologic, psychologic, and social components of illness and, therefore, is uniquely prepared to treat the whole person. A psychiatrist is qualified to order diagnostic laboratory tests and to prescribe medications, evaluate and treat psychologic and interpersonal problems, and intervene with families who are coping with stress, crises, and other problems in living.

Surgery
A surgeon manages a broad spectrum of surgical conditions affecting almost any area of the body. The surgeon establishes the diagnosis and provides the preoperative, operative, and postoperative care to surgical patients and is usually responsible for the comprehensive management of the trauma victim and the critically ill surgical patient. The surgeon uses a variety of diagnostic techniques, including endoscopy, for observing internal structures, and may use specialized instruments during operative procedures. A general surgeon is expected to be familiar with the main features of other surgical specialties in order to recognize problems in those areas and to know when to refer a patient to another specialist.

-Many of the definitions used in this section were derived from Which Medical Specialist for You, a publication of the American Board of Medical Specialties.

So there...😀
 
IM here - i wanna work for a few years as a general practicioner in an underserved area and then specialize later

maybe you could add "other" to your poll
 
You forgot a lot of specialties, some of which I am interested in. :laugh:

I'm not sure if I want to specialize. I'm pretty sure I'm going to specialize in something, probably a surgical subspecialty. Though, I'm researching psychiatry a little bit more.
 
IM here - i wanna work for a few years as a general practicioner in an underserved area and then specialize later

maybe you could add "other" to your poll

Ooops. I should have. I'm sorry. Only now I don't think I can edit the poll anymore... 😳 😛
 
Ella: I'm going to guess you picked orthopedic surgery? Otherwise, why break only that one out of surgeons in general?

Nope. 🙂 I just followed the list on the AMA website. Orthopedic surgery was separated there. There's a link in the first post. I don't know why it's separated though. 😕

But surgery is definitely one of the specialties I'm interested in. Another is IM and the third is probably Ob-Gyn. 😀
 
Ella: I'm going to guess you picked orthopedic surgery? Otherwise, why break only that one out of surgeons in general?

Beat me to it. NSG isn't listed separately 🙁

FYI, I was told that 1/2 go in thinking that they know what they want to do and 1/2 of them actually end up doing that - higher than I thought it'd be.
 
Obviously hard to know so early but thinking of ID or maybe ob/gyn?
 
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Either family medicine, Med-Peds, or Pediatric Hem/Onc- I used Pediatrics for my choice because I am more interested in working with children.
 
You need a neurology option...

Am I really the only future psychiatrist here?
 
Beat me to it. NSG isn't listed separately 🙁

FYI, I was told that 1/2 go in thinking that they know what they want to do and 1/2 of them actually end up doing that - higher than I thought it'd be.

Really? A half? That's way higher than I expected too. I expected more like 1/5 of people actually stick with and get accepted into their field of choice.
 
Really? A half? That's way higher than I expected too. I expected more like 1/5 of people actually stick with and get accepted into their field of choice.

I think it means half of the people have an idea of what they want to do, and amongst those people, half of them actually enter the field they originally planned on. ie 25% of grads enter the field they originally planned on
 
I'm not totally sure right now, but surgery sounds interesting

and @ everyone, imagine if he listed every medical specialty ever on that poll. Yeah
 
Internal medicine

Specialise in Respiratory and critical care medicine.
Sub speciality in: pulmonary medicine, asthma, sleep medicine, cystic fibrosis
 
Radiology not listed.

Fail.

edit: why did you list all of the least desirable specialties?

no gas, optho, or derm. i would think half the m1 class was gunning for these specialties.
 
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Derm, or a combined residency WITH derm (IM/Derm). 👍😀👍
 
Really? A half? That's way higher than I expected too. I expected more like 1/5 of people actually stick with and get accepted into their field of choice.

I meant that 1/2 of matriculants come into school thinking they know what they want to do and 1/4 of all matriculants end up in the field they thought they would be in. So you're actually a pretty good guesser. 🙂
 
I can definitely see myself in an IM subspecialty, or possibly rads/gas. Of course, as a premed, I also have no idea what I'm talking about, so we'll have to see.
 
Pathology for me.
 
orthopedic surgery followed by a fellowship in sports medicine. or if that doesn't work out i'lll do family practice/EM/IM with a fellowship in sports medicine.

another option i am becoming more and more interested in is preventive medicine (yes it is an actual specialty recognized by the AMA).
 
Where does infectious disease fall in? 😕
 
Where does infectious disease fall in? 😕
What do you mean? Its an IM specialty though. I'm considering it because of high closely IDs are tied to social issues.
 
Where is radiology on that list
 
What do you mean? Its an IM specialty though. I'm considering it because of high closely IDs are tied to social issues.

I 😍infectious disease, in case my background in parasitology and microbiology wasn't evidence enough.

However, I can't wait till clerkships to see other fields though. Maybe there will be something that interests me more.
 
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I 😍infectious disease, in case my background in parasitology and microbiology wasn't evidence enough.

However, I can't wait till clerkships to see other fields though. Maybe there will be something that interests me more.

Yeah I'm obviously still very open considering my stage in the game.

So many of the socially involved/activist doctors seem to be in ID. Its completely logical, but its kinda funny to see it. I would so love to study at the brigham 6-10 years from now. 😍
 
RIght now I am considering

Family Practice
Emergency Medicine
Surgery might be cool

I bet it will change though
 
GAS DOCS / Pain Management anyone?
 
endocrinology!
 
None of the Above
Pretty much likewise.....the only of those I am interested in emergency medicine (especially if followed by a critical care fellowship). My other interests are pathology (forensic path specifically), neonatology, interventional cardiology, interventional radiology or neurosurgery (but not any other form of surgery).

GAS DOCS / Pain Management anyone?
Anesthesia interests me, but pain management just seems very boring (although anesthesia is not exactly thrilling :laugh: ).

....family medicine, Med-Peds....
You would have to pay me >$10,000,000 a year to get me to do any manner of primary care. It is so boring and lacks sufficient challenge to make me view castrating myself with a rusty soup spoon as a far more interesting endeavor.
 
Pretty much likewise.....the only of those I am interested in emergency medicine (especially if followed by a critical care fellowship). My other interests are pathology (forensic path specifically), neonatology, interventional cardiology, interventional radiology or neurosurgery (but not any other form of surgery).

What's the difference between neonatology and neonatal surgery?
 
I Want to be the CEO of a hospital!!! YEAH!!!!

no actually GI is pretty cool. Yes I want to be a poop doctor, go ahead, laugh it up. Or maybe cardiology....

I'm quite surprised how many people here want to do Emergency Medicine, you know, given the getting sued every other year and all.
 
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I Want to be the CEO of a hospital!!! YEAH!!!!

no actually GI is pretty cool. Yes I want to be a poop doctor, go ahead, laugh it up. Or maybe cardiology....

I'm quite surprised how many people here want to do Emergency Medicine, you know, given the getting sued every other year and all.
Better then OBGYN
 
I Want to be the CEO of a hospital!!! YEAH!!!!

no actually GI is pretty cool. Yes I want to be a poop doctor, go ahead, laugh it up. Or maybe cardiology....

I'm quite surprised how many people here want to do Emergency Medicine, you know, given the getting sued every other year and all.

The person who laughed at the words in red must have a malfunction somewhere up in the head. 😡

Go ahead and pursue what you are interested at. 👍 Best wishes.:hardy:
 
I'm quite surprised how many people here want to do Emergency Medicine, you know, given the getting sued every other year and all.

No matter what speciality you are in, if you have stepped onto some unreasonable pests' tails, you will be sued. 😱
 
Don't forget Med-Peds!!

The *real* distribution:

Emergency...........6%
Family Med.........12%
Internal Med.......22%
Ob/Gyn...............5%
Orthopedics.........3%
Pediatrics...........11%
Psychiatry............5%
Surgery.............12%

Forgotten:
Anesthesiology......3%
Radiology..............1%
Med-Peds..............2%
 
Don't forget Med-Peds!!

The *real* distribution:

Emergency...........6%
Family Med.........12%
Internal Med.......22%
Ob/Gyn...............5%
Orthopedics.........3%
Pediatrics...........11%
Psychiatry............5%
Surgery.............12%

Forgotten:
Anesthesiology......3%
Radiology..............1%
Med-Peds..............2%

Cool stats. Where'd you get this?
 
I wonder why so many ppl on here wanna go into ortho and so few into FP?
 
Internal medicine

Specialise in Respiratory and critical care medicine.
Sub speciality in: pulmonary medicine, asthma, sleep medicine, cystic fibrosis

Critical Care is cool. If I hadn't wasted a year in Family Practice before starting my Emergency Medicine residency I would have liked to have done a one-year critical care fellowship.

I'll tell you, the one non-surgical specialty where all of your patients are "interesting" is critical care.
 
I wonder why so many ppl on here wanna go into ortho and so few into FP?


Har har. I'd tell you but some things you will just have to discover on your own. I will say that if you want to be a true generalist, consider Emergency Medicine. On a typical shift I see everything from a mild self-limiting ear infection to a multiply comorbid patient in septic shock to a otherwise healthy woman who cut off her arm with a circular saw.
 
pediatric gerontology
 
What attracts people to pathology?
 
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