"where do you see yourself in ten years" secondary

[suomi24]

I'm currently answering this prompt and was hoping for some feedback.

I say that I see myself finishing residency in a surgical specialty and going on to a fellowship. Would it be too specific to then say something like the following:

"From my various shadowing experiences and an internship I completed at an orthopedic surgery practice, I am especially interested in orthopedics. Still, I am approaching medical school with an open mind and understand that my interests may change as I gain exposure to new things."

What do y'all think?

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[Dr panda]

I will try to answer from a job perspective (may be that will be helpful). I don’t think they ask your career plans in terms of specialty, when people are asked this question on a job interview, they often answer “manager”. The right answer would be “someone who makes a difference”. You get the idea, I am sure it is nice to discuss your career aspirations, but the question itself is about you as a person, not just a particular type of doctor.

 

[Rachapkis]

The key to answering this question is to show that you have done the work necessary to prepare and understand from your experiences what you will be getting into. It's also fine to say that you're going to keep an open mind, as new experiences in medical school may change your trajectory.

 

[suomi24]

I will try to answer from a job perspective (may be that will be helpful). I don’t think they ask your career plans in terms of specialty, when people are asked this question on a job interview, they often answer “manager”. The right answer would be “someone who makes a difference”. You get the idea, I am sure it is nice to discuss your career aspirations, but the question itself is about you as a person, not just a particular type of doctor.

To be a little more specific the prompt is "how do you see your career ten years from now". But I see your point. My answer should include focus on the type of impact I want to have, maybe talking about the specific patient populations I would like to work with or things of that nature.

 

[Dr panda]

To be a little more specific the prompt is "how do you see your career ten years from now". But I see your point. My answer should include focus on the type of impact I want to have, maybe talking about the specific patient populations I would like to work with or things of that nature.

I am not sure how it works with med schools, but in a job market that is what they want to hear. At least that sounds more appealing than just explaining your excitement of being an orthopedic surgeon.

 

[suomi24]

The key to answering this question is to show that you have done the work necessary to prepare and understand from your experiences what you will be getting into. It's also fine to say that you're going to keep an open mind, as new experiences in medical school may change your trajectory.

So talking more specifically about why an internship or experience made me interested in a particular area, and backing up any career goals with the experiences that led me there?

 

[Rachapkis]

So talking more specifically about why an internship or experience made me interested in a particular area, and backing up any career goals with the experiences that led me there?

Correct.

 

[Moko]

Questions to think about:
- What type of specialty are you interested in?
- Do you envision yourself doing academic medicine in the future? If so, will it be predominantly bench research, clinical research, teaching, or a combination of these? Or do you foresee yourself being in a private practice or community setting?
- Will your desired practice be in an urban or rural setting? Or will you be more interested in international work?
- What other career goals do you have, e.g going into hospital administration, curriculum development, consulting, etc.
- How would you want your colleagues to see you?
- Beyond that, are there any major non-medicine-related goals that you plan on accomplishing?

There aren't right answers to these questions, though it does give us a sense of what you plan on accomplishing in the future. As others have said, it's helpful to back up what you say with prior experiences. It's also important to be open-minded when discussing the above, as things often do change once people go through medical school. Hope this helps

 

[suomi24]

Questions to think about:
- What type of specialty are you interested in?
- Do you envision yourself doing academic medicine in the future? If so, will it be predominantly bench research, clinical research, teaching, or a combination of these? Or do you foresee yourself being in a private practice or community setting?
- Will your desired practice be in an urban or rural setting? Or will you be more interested in international work?
- What other career goals do you have, e.g going into hospital administration, curriculum development, consulting, etc.
- How would you want your colleagues to see you?
- Beyond that, are there any major non-medicine-related goals that you plan on accomplishing?

There aren't right answers to these questions, though it does give us a sense of what you plan on accomplishing in the future. As others have said, it's helpful to back up what you say with prior experiences. It's also important to be open-minded when discussing the above, as things often do change once people go through medical school. Hope this helps

Thanks Moko! These questions are very helpful. I think I was just having a hard time understanding the level of specificity admissions committees are expecting to see from this type of question.

 

[LizzyM]

What attracts you to ortho? Could you say that you expect to be finishing a residency in a surgical specialty and starting into a fellowship? Might you say that you are interested in using new materials and equipment in combination with surgical skill to repair structural defects and damage to the human body. That would seem to point to ortho but could also apply to gen surg, ENT, and some others. Open mind and all that.

 

[suomi24]

What attracts you to ortho? Could you say that you expect to be finishing a residency in a surgical specialty and starting into a fellowship? Might you say that you are interested in using new materials and equipment in combination with surgical skill to repair structural defects and damage to the human body. That would seem to point to ortho but could also apply to gen surg, ENT, and some others. Open mind and all that.

When I wrote my first draft this was pretty much my concern haha. It seemed too specific, without the requisite evidence.